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Bonaparte, Charles Lucian, 1803-1857 / American ornithology, or, The natural history of birds inhabiting the United States, not given by Wilson : with figures drawn, engraved, and coloured, from nature
(1825)
Great crow-blackbird. Quiscalus major. Plate IV. Fig. 1, male; 2, female, pp. 35-41
Page 41
GREAT CROW-BLACKBIRD. they were very gentle, and allowed themselves to be approached within a few feet, without becoming alarmed. Flocks composed of both sexes were seen about the middle of March. About the latter end of November, they leave even the warm region of Florida, to seek winter quarters farther south, probably in the West Indies. Previous to their departure, they assemble in very large flocks, and detachments are seen every morning moving southward, flying at a great height. The males appear to migrate later than the females, as not more than one female (easily distin- guishable even in the higher regions of the air by its much smaller size) is observed for a hundred males, in the last flocks. The Great Crow-Blackbird is also very numerous in the West Indies, Mexico and Louisiana; but it does not frequent the north- ern, or even the middle states, like the Common Crow-Blackbird. Our opinion that the Corvus mexicanus of authors is the male of this species, and their Corvus zanoe the female, is corroborated by the male and female Great Crow-Blackbird being seen in separate flocks. VOL. I.-L 41
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