Ravens’ Fancy Cousins

Ravens are in the Corvid family, with their Alaska cousins Black-billed Magpies, Steller’s Jays, Grey Jays and Crows. But in Latin America, Corvids are a lot flashier, if less prominent. Here are a pair of Green Jays, photographed in Southeast Ecuador this month:

Green Jays

Winter would be a little bit brighter if Ravens looked more like their Latin cousins. Some ornithologists think that in the dimmer light under a jungle canopy a bird has to look more colorful to be noticed by its potential mates. WC thinks that, at least in the case of Corvids, its more a matter of style.