97-426: Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows , ravens , rooks , magpies , jackdaws , jays , treepies , choughs , and nutcrackers . In colloquial English, they are known as the crow family or corvids . Currently, 139 species are included in this family. The genus Corvus containing 50 species makes up over a third of the entire family. Corvids ( ravens ) are
194-408: A sea level rise of hundreds of meters following the last ice age. Both routes may have been taken, although the genetic evidences suggests a single founding population. The micro-satellite diversity and distributions specific to South American Indigenous peoples indicates that certain populations have been isolated since the initial colonization of the region. A second migration occurred after
291-478: A broad range of environmental tolerances or from rapid dispersal compared to the time needed for speciation . Americas The Americas , sometimes collectively called America , known initially as India Nova , are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America . When viewed as a single continent, the Americas or America is the 2nd largest continent right after Asia, and
388-413: A cosmopolitan species is an endemic (native) species, or one that is found only in a single geographical location. Endemism usually results in organisms with specific adaptations to one particular climate or region, and the species would likely face challenges if placed in a different environment. There are far more examples of endemic species than cosmopolitan species; one example being the snow leopard ,
485-517: A few hidden documents remain today, leaving modern historians with glimpses of ancient culture and knowledge. The first inhabitants migrated into the Americas from Asia. Habitation sites are known in Alaska and Yukon from at least 20,000 years ago, with suggested ages of up to 40,000 years. Beyond that, the specifics of the Paleo-Indian migration to and throughout the Americas, including
582-467: A large family group, and demonstrate high social complexities. Their intelligence is boosted by the long growing period of the young. By remaining with the parents, the young have more opportunities to learn necessary skills. When compared to dogs and cats in an experiment testing the ability to seek out food according to three-dimensional clues, corvids out-performed the mammals. A meta-analysis testing how often birds invented new ways to acquire food in
679-625: A lesser extent, Dutch . The Americas are home to more than a billion inhabitants, two-thirds of whom reside in the United States , Brazil , and Mexico . It is home to eight megacities ( metropolitan areas with 10 million inhabitants or more): Greater Mexico City (21.2 million), São Paulo (21.2 million), New York City (19.7 million), Los Angeles (18.8 million), Buenos Aires (15.6 million), Rio de Janeiro (13.0 million), Bogotá (10.4 million), and Lima (10.1 million). The name "America"
776-1271: A member of the tit family, Paridae . The following tree showing the phylogeny of the crow family is based on a molecular study by Jenna McCullough and collaborators published in 2023. Pyrrhocorax – choughs (2 species) Crypsirina – treepies (2 species) Dendrocitta – treepies (7 species) Temnurus – ratchet-tailed treepie Platysmurus – black magpies (2 species) Cissa – green magpies (4 species) Urocissa – blue magpies (5 species) Cyanopica – magpies (2 species) Perisoreus – grey jays (3 species) Cyanolyca – jays (9 species) Cyanocorax – New World jays (20 species) Aphelocoma – jays and scrub jays (7 species) Gymnorhinus – pinyon jay Cyanocitta – jays (2 species) Garrulus – Old World jays (3 species) Ptilostomus – piapiac Zavattariornis – Stresemann's bushcrow Podoces – ground jays (4 species) Pica – magpies (7 species) Nucifraga – nutcrackers (4 species) Coloeus – jackdaws (2 species) [REDACTED] Corvus – crows, ravens, rook (50 species) [REDACTED] The earliest corvid fossils date to mid- Miocene Europe, about 17 million years ago; Miocorvus and Miopica may be ancestral to crows and some of
873-427: A million years, with the total spread of South American genera into North America far more limited in scope than the spread of North American genera into South America. There are 35 sovereign states in the Americas, as well as an autonomous country of Denmark , three overseas departments of France , three overseas collectivities of France, and one uninhabited territory of France, eight overseas territories of
970-485: A number of islands. The gaps in the archipelago of Central America filled in with material eroded off North America and South America, plus new land created by continued volcanism. By three million years ago, the continents of North America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama , thereby forming the single landmass of the Americas. The Great American Interchange resulted in many species being spread across
1067-659: A planet too large for local populations to interbreed routinely with each other include genetic effects such as ring species , such as in the Larus gulls, and the formation of clines such as in Drosophila . Cosmopolitan distributions can be observed both in extinct and extant species. For example, Lystrosaurus was cosmopolitan in the Early Triassic after the Permian-Triassic extinction event . In
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#17327720711991164-722: A series of rivers and streams that flow east with their terminus in the Atlantic Ocean, such as the Hudson River , Saint John River , and Savannah River . A similar instance arises with central Canadian rivers that drain into Hudson Bay ; the largest being the Churchill River . On the west coast of North America, the main rivers are the Colorado River , Columbia River , Yukon River , Fraser River , and Sacramento River . The Colorado River drains much of
1261-448: A series of tests, including aerobatic feats, before being accepted as a mate by the opposite sex. Some corvids can be aggressive. Blue jays , for example, are well known to attack anything that threatens their nest. Crows have been known to attack dogs, cats, ravens, and birds of prey. Most of the time, these assaults take place as a distraction long enough to allow an opportunity for stealing food. The natural diet of many corvid species
1358-541: A shared population of flora and fauna around 2.5 million years ago, when continental drift brought the two continents into contact via the Isthmus of Panama . Initially, the exchange of biota was roughly equal, with North American genera migrating into South America in about the same proportions as South American genera migrated into North America. This exchange is known as the Great American Interchange . The exchange became lopsided after roughly
1455-527: A species found only in Central Asian mountain ranges, an environment to which the cats have adapted over millions of years. The caveat "in appropriate habitat" is used to qualify the term "cosmopolitan distribution", excluding in most instances polar regions, extreme altitudes, oceans, deserts, or small, isolated islands. For example, the housefly is highly cosmopolitan, yet is neither oceanic nor polar in its distribution. The term pandemism also
1552-513: A study examining the decline of British songbirds found no link between Eurasian magpie numbers and population changes of 23 songbird species. Some corvids have strong organization and community groups. Jackdaws, for example, have a strong social hierarchy, and are facultatively colonial during breeding. Providing mutual aid has also been recorded within many of the corvid species. Young corvids have been known to play and take part in elaborate social games . Documented group games follow "king of
1649-417: A suspect in nest predation of threatened marbled murrelets . However, Steller's jays , which are successful independently of human development, are more efficient in plundering small birds' nests than American crows and common ravens . Therefore, the human relationship with crows and ravens did not significantly increase nest predation when compared to other factors, such as habitat destruction . Similarly,
1746-707: A synonym). Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America , where English, a Germanic language , is prevalent, and which comprises Canada (with the exception of Francophone Canada rooted in Latin Europe [France]—see Quebec and Acadia ) and the United States. Both countries are located in North America, with cultures deriving predominantly from British and other Germanic roots. The transatlantic slave trade brought millions of Africans to
1843-453: A wide variety of indigenous religions, many of which can be categorized as animistic ; new age religions and many African and African-derived religions. Syncretic faiths can also be found throughout the Americas. Various languages are spoken in the Americas. Some are of European origin, others are spoken by indigenous peoples or are the mixture of various languages like the different creoles. The most widely spoken first language in
1940-555: Is contributing to population rises in some corvid species. Some corvids are predators of other birds. During the wintering months, corvids typically form foraging flocks. However, some crows also eat many agricultural pests, including cutworms , wireworms , grasshoppers , and harmful weeds. Some corvids will eat carrion , and since they lack a specialized beak for tearing into flesh, they must wait until animals are opened, whether by other predators or as roadkill. Many species of corvid are territorial , protecting territories throughout
2037-879: Is equal to that of non-human great apes and cetaceans , and only slightly lower than that of humans. They are medium to large in size, with strong feet and bills, rictal bristles , and a single moult each year (most passerines moult twice). Corvids are found worldwide, except for the southern tip of South America and the polar ice caps . The majority of the species are found in tropical South and Central America and in southern Asia, with fewer than 10 species each in Africa and Australasia . The genus Corvus has re-entered Australia in relatively recent geological prehistory, with five species and one subspecies there. Several species of raven have reached oceanic islands, and some of these species are now highly threatened with extinction , or have already become extinct. The name Corvidae for
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#17327720711992134-548: Is extremely strong, and even lifelong in some species. This monogamous lifestyle, however, can still contain extra-pair copulations. Males and females build large nests together in trees or on ledges; jackdaws are known to breed in buildings and in rabbit warrens . The male will also feed the female during incubation. The nests are constructed of a mass of bulky twigs lined with grass and bark. Corvids can lay between 3 and 10 eggs, typically ranging between 4 and 7. The eggs are usually greenish in colour with brown blotches. Once hatched,
2231-470: Is generally quite flat. Similarly, the north-east of South America is covered by the flat Amazon basin . The Brazilian Highlands on the east coast are fairly smooth but show some variations in landform, while farther south the Gran Chaco and Pampas are broad lowlands . The climate of the Americas varies significantly from region to region. Tropical rainforest climate occurs in the latitudes of
2328-539: Is home to some indigenous species within the Myrmeleontidae, but nonetheless no one species, nor even genus, of the Myrmeleontidae is cosmopolitan. Conversely, partly as a result of human introduction of unnatural apiculture to the New World, Apis mellifera probably is the only cosmopolitan member of its family; the rest of the family Apidae have modest distributions. Even where a cosmopolitan population
2425-430: Is in use, but not all authors are consistent in the sense in which they use the term; some speak of pandemism mainly in referring to diseases and pandemics , and some as a term intermediate between endemism and cosmopolitanism, in effect regarding pandemism as subcosmopolitanism . This means near cosmopolitanism, but with major gaps in the distribution , say, complete absence from Australia. Terminology varies, and there
2522-571: Is omnivorous, consisting of invertebrates , nestlings, small mammals, berries, fruits, seeds, and carrion . However, some corvids, especially the crows, have adapted well to human conditions, and have come to rely on human food sources. In a US study of American crows , common ravens , and Steller's jays around campgrounds and human settlements, the crows appeared to have the most diverse diet of all, taking anthropogenic foods, such as: bread, spaghetti, fried potatoes, dog food, sandwiches, and livestock feed. The increase in available human food sources
2619-541: Is recognised as a single species, such as indeed Apis mellifera , there generally will be variation between regional sub-populations. Such variation commonly is at the level of subspecies , varieties or morphs , whereas some variation is too slight or inconsistent for formal recognition. For an example of subspecific variation, consider the East African lowland honey bee ( Apis mellifera scutellata )—best known for being hybridized with various European subspecies of
2716-519: Is some debate whether the true opposite of endemism is pandemism or cosmopolitanism. A related concept in biogeography is that of oceanic cosmopolitanism and endemism. Rather than allow ubiquitous travel, the World Ocean is complicated by physical obstacles such as temperature gradients. These prevent migration of tropical species between the Atlantic and Indian/Pacific oceans. Conversely,
2813-691: Is that of the Mississippi , covering the second largest watershed on the planet. The Mississippi-Missouri river system drains most of 31 states of the United States, most of the Great Plains , and large areas between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. This river is the fourth longest in the world and tenth most powerful in the world . In North America, to the east of the Appalachian Mountains , there are no major rivers but rather
2910-596: Is the 3rd largest continent by population. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth 's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World . Along with their associated islands , the Americas cover 8% of Earth's total surface area and 28.4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera , a long chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of
3007-583: Is their ability to overlap breeding territory. During breeding season, crows were shown to overlap breeding territory six times as much as ravens. This invasion of breeding ranges allowed a related increase in local population density. Since crows and magpies have benefited and even increased in numbers due to human development, it was suggested that this might cause increased rates of nest predation of smaller bird species, leading to declines. Several studies have shown this concern to be unfounded. One study examined American crows , which had increased in numbers, were
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3104-533: The Amazon , American cloud forests , southeastern Florida and Darién Gap . In the Rocky Mountains and Andes , dry and continental climates are observed. Often the higher altitudes of these mountains are snow-capped. Southeastern North America is well known for its occurrence of tornadoes and hurricanes , of which the vast majority of tornadoes occur in the United States' Tornado Alley , as well as in
3201-485: The Arctic Circle to Antarctica and every coastal and open-water region in-between. Such a taxon (usually a species ) is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution, or exhibit cosmopolitanism , as a species; another example, the rock dove (commonly referred to as a ' pigeon '), in addition to having been bred domestically for centuries, now occurs in most urban areas around the world. The extreme opposite of
3298-715: The Arctic small tool tradition , a broad cultural entity that developed along the Alaska Peninsula , around Bristol Bay , and on the eastern shores of the Bering Strait c. 2500 BCE moved into North America. The Arctic small tool tradition, a Paleo-Eskimo culture branched off into two cultural variants, including the Pre-Dorset , and the Independence traditions of Greenland. The descendants of
3395-517: The Arctic tern occur from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean , but at any one season of the year they are likely to be largely in passage or concentrated at only one end of the range. Also, some such species breed only at one end of the range. Seen purely as an aspect of cosmopolitanism, such distributions could be seen as temporal, seasonal variations. Other complications of cosmopolitanism on
3492-547: The Australian crows , are best identified by their raucous calls. Corvids occur in most climatic zones. Most are sedentary, and do not migrate significantly. However, during a shortage of food, irruptive migration can occur. When species are migratory, they will form large flocks in the fall (around August in the Northern Hemisphere) and travel south. One reason for the success of crows, compared to ravens,
3589-708: The Boothia Peninsula in northern Canada and Cape Froward in Chilean Patagonia , is roughly 14,000 km (8,700 mi). The mainland's most westerly point is the end of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska; Attu Island , further off the Alaskan coast to the west, is considered the westernmost point of the Americas. Ponta do Seixas in northeastern Brazil forms the easternmost extremity of
3686-495: The Latin version of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci 's first name. The feminine form America was originally used to refer to the newly discovered continent, which is why it was accorded with the feminine names of the other continents: Asia , Africa , and Europa . Since the 1950s, however, North America and South America have generally been considered by English speakers as separate continents, and taken together are called
3783-574: The Quaternary glaciation . These people are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. Another route proposed is that, either on foot or using primitive boats , they migrated down the Pacific coast to South America. Evidence of the latter would since have been covered by
3880-708: The Southern Rockies and parts of the Basin and Range Province . The river flows approximately 1,450 miles (2,330 km) into the Gulf of California , during which over time it has carved out natural phenomena such as the Grand Canyon and created phenomena such as the Salton Sea . The Columbia is a large river, 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, in central western North America and is the most powerful river on
3977-606: The United Kingdom , three constituent countries of the Netherlands , three public bodies of the Netherlands, two unincorporated territories of the United States , and one uninhabited territory of the United States. In 2021 the total population of the Americas was about 1.03 billion people, divided as follows: There are three urban centers that each hold titles for being the largest population area based on
Corvidae - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-517: The azure-winged magpie , which has always been of undistinguished lineage, is less clear than previously thought. The crested jayshrike ( Platylophus galericulatus ) is traditionally included in the Corvidae, but is not a true member of this family, being closer to the helmetshrikes ( Malaconotidae ) or shrikes ( Laniidae ). Likewise, the Hume's ground "jay" ( Pseudopodoces humilis ) is, in fact,
4171-477: The enslavement of large numbers of the indigenous population of America. Diseases introduced from Europe and West Africa devastated the indigenous peoples , and the European powers colonized the Americas . Mass emigration from Europe , including large numbers of indentured servants , and importation of African slaves largely replaced the indigenous peoples in much of the Americas. Decolonization of
4268-637: The family was introduced by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in a guide to the contents of the British Museum published in 1820. Over the years, much disagreement has arisen on the exact evolutionary relationships of the corvid family and their relatives. What eventually seemed clear was that corvids are derived from Australasian ancestors, and spread throughout the world from there. Other lineages derived from these ancestors evolved into ecologically diverse, but often Australasian, groups. In
4365-434: The passerine order. The smallest corvid is the dwarf jay ( Cyanolyca nanus ), at 41 g (1.4 oz) and 21.5 cm (8.5 in). The largest corvids are the common raven ( Corvus corax ) and the thick-billed raven ( Corvus crassirostris ), both of which regularly exceed 1,400 grams (3.1 pounds) and 65 cm (26 in). Species can be identified based on size, shape, and geography; however, some, especially
4462-414: The pinyon jay , have nostrils covered by bristle-like feathers. Many corvids of temperate zones have mainly black or blue coloured plumage ; however, some are pied black and white, some have a blue-purple iridescence, and many tropical species are brightly coloured. The sexes are very similar in color and size. Corvids have strong, stout bills and large wingspans. The family includes the largest members of
4559-483: The western honey bee to create the so-called " African killer bee "—and the Cape bee , which is the subspecies Apis mellifera capensis ; both of them are in the same cosmopolitan species Apis mellifera , but their ranges barely overlap. Other cosmopolitan species, such as the house sparrow and osprey , present similar examples, but in yet other species there are less familiar complications: some migratory birds such as
4656-957: The American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic to European colonization during the Early Modern period . The term Pre-Columbian is used especially often in the context of the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas , such as those of Mesoamerica ( Olmec , Toltec , Teotihuacano , Zapotec , Mixtec , Aztec , Maya ) and the Andean civilizations ( Inca , Moche , Chavín , Muisca , Cañari ). Many pre-Columbian civilizations established characteristics and hallmarks which included permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, and complex societal hierarchies . Some of these civilizations had long faded by
4753-610: The Americas began with the American Revolution in the 1770s and largely ended with the Spanish–American War in the late 1890s. Currently, almost all of the population of the Americas resides in independent countries; however, the legacy of the colonization and settlement by Europeans is that the Americas share many common cultural traits, most notably Christianity and the use of West European languages: primarily Spanish , English , Portuguese , French , and, to
4850-582: The Americas from Asia between 20,000 and 16,000 years ago. A second migration of Na-Dene speakers followed later from Asia. The subsequent migration of the Inuit into the neoarctic c. 3500 BCE completed what is generally regarded as the settlement by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas . The first known European settlement in the Americas was by the Norse explorer Leif Erikson . However,
4947-440: The Americas , or more rarely America . When conceived as a unitary continent, the form is generally the continent of America in the singular. However, without a clarifying context, singular America in English commonly refers to the United States of America . The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on
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#17327720711995044-476: The Americas began with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The first Spanish settlement in the Americas was La Isabela in northern Hispaniola . This town was abandoned shortly after in favor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán , founded in 1496, the oldest American city of European foundation. This was the base from which the Spanish monarchy administered its new colonies and their expansion. Santo Domingo
5141-534: The Americas is Spanish , followed by English and Portuguese . The dominant language of Latin America is Spanish, though the most populous nation in Latin America, Brazil , speaks Portuguese . Small enclaves of French -, Dutch - and English-speaking regions also exist in Latin America, notably in French Guiana , Suriname , and Belize and Guyana respectively. Haitian Creole is dominant in
5238-491: The Americas is dominated by large river basins, such as the Amazon , St. Lawrence River – Great Lakes , Mississippi , and La Plata basins. Since the Americas extend 14,000 km (8,700 mi) from north to south, the climate and ecology vary widely, from the arctic tundra of Northern Canada , Greenland , and Alaska , to the tropical rainforests in Central America and South America. Humans first settled
5335-597: The Americas is made up of the descendants of four large ethnic groups and their combinations. The majority of the population lives in Latin America , named for its predominant cultures, rooted in Latin Europe (including the two dominant languages, Spanish and Portuguese , both Romance languages ), more specifically in the Iberian nations of Portugal and Spain (hence the use of the term Ibero-America as
5432-489: The Americas, such as the cougar , porcupine , opossums , armadillos , and hummingbirds . The geography of the western Americas is dominated by the American Cordillera , with the Andes running along the west coast of South America and the Rocky Mountains and other North American Cordillera ranges running along the western side of North America. The 2,300-kilometer-long (1,400 mi) Appalachian Mountains run along
5529-506: The Americas. Migration continued as people moved to the Americas fleeing religious persecution or seeking economic opportunities. Millions of individuals were forcibly transported to the Americas as slaves , prisoners or indentured servants . Decolonization of the Americas began with the American Revolution and the Haitian Revolution in the late 1700s. This was followed by numerous Latin American wars of independence in
5626-603: The Atlantic Ocean. The Mackenzie River is the largest in Canada and drains 1,805,200 square kilometers (697,000 sq mi). The largest river basin in South America is that of the Amazon , which has the highest volume flow of any river on Earth. The second largest watershed of South America is that of the Paraná River , which covers about 2.5 million km . North America and South America began to develop
5723-731: The Caribbean began to achieve peaceful independence well after World War II . Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962, and Guyana and Barbados both achieved independence in 1966. In the 1970s, the Bahamas , Grenada , Dominica , St. Lucia , and St. Vincent and the Grenadines all became independent of the United Kingdom, and Suriname became independent of the Netherlands. Belize , Antigua and Barbuda , and Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence from
5820-534: The Hudson River Valley, and what later became New Jersey. The spread of new diseases brought by Europeans and African slaves killed many of the inhabitants of North America and South America, with a general population crash of Native Americans occurring in the mid-16th century, often well ahead of European contact. One of the most devastating diseases was smallpox . European immigrants were often part of state-sponsored attempts to found colonies in
5917-602: The Norse colonies and Europe was maintained, as James Watson Curran states: From 985 to 1410, Greenland was in touch with the world. Then silence. In 1492 the Vatican noted that no news of that country "at the end of the world" had been received for 80 years, and the bishopric of the colony was offered to a certain ecclesiastic if he would go and "restore Christianity" there. He didn't go. Although there had been previous trans-oceanic contact , large-scale European colonization of
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#17327720711996014-555: The Northern marine regions and Southern Ocean are separated by the tropics , too warm for many species to traverse. Another aspect of cosmopolitanism is that of ecological limitations. A species that is apparently cosmopolitan because it occurs in all oceans might in fact occupy only littoral zones , or only particular ranges of depths, or only estuaries , for example. Analogously, terrestrial species might be present only in forests, or mountainous regions, or sandy arid regions or
6111-778: The Pre-Dorset cultural group, the Dorset culture was displaced by the final migrants from the Bering sea coast line, the Thule people (the ancestors of modern Inuit ), by 1000 CE . Around the same time as the Inuit migrated into Greenland, Viking settlers began arriving in Greenland in 982 and Vinland shortly thereafter, establishing a settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows , near the northernmost tip of Newfoundland . Contact between
6208-496: The United Kingdom in the 1980s. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere . The northernmost point of the Americas is Kaffeklubben Island , which is the most northerly point of land on Earth. The southernmost point is the islands of Southern Thule , although they are sometimes considered part of Antarctica . The mainland of the Americas is the world's longest north-to-south landmass. The distance between its two polar extremities, Murchison Promontory on
6305-421: The United Kingdom, starting with the Balfour Declaration of 1926 , Statute of Westminster 1931 , and ending with the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982. The Dominion of Newfoundland similarly achieved independence under the Balfour Declaration and Statute of Westminster, but relinquished self-rule in 1934. It was subsequently confederated with Canada in 1949. The remaining European colonies in
6402-496: The United States, and more specifically in the US state of Colorado . The highest peaks of the Americas are located in the Andes , with Aconcagua of Argentina being the highest; in North America Denali (Mount McKinley) in the US state of Alaska is the tallest. Between its coastal mountain ranges, North America has vast flat areas. The Interior Plains spread over much of the continent, with low relief. The Canadian Shield covers almost 5 million km of North America and
6499-433: The West Coast of the Americas. In the far northwest of North America, the Yukon drains much of the Alaskan peninsula and flows 1,980 miles (3,190 km) from parts of Yukon and the Northwest Territory to the Pacific. Draining to the Arctic Ocean of Canada, the Mackenzie River drains waters from the Arctic Great Lakes of Arctic Canada, as opposed to the Saint-Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes of Southern Canada into
6596-425: The colonization never became permanent and was later abandoned. The Spanish voyages of Christopher Columbus from 1492 to 1504 resulted in permanent contact with European (and subsequently, other Old World ) powers, which eventually led to the Columbian exchange and inaugurated a period of exploration , conquest, and colonization whose effects and consequences persist to the present. The Spanish presence involved
6693-644: The core group of the Corvoidea , together with their closest relatives (the birds of paradise, Australian mud-nesters , and shrikes). They are also the core group of the Corvida, which includes the related groups, such as Old World orioles and vireos. Clarification of the interrelationships of the corvids has been achieved based on cladistic analysis of several DNA sequences . The jays and magpies do not constitute monophyletic lineages, but rather seem to split up into an American and Old World lineage, and an Holarctic and Oriental lineage, respectively. These are not closely related among each other. The position of
6790-423: The dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research and discussion. Widespread habitation of the Americas occurred after the Late Glacial Maximum , from 16,000 to 13,000 years ago. The traditional theory has been that these early migrants moved into the Beringia land bridge between eastern Siberia and present-day Alaska around 40,000–17,000 years ago, when sea levels were significantly lowered during
6887-473: The early 1800s. Between 1811 and 1825, Paraguay , Argentina , Chile , Gran Colombia , the United Provinces of Central America , Mexico , Brazil , Peru , and Bolivia gained independence from Spain and Portugal in armed revolutions. After the Dominican Republic won independence from Haiti , it was re-annexed by Spain in 1861, but reclaimed its independence in 1865 at the conclusion of the Dominican Restoration War . The last violent episode of decolonization
6984-604: The east coast of North America from Alabama to Newfoundland . North of the Appalachians, the Arctic Cordillera runs along the eastern coast of Canada. The largest mountain ranges are the Andes and Rocky Mountains . The Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range reach similar altitudes as the Rocky Mountains , but are significantly smaller. In North America, the greatest number of fourteeners are in
7081-645: The first half of the 16th century, Spanish colonists conducted raids throughout the Caribbean Basin , bringing captives from Central America, northern South America, and Florida back to Hispaniola and other Spanish settlements. France, led by Jacques Cartier and Giovanni da Verrazzano , focused primarily on North America. English explorations of the Americas were led by Giovanni Caboto and Sir Walter Raleigh . The Dutch in New Netherland confined their operations to Manhattan Island, Long Island,
7178-400: The helpers are mostly female. Jerison (1973) has suggested that the degree of brain encephalization (the ratio of brain size to body size, EQ) may correlate with an animal's intelligence and cognitive skills . Corvids and psittacids have higher EQ than other bird families, similar to that of the apes. Among the Corvidae, ravens possess the largest brain to body size ratio. In addition to
7275-507: The high EQ, the Corvid's intelligence is boosted by their living environment. Firstly, Corvids are found in some of the harshest environments on Earth, where surviving requires higher intelligence and better adaptations. Secondly, most of the Corvids are omnivorous, suggesting that they are exposed to a wider variety of different stimuli and environments. Furthermore, many corvid species live in
7372-525: The initial peopling of the Americas; Na Dene speakers found predominantly in North American groups at varying genetic rates with the highest frequency found among the Athabaskans at 42% derive from this second wave. Linguists and biologists have reached a similar conclusion based on analysis of Amerindian language groups and ABO blood group system distributions. Then the people of
7469-459: The largest passerines. Corvids display remarkable intelligence for animals of their size, and are among the most intelligent birds thus far studied. Specifically, members of the family have demonstrated self-awareness in mirror tests ( Eurasian magpies ) and tool-making ability (e.g. crows and rooks), skills which until recently were thought to be possessed only by humans and a few other higher mammals . Their total brain-to-body mass ratio
7566-497: The late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Sibley and Ahlquist united the corvids with other taxa in the Corvida , based on DNA–DNA hybridization . The presumed corvid relatives included: currawongs , birds of paradise , whipbirds , quail-thrushes , whistlers , monarch flycatchers and drongos , shrikes , vireos , and vangas , but current research favors the theory that this grouping is partly artificial. The corvids constitute
7663-430: The like. Such distributions might be patchy, or extended, but narrow. Factors of such a nature are taken widely for granted, so they seldom are mentioned explicitly in mentioning cosmopolitan distributions. Cosmopolitanism of a particular species or variety should not be confused with cosmopolitanism of higher taxa. For example, the family Myrmeleontidae is cosmopolitan in the sense that every continent except Antarctica
7760-490: The magpie lineage, respectively, or similar to the living forms, due to convergent evolution . The known prehistoric corvid genera appear to be mainly of the New World and Old World jay and Holarctic magpie lineages: In addition, there are numerous fossil species of extant genera since the Mio – Pliocene , mainly European Corvus . Corvids are large to very large passerines with a robust build and strong legs; all species, except
7857-604: The mainland, while Nordostrundingen , in Greenland, is the most easterly point of the continental shelf. South America broke off from the west of the supercontinent Gondwana around 135 million years ago, forming its own continent. Around 15 million years ago, the collision of the Caribbean Plate and the Pacific Plate resulted in the emergence of a series of volcanoes along the border that created
7954-526: The modern world, the orca , the blue whale , and the great white shark all have cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the Earth's oceans . The wasp Copidosoma floridanum is another example, as it is found around the world. Other examples include humans , cats , dogs , the western honey bee , brown rats , the foliose lichen Parmelia sulcata , and the mollusc genus Mytilus . The term can also apply to some diseases. It may result from
8051-433: The mountain" or "follow the leader" patterns. Other play involves the manipulation, passing, and balancing of sticks. Corvids also take part in other activities, such as sliding down smooth surfaces. These games are understood to play a large role in the adaptive and survival ability of the birds. Mate selection is quite complex, and accompanied with much social play in the Corvidae. Youngsters of social corvid species undergo
8148-443: The southerly Dixie Alley in the North American late-winter and early spring seasons. Often parts of the Caribbean are exposed to the violent effects of hurricanes. These weather systems are formed by the collision of dry, cool air from Canada and wet, warm air from the Atlantic. With coastal mountains and interior plains, the Americas have several large river basins that drain the continents. The largest river basin in North America
8245-413: The surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats ; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and environmental conditions, though this is not always so. Killer whales ( orcas ) are among the most well-known cosmopolitan species on the planet, as they maintain several different resident and transient (migratory) populations in every major oceanic body on Earth, from
8342-473: The territories of the Americas under the colonial rule of European powers. In South America, Portugal played a significant role in the trafficking of enslaved Africans, with estimates suggesting that around 40% of all Africans forcibly brought to the Americas were taken to Brazil alone, to work primarily in sugar cane plantations, mining, and agricultural endeavors. In North America, the British Empire
8439-475: The three main demographic concepts: In accordance with these definitions, the three largest population centers in the Americas are: Mexico City , anchor to the largest metropolitan area in the Americas; New York City, anchor to the largest urban area in the Americas; and São Paulo, the largest city proper in the Americas. All three cities maintain Alpha classification and large scale influence. The population of
8536-533: The time of the first permanent European arrivals ( c. late 15th –early 16th centuries), and are known only through archeological investigations. Others were contemporary with this period, and are also known from historical accounts of the time. A few, such as the Maya, had their own written records. However, most Europeans of the time viewed such texts as pagan, and much was destroyed in Christian pyres. Only
8633-424: The time, bystanders already sharing a valuable relationship with the victim are more likely to affiliate with the victim to alleviate the victim's distress ("consolation") as a representation of empathy . Ravens are believed to be able to be sensitive to other's emotions. Cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography , a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of
8730-409: The wild found corvids to be the most innovative birds. A 2004 review suggested that their cognitive abilities are on par with those of non-human great apes . Despite structural differences, the brains of corvids and great apes both evolved the ability to make geometrical measurements. Ravens are found to show bystander affiliation, and solicited bystander affiliation after aggressive conflicts. Most of
8827-471: The year, or simply during the breeding season. In some cases, territories may only be guarded during the day, with the pair joining off-territory roosts at night. Some corvids are well-known communal roosters. Some groups of roosting corvids can be very large, with a roost of 65,000 rooks counted in Scotland . Some, including the rook and the jackdaw , are also communal nesters. The partner bond in corvids
8924-518: The young remain in the nests for up to 6–10 weeks depending on the species. Corvids use several different forms of parental care, including bi-parental care and cooperative breeding . Cooperative breeding takes place when parents are helped in raising their offspring, usually by relatives, but also sometimes by non-related adults. Such helpers at the nest in most cooperatively-breeding birds are males, while females join other groups. White-throated magpie-jays are cooperatively-breeding corvids where
9021-566: Was first recorded in 1507. A two-dimensional globe created by Martin Waldseemüller was the earliest recorded use of the term. The name was also used (together with the related term Amerigen ) in the Cosmographiae Introductio , apparently written by Matthias Ringmann , in reference to South America. It was applied to both North and South America by Gerardus Mercator in 1538. "America" derives from Americus ,
9118-440: Was heavily involved in the transatlantic slave trade, with the establishment of colonies such as Virginia, where enslaved Africans were primarily used as labor in tobacco plantations and later in other agricultural and domestic sectors. This system perpetuated for centuries, shaping the socio-economic landscape of all nations of the hemisphere. After the Haitian Revolution led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines , which started in 1791 and
9215-570: Was subject to frequent raids by English and French pirates . On the continent, Panama City on the Pacific coast of Central America, founded on August 15, 1519, played an important role, being the base for the Spanish conquest of South America. Conquistador Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón established San Miguel de Guadalupe , the first European settlement in what is now the United States , on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina . During
9312-585: Was the Cuban War of Independence which became the Spanish–American War , which resulted in the independence of Cuba in 1898, and the transfer of sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States. Peaceful decolonization began with the United States's purchase of Louisiana from France in 1803, Florida from Spain in 1819, of Alaska from Russia in 1867, and the Danish West Indies from Denmark in 1916. Canada became independent of
9409-505: Was the only successful slave revolt in history, the world's first black republic was established. It started with the massacre of the white population, between 3,000 and 5,000 white men and women of all ages were killed. Dessalines declared: — Dessalines, first president of the Republic of Haiti, 1804 The most prevalent faiths in the Americas are as follows: Other faiths include Buddhism ; Hinduism ; Sikhism ; Baháʼí Faith ;
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