Hanging Rock State Park

Look! Up in the air! It not Superman, but one of Hanging Rock high flyers. Chances are if you look carefully, you can spot a black bird flying high above. It could be a raven, a crow, or a vulture.



American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) have fan-shaped tails and flap their wings continuously in flight. With a wingspan of only 33 to 40 inches, they are much smaller than ravens or vultures. Their loud, somewhat annoying call caw caw is distinctive and easy to imitate. A family group of two to ten birds usually occupies the same territory from year to year.



The Common Raven (Corvus corvax) has a wingspan of 46 to 55 inches and is much larger than a crow. In flight, ravens hold their wings straight and alternated between flapping and gliding. The raven wedge-shaped tail is distinctive. Although not lyrical like a wren, the husky-voiced raven has about 30 different calls and is the largest songbird in North America.



Vultures are the champions of soaring at Hanging Rock. They can remain aloft for hours without flapping their wings, simply by riding thermals of warm air.



With a wingspan of 55 to 63 inches, Black Vultures (Corabyps atratus) are the smallest American vulture, but still larger than ravens. Black vultures have light-colored wing tips and short square tails.



Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), more common than black vultures, have long rectangular tails and a wingspan of 63 to 71 inches. From a distance, their V-shaped silhouettes distinguish them from other large birds of prey. Overhead, their dark wings appear two-toned with pale outside edges. Both vultures can be seen soaring and feeding together.



(captions)

American Crow; Common Raven; Turkey Vulture; Black Vulture

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