Large Black Bird (1 Viewer)

[K-Chan]

Alright... I have a simple question. I saw a very large black bird, at least twelve inches taller than Ravens get to be. This bird was pure black, no other colors made up this bird, that could be seen. The eyes themselves were also black. The bird, instead of having uniform feathers, the feathers around it's neck were scraggly and ruffled.

I really need to know what this bird was. Any information could help

I have found though, it's not a raven, but looks like one. Odd really. It looked like a raven, but larger.

 

[eiderman]

Welcome to BF

If in California, try a Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

Chris

 

[AlexC]

Hey K-Chan, welcome to BirdForum!

As far as your bird's concerned - you said it's larger than a raven... was it a corvid (a crow (or jay)-like bird)? If so, I'm gonna go ahead and say that it is actually a Common Raven itself! There are no larger corvids in North America. Chris's suggestion of Turkey Vulture seems possible too, but only the juveniles have black heads, and they're not around this time of year. You would have seen a red, very ugly head. Keep in mind, unless you could literally measure the bird, size is a very funny thing and the human eye is not helpful. A bird that seems huge one day could seem diminuitive the next. Believe me, when I see a raven, I always think one thing: BIG.

Did your bird make any calls? If they were crow-like but croaky and deeper pitched, I'm sold with Common Raven.

 

[Gentoo]

I am not sure about Turkey Vulture with shaggy neck feathers. Most of that area is bare. Was it's head disporportionately small for it's body? That's a good mark for Turkey Vulture and it would be pinkish red.

Golden Ealges can sometimes appear black at a distance or in poor light as well. If it truely wasn't a raven, then Turkey Vulture and Golden Eagle are the only things I can think of.

 

[Garrett Lau]

I agree with Alex. It sounds like a Common Raven. Sometimes, when I see ravens, I have a hard time telling them apart from crows, while other times they look gigantic.

 

[AlexC]

ravens, ... [at] times ... look gigantic.

In the field I sometimes just call them monsters. Seriously.

 

[waka waka]

Alright... I have a simple question. I saw a very large black bird, at least twelve inches taller than Ravens get to be. This bird was pure black, no other colors made up this bird, that could be seen. The eyes themselves were also black. The bird, instead of having uniform feathers, the feathers around it's neck were scraggly and ruffled.

I really need to know what this bird was. Any information could help

I have found though, it's not a raven, but looks like one. Odd really. It looked like a raven, but larger.

What was this bird doing? Where did you see it?

 

[Chinogoose]

Iam going with Raven but like waka waka points out some more info would help like where and what it was doing. And if you can get some pics that works too. By the way welcome to BF

 

[K-Chan]

Well I was quite close to the bird, and it was in one of my trees, I found the size of where it was in relation to it's size, and in fact it was plenty larger than a raven.

I was close enough to tell it wasn't a common Raven. And I could tell it was plenty larger than one.

It wasn't much more that ten or twelve feet. The closest I've ever been to a bird so large. Birds don't tend to fly away from me, unless they're blue birds or crows.

It's call sounded like knocking. The type of knocking sound little kids make with their tongues. But it was deep and loud. Also, Raven's have uniform feathers. They're smoothed down and slick. My bird had ruffled fuzzed out feathers. It was a beautiful bird none the less.

 

[Chris Benesh]

Hi K-Chan,

Another warm welcome to Birdforum. I must say, if it was not a raven, it would be an excellent written description of one. Ravens are huge, especially when seen from 12 feet away. They are entirely black with black eyes. They have greatly elongated throat feathers that they routinely fluff out into a shaggy ruff, AND one of their more common vocalizations are loud 'pops' or 'clucks' that sound much like small kids clacking their tongues against their palates. See:

http://www.nawwal.org/~mrgoff/photojournal/2004/fallwin/09-09p1raven.html

Having said that, I have no idea what you saw. :h?: Good luck!

Chris

 

[Garrett Lau]

Yes, the description certainly matches a raven, except, of course, the "larger than a raven" part. I tried to account for that in my previous post.

The photo in Chris's link doesn't show the texture of the feathers. I have better pictures of ravens, including a comparison with a crow, here:

http://www.pbase.com/garrettlau/raven