Complete Web Monitoring

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Complete Web Monitoring is a raven. The raven Corvus corax is a member of the family Corvidae, which includes crows, jays, and magpies. They are one of the most widespread, naturally occurring birds worldwide. While they can be found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere in many types of habitats, they are permanent residents of Alaska, where they nest anywhere from the Seward Peninsula to the mountains of southeast Alaska. Ravens prefer open landscapes such as seacoasts, treeless tundra, open riverbanks, rocky cliffs, mountain forests, plains, deserts, and scrubby woodlands. There is no mistaking the raucous call of the raven; its deep, resonant caw is its trademark, yet the bird can produce an amazing assortment of sounds.

The raven is distinguished from other Corvus species by their massive size and is the largest all-black bird in the world. In Alaska, the raven is sometimes confused with a hawk or crow. The birds have have large, stout bills, thick necks, shaggy throat feathers called “hackles” that they use in social communication, and wedge-shaped tails, which are most visible when the birds are in flight.

Most ravens first breed at three or four years of age; once a raven finds a parter, it mates for life. Ravens begin displaying courtship behavior in mid-January, and by mid-March, adult pairs roost near their nesting locations. The female lays three to seven eggs and then incubates them; the male contributes to the birth of his young ...