© 2005 Rachelle Siegrist.....Science Art-Birds

Title: The Colors of Black
Species: Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Artist: Rachelle Siegrist (for further information, click on the artist's name)
Image size: 1 1/2" x 1 1/2"
Media: watercolor
Date: 2005
Location: The Sue Burton Traveling Exhibition, England

This miniature painting features a Common Raven that Rachelle Siegrist closely observed in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. She was surprised by its size, when compared with more familiar crows and other black birds, and fascinated by the amount of color reflected from the glossy black feathers.

The "colorfulness" and luster of raven plumage has also intrigued researchers, and some have speculated on how differences in greenish or bluish or purplish glossiness among individuals might influence an individual's social status. In the 1990s, there was no concensus on the "colors of black" and whether they serve as reliable indicators of age, status, or mate bonding, so raven specialist, Bernd Heinrich, systematically compared the plumage of juvenile and adult ravens. Heinrich concluded that "shiny juvenile tail and wing feathers lose their luster and fade to a dull brown over the first winter" (and thus might be useful in identify juvies), but birds a year or older remain dark and glossy.