General
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Crows, Ravens and Rooks
Corvids (not covid—notice the “r) are birds in the crow family. There are over 120 species in this family that includes crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, and others. Corvids are remarkably intelligent and even play games and remember human faces. They have also been known to bring shiny gifts to people in exchange for food. They are found everywhere in the world except for the very bottom of South America and the polar ice caps.
We have many corvids around my house in Southern California, mostly crows and ravens. I find both of them fascinating. But sometimes I wonder which bird I’m looking at. How are crows different from ravens?
To start with, ravens are larger than crows. Their bills are thicker and their legs stronger. They have longer wings and can soar for a long time, unlike crows. Usually ravens hang out with only one other raven and rarely with more than 100. A group of ravens is called a “conspiracy.” Ravens have deep, hoarse caws.
Crows are smaller than ravens. Their bills and necks are shorter than a raven’s. Their wings are shorter and rounder. Crows can sometimes flock together with more than 1,000 individuals. A group of crows is called a “murder,” and this term probably came from superstition or folktales. Their call is higher pitched than a raven’s.
When trying to figure out what kind of shiny, black bird you are looking at, compare and contrast them:
How are they alike? Both are black, smart, widespread, playful, and clever.How are they different? Ravens are larger, less social, bigger-billed, strut and hopping, soaring birds. Crows are smaller, smaller-billed, very social walkers.
Happy birding!
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Whiskers and Horses
Do horses have whiskers?
Oh yes, around their mouth, nostrils and eyes. Whiskers are sensory organs with their own nerve and blood supply. They provide sensory information that helps protect horses, helps them navigate their world—for instance, in the dark, whiskers help prevent them from bumping into things and injuring themselves—and even helps them while they graze. They are very much like an extra set of eyes, or hands.
For instance, horses use the whiskers on their muzzle (mouth and nose) to tell them how close their lips are to water. You’d think that if the water is right in front of a horse’s nose or eyes she could see it, right? Wrong!
Here’s why. Horses are prey animals. That means that Nature placed their eyes on the sides of their heads, giving them almost a complete view of everything around them—except right in front of their face and nose.
When a horse lowers her nose to investigate something new, people might think she is smelling the object, and if her nostrils are flared, she might be. But she’s also using her whiskers to receive special signals that help her figure out what it is, including information about texture and temperature.
Have you ever tried to look down and see your own lips? That’s pretty hard for most people to do, and that’s what it’s like for horses when they look down their nose. I bet you tried it just now!
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Why Do We Say That?
Are you an expression-curious person? Curious about words and phrases you might use all the time, but have no idea why we say them or where they come from? I have always loved to investigate wacky etymologies. Etymologies–now there’s a word!
Etymology is the study of the origins of words. Most words that end in -ology mean “the study of.” Etym comes from the Greek word for, well, “word.” I looked this up in a dictionary I have had since I was a freshman in college, Webster’s New World Dictionary. I still use it today.
Here are a few more mysterious words and how we came to write and say them:
When pigs fly means pretty much never, because pigs don’t fly. It is called an adynaton, or a way of saying something that won’t happen. The phrase has been around since the 1600s and is an early form of sarcasm. It was spoken by the Duchess in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Keep your eyes peeled means to keep a close lookout. Peeled in this sense means to keep your eyelids wide open. The phrase used to be, “keep your eyes skinned,” but I think it sounded too gross to keep saying.
I call dibs! My old dictionary says that a dib is another word for a dibble, a small pointed tool to make a hole in soil to plant seeds. Children in the 19th century played a game called dibstones using dibbles, and to call “dibs” meant they went first in the game.
Raining cats and dogs is a very old term for heavy rain. It’s not clear how it started, but it might have to do with Norse mythology, ancient superstitions, or clever writers in the 17th century. A famous writer, Jonathan Swift, used it in his satirical writings (satirical means writing that calls attention to silly or pompous people in a funny way).
Hold your horses means you are doing something too fast, so slow down. There are lots of ideas about how this phrase started, all the way from Greek times to the 19th century when men worked on the Erie Canal hauling freight using horses. It was a common phrase when horses were used in all kinds of jobs and making sure they were under control was very important.
Don’t be afraid to look up words that you find intriguing, funny, odd, or nonsensical. It’s a fun game to find out where they came from.
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Welcome Blog
Once upon a time…our very favorite words of all time and the start to so many adventures.
Once upon a time
…a girl who loved horses had to solve a mystery to save one
…a brother and sister stepped through a magical door into a story and lost their way
…a brave boy helped his alien friend hide from dangerous marauders
…a boy switched places with his math teacher
All stories ask, what if? The answers bring magic and possibilities into our lives. You will never be able to meet every interesting person in your lifetime (and all people are interesting in their own way), so long ago, clever people told stories. As time went on, these stories were written down and passed around.
Now, we are so fortunate to have this incredible tool—books—so we can meet and go on adventures with people all over the world and all over time—even into the future.
We are writers here. We want our stories to light a fire of imagination in your mind and offer a chance to explore the world. Come with us as we find new places and new people. Solve mysteries. Find treasure. Make friends.
Create your own, Once upon a time.
