DEAR JOAN: On a recent morning, my wife and I saw two ravens perched in a tree at our house. Later, some crows parked themselves in neighboring trees surrounding the ravens. We have never seen ravens here before, perhaps because we aren’t great birders.

My questions are whether ravens are becoming more common in the Bay Area, and how do crows and ravens get along?

Kevin McCarty, Livermore

DEAR KEVIN: I have a very soft spot in my heart for ravens. The bird was my high school mascot, and we took a lot of abuse from schools that boasted bulldogs, eagles, vikings and mustangs. Life wasn’t easy for a Rio Grande raven.

There are more ravens in the Bay Area than there used to be. Fifty years ago, ravens were rarely seen in our area, but their numbers started climbing in the 1970s, especially after ravens, crows and other birds were afforded protections under the federal Migratory Bird Act.

According to information gathered during annual Christmas bird counts in the Bay Area, the number of ravens over the years has increased by more than 1,000 percent. We’re not talking thousands of ravens, overall, but there are several hundred scattered throughout the Bay Area.

The number of crows also has increased. In Alameda County’s 2017 Christmas Bird Count, birders recorded 1,740 crows in their count area. In the mid 1980s, only 30 were identified.

We don’t see ravens in our yards that often, partly because they are outnumbered by the crows, but also because ravens tend to stay on the edges of civilization, in areas a bit less developed. Researchers aren’t sure if they are doing that by choice or through a treaty of sorts with the crows that divides their territory.

Crows and ravens generally don’t care for forested areas, preferring a smattering of trees and brush. Our quest to develop land for housing and commercial endeavors has created paradises for crows and ravens.

The loss of farmland also contributes to birds moving into neighborhoods. Without corn, grain and other crops to glean, the birds have turned to our backyard gardens and parking lot garbage cans.

While there are more crows and ravens in the area, their numbers often are misinterpreted. The birds might move into a neighborhood where they weren’t seen much before, giving the impression of a sudden population spike, when it’s just the same number of birds visiting a new place.

As for crows and ravens getting along, they don’t — at all. Both birds belong to the same family — Corvid — and look much alike, but they are not remotely friendly.

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Concerned Saratoga residents putting water out for wildlife but it’s not a good idea If you think it’s the larger raven that’s the aggressor here, then you don’t know crows. Researchers say that 97 percent of raven-crow altercations are started by the crows, which often have the numbers on their side.

But the crows aren’t picking fights just for the heck of it. Ravens are notorious nest robbers, taking eggs and baby birds right out of the nest. The crows are just protecting their territory and their offspring.

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