A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
_Corvus americanus_, var. _floridanus_, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 568, pl.
lxvii, f. 1. _C. americanus_, ALLEN, B. E. Fla. 297.
SP. CHAR. About the size of _C. americanus_, but bill and feet larger.
Tail less rounded. Third, fourth, and fifth quills nearly equal; third
rather longer than fifth. Color less violet above. Length, 19.50;
wing, 12.00; tail, 7.70; tarsus, 2.60.
HAB. Southern peninsula of Florida.
This resident Crow of Florida differs in some marked features from
that of the more northern localities in several characters. Although
perhaps rather smaller, the bill and feet, especially the latter, are
very considerably larger. The nasal feathers extend over the basal two
fifths of the bill, instead of the half. The proportions of the bill
are about the same; in the Florida bird it is rather the longer. The
greatest difference is in the feet. The tarsal joint of the tibia is
bare, the feathers scarcely coming below it, even anteriorly, instead
of projecting some distance. The tarsus is almost a quarter of an inch
longer, covered anteriorly by nine scutellæ, instead of eight. The
outer lateral toe is shorter, not reaching the base of the middle
claw. The middle toe and claw are considerably shorter than the
tarsus; the middle claw is shorter than in the northern bird.
The wing-formula differs somewhat; the third, fourth, and fifth quills
are nearly equal, the third even longer than the fifth, instead of
shorter. The tail is short and very nearly even, the difference in
length of feathers being less than half an inch, instead of an inch.
This, however, may in part be owing to the absence of the middle pair.
The colors differ somewhat from those of the common Crow. There is
less violet, and the feathers of the back have almost a brassy gloss
on their margins, as in _Crotophaga_.
The specimen upon which these remarks are based, though apparently
perfectly mature, is changing some of its feathers, such as the inner
primaries, the middle tail-feathers, and the greater coverts. The long
primaries and ten tail-feathers, however, are of full length. It is
possible that the bird is really as large as the northern Crow,
although this is hardly probable. It was killed on the mainland of the
extreme southern portion of Florida, not far from Fort Dallas.
No comparison of this bird is required with the Fish Crow, which has
the middle toe and claw longer than the tarsus, not shorter, and the
proportions much less.
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