By Development Coordinator, Heather Patrice Brown

“Squawk!” “Caw-caw!” The new exterior aviary, sponsored by the Wendy McCaw Foundation, is anything but a quiet, peaceful place.  This 8’ x 16’ enclosure currently houses both a murder of American crows and an unkindness of common ravens that arrived as orphaned babies.  The aviary provides multiple perches in both sun and shade. This aviary provides a little room for the rowdy birds to stretch their wings and perch in the sun or the shade while being hand fed. Once they eat on their own, they graduate to the large 25′ x 25′ x 12′ aviary!

Ravens and crows belong to a family of birds called Corvidae.  Members of the family, which also include jays and magpies, are referred to as a group as Corvids, and are often considered some of the smartest birds in the world.  California Wildlife Center staff and volunteers often give the ravens and crows toys or hide their food in puzzles as enrichment and to teach them valuable skills they will need in the wild.