Apr 28th, 2017: White Raven

[xoxoxoBruce]

Like the white Buffalo rare and special.

Throughout human history, the raven has been a powerful symbol and a popular subject of mythology and folklore. One of
the largest corvids, the raven is known for their jet black appearance and their unusual caw, and their high intelligence.
The birds also have a long lifespan and can live up to 21 years in the wild. They mate for life and are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
As a subject of myths and legends, ravens are often depicted as extremely clever and resourceful animals.

A population of white ravens have been seen over the past decade around Qualicum Beach. Local photographer Mike Yip
has been fortunate enough to have spotted the birds several times of the years and taken photographs of the family of birds that are as enchanting as they are fascinating.

According to Native American legend, Raven was originally white and had a beautiful voice. Unfortunately, the Gods were
unhappy with the greed and corruption on earth and decided to take away the fire. Without heat, the earth was turning into a frigid hell. Raven volunteered to fly to the sun and bring back the fire. Up he flew with a branch in his bill. As he neared the sun his feathers were all singed and his larynx was half-cooked, but the branch ignited. From that day on, all Ravens were black, but occasionally a white offspring is born to remind everyone of the great sacrifice made by Raven.

Thanks Raven, I for one appreciate the fire down below.

link

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

They mate for life

This gets said about so many animal species, but surely scientists have witnessed a raven divorce? Why not just say they're serial monogamists?

[Clodfobble]

AH-HA! They do!

Except not albatrosses.

[Snakeadelic]

There are actually two different ways to get a white raven, and I think both might be shown!

The eyes have it, as they say. The bird in flight appears to have a red or pink eye, which would mean it is a true albino. The other two have very clearly blue eyes, which means they are leucistic. Either way, AWESOME.

I spent several years "training" the local crow population to avoid the immediate area of my apartment, because the crows here are noisy and annoying and part of my anxiety/OCD is expressed in an inability to completely disconnect from my physical environment if I'm awake. The light post directly across from my apartment is still a favorite display point for birds--now we have a flicker who drums on it to declare territory, and the robins have learned to use it to direct their chirps into a U shape of buildings for amplification. But the local crows don't sit on it and caw for hours at a time the way they did when it was first put up.

And since the crows don't hang around, now we have a pair of ravens nesting nearby! I hear them more often than I see them, with their distinctive croaking "rark rark" calls as they fly past. It's easy to forget they're bigger than red-tailed hawks! No whites in the area that I know of, although about 10 years back I did see a leucistic magpie.

Great pictures, and good lifestyle info. For anyone interested in some of the weirder aspects of breeding behavior (more pair-bonding than actual sex) across the animal kingdom--but with lots and lots of bird species featured--I recommend a book called Biological Exuberance.

[Griff]

much love for ravens

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Snakeadelic

There are actually two different ways to get a white raven, and I think both might be shown!

The eyes have it, as they say. The bird in flight appears to have a red or pink eye, which would mean it is a true albino. The other two have very clearly blue eyes, which means they are leucistic. Either way, AWESOME.

I don't think the ones in flight have pink eyes, I think you're seeing the pink skin around the eye.