Corvidae

The Corvidae or the crow family since ancient times have been surrounded by an aura of mystery. In mythology and folklore, in literature and art they are usually depicted as wise and cunning advisers, oracles and prophets, death companions and guides to the other world. Why did corvids become “persona non grata”? Where is the truth behind the centuries-old mystification? The answers you will find at the new exhibition entitled “Corvidae” in Darwin Museum. 

The Corvidae family is not only ravens and crows. It includes rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers… - about 120 species of birds that have spread across all continents, except Antarctica. The earliest fossil finds of birds similar to corvids found in France and Germany are about 17 million years old.

Discover at the “Corvidae” exhibition what is the "dress code" of the corvids family inhabiting different continents, living in the wild vs in cities. Find out why they are considered to be so clever and see for yourself how creative they can be in getting food and adjusting to the environment. Learn what means the Russian idiom “the white crow” (eng. equivalent – “to be the black sheep of the family”) and its origins, as well as see the rare albino birds.

You will be surprised by a great variety of myths about these birds in cultures of various countries – why the two ravens were loyal companions of the Scandinavian god Odin; why the image of the three-legged crow Sanzuwu was mandatory part of the emperors garment decoration in Ancient China; what made Edgar Allan Poe’s poem "The Raven" so popular – was it fascination with its mystical atmosphere, that turned the bird into a cultural phenomenon? In the 1980s, the animated film “Plasticine Crow” by A. Tatarsky became a nationwide bestseller in Russia and received more than 25 festival awards.

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