A very interesting and enjoyable page on Facebook for the last several months has been ‘The Official Crow, Raven & Other Corvid Fan Page’ – of which I’m a member.
With monotonous regularity, some member will ask, “What’s the difference between a raven and a crow?” With the same regularity, the Old Guard members respond with the same answers.
In western Europe, the difference between a raven (Corvus frugilegus) and a carrion crow (Corvus corone) is straightforward. (FYI, ravens are MUCH bigger, and their beaks are huge.)
Having suggested to the page’s administrators that they have a header document outlining the various species’ characteristics, the idea was accepted – which meant, of course, that Muggins had to do it.
Several hours’-worth of work resulted in a table of about twenty species which was place on the FB page today. The membership-feedback has apparently been quite good.