CROWS VS. RAVENS

 No, it's not another blog post about football or some other sport.

I know when to quit.

This is about a matter of controversy in the field of ornithology.

Now in case you've forgotten your high school studies, ornithology is defined as a branch of zoology dealing with the study of birds.

And today we are going to solve a long-standing argument about those big black birds.

Specifically, crows and ravens, and which is which.

I have long railed at people who call them all "crows", when frequently the bird they've spotted is a "raven".

My way of identifying the two is pretty simple.

Crows stick to the countryside while ravens are more social and come into town to raid your dumpsters and hang around your parking lots.

But today a friend has sent me a new method of differentiating between the two species and I hereby offer it to all of you.

I have chosen to keep my friend's identity private to prevent him from being shunned in public places.