HI Gene et al.:
According to Bent's Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows, and
Titmice (originally published in 1946) the Northwestern Crow is by:"Many
modern writers, including the framers of the 1910 Checklist, have listed
Corvus caurinus as a species. But it was reduced to the rank of a
subspecies in the 1931 checklist; it will now be restored to full specific
rank." Dawson (1909)states:" after lengthy discussion it is pretty well
settled that the crow of the northwestern sea-coasts is merely a dwarfed
race of Corvus brachyrhynchoss group; and it shades perfectly into the
prevailing western type, (C.b.hesperis, wherever that species occupies
adjacent regiond This area of intergradation lies chiefly south and westt
of Puget Sound.... It is impossible, herefore, to pronounce with certainty
upon the subspecific identity of crows seen near shore in Mason, Thurson,
Pierce, or even King County; but in Clallam, Jefferson, San Juan and the
other counties of the Northwest, one has no difficulty in recognizing the
dwarf race." (Birds of WA page 13).Fast forward to 1984 when a former
professor of mine at WSU (At the time he was there) John T. Ratti summed
up the arguements against Johnston's research this way: "Before this
problem can be resolved, additional data are needed. Johnston's reports of
voice pattern are subjective, i.e. did not include analysis of sonograms,
are equivocal. Additional morphological data are also needed, especially
from birds with voice recordings. also, if frequent mixed breeding by
pairs having distinct calls of American and Northwestern (ie, vocal type
C.b. hesperis x vocal type C. caurinus)were documented, there would be
evidence to support Johnston's (1961) recommendation for reclassification.
Although Johnston's data strongly indicate a need for additional research,
they do not warrant action by the AOU committee at this time."(Selected
Avian Systematic Problems in the Northwest: The 1983 AOU Checklist,
Northwest Science Vol 58(3):240((1984)).
So here we sit, until there is more data supporting a split the AOU
isn't going to do anything. So the tail of two crows continues...
Sincerely

Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Is., WA
ipaulsen at linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
"Rallidae all the way"