Crow
the crow family (Corvida), order Insessores, comprises birds that have a strong bill, compressed toward the points, and covered at the base with stiff, bristly feathers, which advance so far as to conceal the nostrils. The plumage is dense, soft, and lustrous, generally dark, but sometimes of gay colors. They are very omnivorous, and remarkable for their intelligence. The family, widely diffused over the world, includes the common crow, type of the Corvidæ, and the above, which will be described here; and the raven, the fish-crow, the rook, the jay, and the magpie. The common crow of North America, Corvus Americanus (Audubon), is about 20 inches long, and the wings about 13 inches. It is remarkable for its gregarious and predatory habits. The bill is straight, convex, and compressed. The nostrils are placed at the base of the bill, and are pantalous; the tongue short, and bifid at the tip; the toes are separated almost to the base, and the middle one is the longest.