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Crows.net Featured ReportsThe Daily CrowFrom time to time - as often as something of unusual interest is submitted to the crows.net website, hopefully at least once a week - we will post a "Featured Report" on this page. We'll also be posting some of the most interesting reports of the past several years. So check back often! You might also wish to visit our "A Crow's Year" page where we detail the activity going on in the crow community at each season of the year. POSTED: March 9, 2008 Some Great Crow Observations Washington State, Tacoma/Puyallup. 2007. Wooded Park directly in back of my home. I have had an interest in crows for years, but until we moved to this residence two years ago I had not gotten particularly close to them. Perhaps working out of my home, the only companionship I have during the day is my cats, the squirrels I feed, and now my crows. It started with one crow and throwing out some bread. That crow brought another crow ( I assume a mate). It was the two of them for probably a month and then they brought the others. I have had as many as a dozen. One is always a lookout. They sometimes fly off and bring others back to share the food. Sometimes they just give a call that brings them. I give them whatever I have. I have a bird bath and they do like soaking their food. One time I gave them some very dried out rolls. They were pecking at them until one went over and soaked it in the water and then all of them followed suit. I also notice when I put food out on a paper plate they are usually a little leery until one of the leaders is brave enough to sneak a bite, of course always under the watchful eye of a lookout. I was at Pt. Defiance Park in Tacoma July 2007 and I observed them waiting until a couple went down to the water and then the crows began rifling their bags that were filled with baggies containing cheese-its and other various snacks. One of my disappointments with the crows is that I am amazed that while they are feeding in the backyard that one squirrel can scare them from the food. They don't fly off but they let the squirrel do want it wants. When any of my cats go outside they caw and caw at it. The crows clearly do not like cats. I saw one of the crows several days in a row in the same tree taunt a neighbor cat, clearly enjoying it. Also I, as well as my son have heard the crows making cat like noises. It sounds kinda like a muffled meow. I have heard them do this many times, but I am not sure what its purpose is. My crows will eat raw meat. I have given them an entire roast that was freezer burned and they spent the day tearing it apart. I also have observed them saving food by putting it in the fir tree branches. I have seen them do this many times. One day recently I gave them approximately 30 slices of cheese that had begun to mold on the edges. They were certainly enjoying it, but I was shocked to look over and discover they were shoving the cheese down my neighbor's gutters! I was horrified as I like my neighbor and do not want to cause any problems. I quickly went out and scared them away from the neighbor's house. The crows have become quite comfortable with me and do not fly off when I open the door or go out in the yard to bring them more treats. They even sit on the light pole out by the front driveway as I garden. Last spring I observed a crow in my backyard that just was sitting there. It stayed and stayed. I began to think something wasn't right. I went out and its mouth was stuck open. It couldn't eat. I managed to get a little water down his throat and for a moment I thought it would help. He wasn't afraid of me at all and I am sure he knew I was trying to help him. During all of this there was a couple of crows who were observing and at times seemed to be cawing words of encouragement to this crow. This crow eventually flew off but it was obvious something was terribly wrong. His crow buddies followed him to where he landed in a neighbors yard and I could hear them cawing at him. He was dead the next day. Another observation I have made is that the crows seldom fight. For the most part they get along and cooperate with each other. Also my former father-in-law decided that a crow was bothering him so he shot and killed it. He soon regreted it. He soon had hundreds of crows descend on his residence. They were on his roof, power lines, trees and they cawed and cawed forhours. They clearly were mourning the dead crow lying in his yard. I am happy to have found this site and hope to share more.I believe crows have to be one of the most intelligent creatures on earth. They work together, they figure solutions out and learn from each other. (V.T.) ********************************** POSTED: February 17, 2008 A Senseless Slaughter of Crows A story in the NRA Journal about a man who has killed far more than a hundred thousand crows. We will leave you to form your own opinion of this "sportsman". ********************************* POSTED: OCTOBER 9, 2007 An Injured Crow Helped by Its Family 1999-2003. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Theodore Wirth Park is located where Golden Valley and Minneapolis meet. It is the largest nature park in Minneapolis. It include a golf course and trails. My house was located nearby and at least one family of crows lived in the area which included my house. I first notice a crow with a broken wing around the spring of 1999. I did not believe he would make it for long since the park also included a family of foxes. He could not fly and spent his time walking mostly in the outskirt of the golf course. There was always at least one crow either in the ground or in a tree nearby. Any time someone or some small animal came near the crow with the broken wing, the crow in charge would make a noise and others would show up right away. I saw crows bringing food to the hurt crow many times. He managed to survive until at least 2003. After that winter, neither my daughter nor I ever saw him again. It was quite obvious that this bird would not have survived for so long, being unable to fly, without help. I can't even imagine how he made it through all those winters. Minneapolis in located in zone 4. (C.O.) POSTED: October 8, 2007 A Crow Lecture? Fall 2004. Golden Valley, Minnesota. This area of Golden Valley is close to a small lake and Minneapolis largest nature park (Wirth Park). Most of the area slopes both in back and toward the road. There is a fence on the top and slight terracing to prevent erosion towards the road. That day I was driving by when I noticed hundreds of crows gathering. I stopped the car and parked just before the area where they were gathering. I had never seen so many at a time. (My house was about 100 meters from the location.) They were landing on top of the fence and all the way down covering all the "terraces". The stood in place all the way to the sidewalk. After a few minutes the area was packed with crows. Two crows were standing in the bicycle path by the street next to the sidewalk. One of them made a sound and all the other crows became silent facing the ones in the bottom. Then the second began making sounds. After about three minutes, the second crow stopped making sounds and the first one made a sound and all the others began flying off. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this was that they were in an amphitheater listening to a lecture. I was amazed that they all stayed quiet while the one in the bottom was "speaking" and none flew away during all this time. I was also surprised at how instantly they grew quiet when the first crow made the first sounds and how quickly they left when "he" made the second sound. (C.O.) ********************************************* POSTED: October 6, 2007 Tool Using Crows Caught on Crow Cams Scientists attached miniature cameras to the tails of those Caledonian tool using crows. Click on the link below for the story. Clever Crows are Caught on Camera. ******************************************************* POSTED: October 1, 2007 Old Crow November 30, 2007. Salem Oregon, USA. I've been feeding a small crow family for over four years now. My Old Crow came to our backyard in the summer of 2003. He had a broken leg, and was struggling to survive on the bread crumbs and bird feed that we had put out for the little birds. Poor Old Crow was a very sad looking guy back then ..., but you aught to see him now! (: Now, he's a very big Old Crow ..., with a wife and several children to feed. The first summer, I would hang raw bacon over the back fence for him to snatch up, and this he did, with great accuracy. The only problem was, he was hanging the bacon like fresh laundered underwear over the telephone wires ..., for all to see. I was quite embarrassed by the sight ..., but learned very quickly that Old Crow wanted his bacon a little bit cooked ..., just so the fat was dripping out of it. A quick bout in the microwave solved that problem, and then there was no more unsightly bacon hanging over the wires for the neighbors to view. Since that summer of 2003, I've been steadily and lovingly feeding my little crow family. In the Fall, as is now, I have "many" more crows to feed. The migrating crows will be here for a short time, and then they'll be off to their winter roost, and I'll just have my little family to care for ..., once again. Now to make a long story short; what the crows in Salem, Oregon prefer to eat! They *love* Col. Sanders fried chicken, but only get it periodically. Every day I feed them the following, and through much trial and error have discovered that this is exactly what they prefer to eat: Cheese and Egg Omelet
I found that what they don't like to eat is raw meats, any kind of vegetables and the crows around here poo-poo peanuts. Quick funny story; I once gave my Old Crow an uncooked whole egg to eat. He loved it ..., but another embarrassing situation occurred. He punched a hole in the shell and took the egg up on the neighbor’s roof to eat. I'm very thankful that the neighbors couldn't see the side of their house that we had to stare at for a couple of months! We prayed constantly for rain. The broken shell was glued firmly to Jay's shingles, and the white of the egg had run down and dried in a glossy sheen, that only stopped at the rain gutter. So, even though crows love raw egg, I highly suggest that you never give them one! Soft boiled or hard boiled eggs didn't work out, either. They'll eat the yolk and leave the whites. So, I scramble their eggs with a good amount of cheddar cheese and everybody seems to be happy! (R.G.S.) **************************************************************** POSTED: September 13, 2007 A British Pet Crow June 2007. England – Yorkshire. I rescued a fledgling crow off a river bank. I watched it for 2 days but saw nothing feeding it. By then it was fairly weak so I brought it back and raised it on poultry food. I did not at this stage realize that it was unlikely to be accepted back into its original social circle. It is the most enchanting of birds though it is basically a very intelligent thief. But it is impossible to get angry with it. It steals clothes pegs as you're putting the washing out, then gives you a torrent of abuse when you try to retrieve them. Like a magpie, it will go for anything shiny and has stolen numerous keys. It picks holes in milk bottle tops and soon learnt to watch out for the milkman. When he started putting plastic covers over the bottles it stood watching what he was doing and he got a load of abuse as well. It worries me that it is TOO tame as the latest report I got is it went into a neighbour's kitchen and fended off her 2 Yorkshire terriers while it tried their dog food. Not all dogs will be that tolerant. It seems that the crow learns by observation. Being naturally curious, it investigates EVERYTHING. If it sees another animal doing something that benefits it then it will copy. A neighbour showed it how to soften bread in water so now it always "dunks" its bread. But it found out for itself about stealing from milk bottles and how to get peanuts out of a shell and grapes from a sealed packet. Now EVERY packet has to be ripped open in case it contains something delicious. (S.S.) **************************************************************** POSTED: September 11, 2007 A Family of Crow Friends September 10, 2007. Ocean City, Washington, USA. My home along the Pacific ocean, bordered along a wooded hillside, a small community. I started my observation 3 years ago on a local pair of crows that appear to live in my back yard in a thick wooded area that surrounds a swamp. This year I watched them experience many good and some tragic bad times. One of the pair had been injured somehow and they were late to mate. They did eventually and 2 young came from it. When the one was injured I fed them dry dog food soaked in warm water every morning and in the evening I fed them table scraps. I fed them under the huge old tree in my yard so they would have the safety of its branches for retreat yet could easily get to the chow. They came to trust me so it was no surprise when they brought their 2 babies to eat there as well. On the 4th of July, one of the adult parents was killed, I found her a little way down the road she appeared to have been hit by a car. They mourned her but not for long. The remaining parent was now alone and had to raise the babies alone. He had little routines that he led them through every day. Early morning he brought them to the alder trees outside my bedroom window and squawked until I would wake and go feed them, as he and his mate had done so many times before. Everybody would eat then join the others in the area flock for a bit of the day, till around 11:00 am. We have a large deck in front of our house that overlooks a huge grassy lot and pretty much the whole town. The tree is on the border of our driveway which is called Lone Tree drive. By 11:00am I am out on my deck. He brings the babies to the tree and he grooms them a while. They are very loving and affectionate to each other. Then he leaves them there and he flies off for a bit never long. They sit in the tree and "Talk" back and forth using a number of different clucks and caws which sounds like speech therapy in crow! Sometimes they sit quietly and on occasion they will pick bits of moss and bark and drop it on me or my deck playfully. They stay in or around the tree until the parent returns then they are gone for a while. If I am outside gardening or walking my dog they hear my voice and follow me where ever I go. It looks pretty strange because I also have 2 black cats who follow me around as well, so here is this woman walking along with 2 black cats and a black and white dog, and 3 black crows all in a parade! Evening rolls around and I am feeding cats, and dogs, and yes, crows! They wait in the tree not very patiently, yelling for dinner! I love these birds and intend to learn all I can about them. There is no doubt in my mind that they far surpass the intelligence level of most creatures, especially other birds. What surprises me most is the emotion and the obvious affection they have for one another.(C.C.) ****************************************************** POSTED: August 30, 2007 Ball Playing Crows April 14, 2007. Western Washington State, Seattle Area. Grocery store, strip mall roof. As I approached the covered breezeway I could see several crows, maybe 5 or 6 "jumping" up and down on the roof. When I reached the covered area I could hear a bumping noise overhead. A moment later a super-ball dropped off the roof and bounced into the busy parking lot; three crows quickly followed and chased the ball while it bounced. When the ball came to rest in a gutter one of the crows picked the ball up in her beak and "threw" it. At that point the other crows all tried to catch it. Even when it rolled under cars they would pursue the ball and make it bounce. I watched this along with a group of people who also noticed the crows playing ball. After about 10 minutes the "owner" of the ball took the ball back up to the roof where I could once again hear the bouncing and jumping. The super-ball was one of the 2" diameter ones; so it was really an effort for them to pick it up and then fly. I buy a super-ball from the dollar store a couple of times a week and throw it on the roof for the crows. Quite often I can hear cawing and bouncing when I walk under the breezeway. (A.C.) +++++++++++++++++++ crows.net response While we've never received a report of ball playing crows before, it does seem well within the range of behavior (play) in which young crows frequently engage. We have heard on a number of occasions about crows stealing golf balls, but usually they just drop them in places where the golfers have a hard time retrieving them. A 2 inch diameter super ball must be at the very outside edge of what a crow can carry in its beak. They can manage fairly large hardboiled hen's eggs, but usually they will first poke a hole to get a better grip. I don't suppose there's any chance of capturing the crows' game with a video camera. It would certainly make an interesting video. (Michael Westerfield) ****************************************************** POSTED: August 28, 2007 Crow Regional Dialects, etc. Sometime in Fall, 1999. Porter Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. How I first became entranced by crows: Actually, I've always thought crows were beautiful and interesting so I was aware of the ones hanging about by the fence as I waited for a commuter rail train on a brisk but sunny fall day. There were two nearby, almost too close for wild things to be near humans, and one other on a roof across the street. In turns, these three would sound off with two short caws and then there would be a long pause and then they would go around again. During the pause I could swear the two by the chain link fence would stare at me expectantly. So, after a few rounds of this, I cawed at them myself becoming #4 in the 'roll call'. This delighted them, they had a flurry of raucous calling and then began again, one at a time, a one or two caw call, and I fell in, the pause was not so long and we went round again. The second or third time we sounded off together a fourth crow flying by overhead also cawed in turn after me. Then it landed on the roof by crow #3. I felt that I had been invited to 'sing along' and felt very honored and included. Since this happened I have become a very keen observer of crows and have identified a few other calls and behaviors that seem to be consistent in crow language/culture. By Spring of 2000 I was able to mimic a call which I call 'there's food here' because I'm guessing that's what it means. After a round of sounding off, three loud caws would cause the crows to come and congregate in nearby trees. I will also attest that after several seasons of cawing the crows in the Boston area and rural Mass, and southern Maine I was disappointed to find that my caws had no meaning whatsoever to Central California crows. I spent a few years in California and never did manage to 'get' the crows there. Very little of their behavior seemed to match New England crow culture. Now I am back in Maine, feeding crows in my driveway, designing a crow feeder and have just found your site (hooray!). I have been going out between 5:30 am and 7am every morning this week to scatter seed, bread bits or other leftovers (cantaloupe slices) and have been watching these local crows which seem more familiar in habits, caws, and social behavior. I believe there is an alpha male among the regulars, or possibly just a bully, and I think, but I'm not sure that a particular individual is now accustomed and expecting my largess. This morning, perched in a dead tree this one did not fly off as I walked about flinging bread bits. Previously all had scattered and only returned when I retreated inside. (G.G.) +++++++++++++++++ crows.net response: You bring up several interesting points about crow behavior in your message. The "sing along" in which you participated may actually have been more of a language class for young crows, with a parent or older sibling making a vocalization with a specific meaning and the youngsters repeating it. No doubt the "kids" were happy to have a non-crow join in the game. Crows have different dialects in different areas of the country and the west coast crows do indeed behave and vocalize very differently from those in the Northeast. Florida crows are also vocalize very differently. I suspect California crows have been fairly isolated from other populations by the desert and mountains. As you go further north, you run into another population, the Northwest crows, which some consider to be a separate species. The basic unit of crow society, is the "nuclear family" which usually consists of a mated pair and several offspring from various year's nests. The alpha crow, is usually the male of the mated pair...the head of the family, though the most dominant of the offspring can sometimes be the most obvious bird, while the father is out of sight playing a lookout role. Concerning crow feeders. Siting is important. Crows like to feed on the ground in an area well away from brush or trees that might conceal predators. A "feeding table" tends to work better than something hanging or pole mounted, though crows can get into most types of feeders if they have enough incentive. (Michael Westerfield) ******************************************************** POSTED: August 18, 2007 The World's Largest Crow Just a bit of crow trivia. Click on the link below. ******************************************************* <POSTED: August 17, 2007 Tool Using Crows: BBC Story with Video You may have heard of the famous incident where a crow in the laboratory was caught on video making a tool apparently by reasoning out how it could be done and then doing it. In the experiment that was being carried out, food was placed in a little bucket at the bottom of a tube. The bucket had a handle and crows were given either a straight or hooked strip of metal to use to try and fish out the bucket. The crow that was given a straight piece of metal fashioned it into a hook in very much the same way you might do it, by sticking one end into a crack and exerting leverage on the other. This present story from the BBC reports even greater reasoning power on the part of Caledonian crows and includes a short video of a crow solving a complicated problem in using tools to obtain food. ****************************************************** POSTED: August 8, 2007 Crows Dropping Fir Cones on Folks Below Observation Date: August 7, 2007. Bainbridge Island, WA., USA. Rural, two and a half acre yard, partly cultivated, with numerous tall fir trees, on intertidal bay. My daughter and I walked out into the undeveloped area of her yard to decide on the placement of some fencing. While standing there together, we noticed that an unusual number of fir cones were suddenly landing on the ground, one after another. We looked up into the trees to see what could be causing such a deluge, and saw five to eight crows, very quietly coming and going in the tree directly over our heads. We could only surmise that they were pulling off and dropping the cones. We stood there for probably five or six minutes while this behavior continued without ceasing. During this time, there was no cawing or crowing at all. My daughter noticed that where we were standing seemed to be the only area that the cones were landing, as if the crows were intentionally trying to drop them close to us. We checked our theory by moving about 20 feet away and before too many minutes had passed, the crows moved to the tree above us again, and again we were bombarded by dropping fir cones. Now we moved, this time about 30 feet away, with the same amusing result. We were astounded by this behavior and probably spent 20-25 minutes enjoying the spectacle. I should note that it was evening, just before dark. We are used to watching the crows drop clams from high up in order to break them up on our cobblestones so they can easily get at the meat,(Her yard is full of shells of course.) but the raining fir cones was something new to behold, and fascinating to observe. Comments: I'd be interested in knowing if you or anyone else has any insight into what these crows were trying to accomplish. The only thing that occurs to me is that they were trying to scare us away at a vulnerable time for them, just before nightfall. This has us intrigued and we look forward to hearing what you have to say about this. Thank you. (C.P.) > ++++++++++ crows.net response:I would guess that the crows were used to roosting at night in that clump of fir trees and that they were indeed targeting you in an attempt to clear you out of the area before they settled down for the night. Fir trees are fairly safe refuges for crows at night, where they are reasonably safe from the large owls which are their major predators. I can see, though, that they wouldn't want any other potential dangers hanging around their roosting place as darkness was falling. (Michael Westerfield) ******************************************************************************** POSTED: August 7, 2007 Cracker, a "Slow" Fledgling Crow? August 6 & 7, 2007. Nanaimo ,British Columbia Canada. Our back yard, we live on a half acre lot. On one end we have several nearly 30 year old trees,cedar,cypress, alder. Last year(06), we became aware of a crows' nest in a large spruce tree in the tree area. Two babies emerged from the nest. I believe these are western crows. All last July/August we were delighted to watch one of the crows (we named Cracker) learn to fly. It seemed to take forever; the flying seemed to come naturally it was landing that took weeks of practice. Mother was always close at hand but always on a different branch. Cracker contstantly complained that he had to try to fly to the next branch to get to Mom. This went on for at least four weeks before he could take off and land with any confidence. We have watched Cracker and his Mom and Dad every morning for about a year now. We sit in our yard for about an hour each morning, and have bribed them with a piece of cheese broken up and placed on top of the grape arbour. Cracker has only this past month began taking his own food; up till now he has been fed by Mom. Cracker is a year old now. Mom and Dad did not have a nest this year. Is this unusual behavour? We are very interested in these great creatures. (A.G.) ++++++++++++
crows.net response: Well, when it comes to crow behavior, there can be considerable variation among groups and individuals. In this case, Cracker does seem a bit "slow". Most young crows are feeding themselves at least some of the time within several weeks of leaving the nest and are fairly self-sufficient by the fall after fledging, though they still might try begging from their parents from time to time. The process of learning to fly is generally like what you describe, with the parents often landing on branches or in trees at a distance from their offspring and the youngsters vocally protesting. Sometimes I think that the parents are encouraging the youngsters to fly and join them and other times teaching them to remain in place until called. As far as the parents not having a nest this year, I can't say much about that, since any number of factors could be involved. Oh, and what became of Cracker's sibling? (Michael Westerfield) ************************************************************************************* POSTED: July 31, 2007 City Crows and Country Crows I have noticed that there is a bit of difference in the crows that live by my house in the country vs. the crows that live by the office I work at in town. The city crows seem to be braver, and friendlier. I have a story to share. The office I work at was built new. During the building process I was at the site a great deal. I love birds, especially crows, so of course I noticed a nesting crow in a large tree off the parking lot of the building. I would click and talk to the crows in the trees for fun every time I would show up. Sure enough, they had a baby - I was able to see it amongst the tree branches. As soon as they had the baby I decided to help them out and regularly brought them food. One occasion that I was bringing food, I saw the baby on the ground. Still with blue eyes. So I started talking to the baby and leaving food near him. We finally moved into our building so I was there more regularly by this time. As the crow grew, he became quite comical and would hang off the gutters of the building upside down so he could see me in the window. When he would do this I would dutifully bring food treats out to him. On many other occasions I would drive my little truck in and put treats in the back. The crows loved that. They got so familiar with it that they would hop on the tailgate of the truck before I was even stopped. It has been 7 years now and I have fed these group of crows quite regularly. Our office mailbox is way out across a big parking lot so I have to walk quite a ways every day to get the mail. The latest thing that one crow in particular is doing, is what I call "drive bys" - which is this.......the crow swoops up from behind me and clips me on the head with his wing. He has done this 20-30 times. I get the impression that he thinks this is hilarious. I liken it to the Indians "counting coup", when they would take sticks and hit the enemy and that was a big deal to them. I was wondering what you might think of my city crows - if it is the same one friendly crow, or a family of them and there is more than one that is active and friendly to me. The crows at my house we feed every day too - but they come and eat and leave and don't really do much to get our attention except to yell if we haven't put the food out for them yet. -Any comments would be appreciated. (C. McL.) ++++++++++ crows.net response: City crows and country crows often show distinctly different behavior largely due to the fact that they tend to live fairly protected lives in the city, while in the country they are shot at by hunters and subject ed to all sorts of harassment and persecution. In my experience, city crows are much more curious about humans and more likely to interact with them while in the country they tend to give humans a wide berth, veering off and flying away as soon as they notice a human presence. This fear can be modified over time if they find particular places to be safe refuges, despite the humans, but it generally takes much longer to overcome the wariness than in cities. Interesting that you would use the term "counting coup" in describing the behavior of the crow in doing his "fly-bys". I use the same term to describe the behavior of crows when mobbing hawks. Often individual crows will break out of the mob and come as close to the hawk as possible, sometimes even hitting it. I refer to this as counting coup and am certain that it is done to "show off" and gain status with the flock. As to the question about how many crows might be involved in your "city crow" interactions, its really hard to tell. Over the course of seven years there have, no doubt, been numerous offspring born to the original pair, or their successors, and all of these are probably aware that you are a "friend of crows" and safe to interact with. So, it might be the original baby that is still interacting with you and/or any of his numerous siblings from successive nests. (Michael Westerfield) *********************************************************************** POSTED: July 30, 2007 Inconsiderate Crow Feeders Please help raise awareness that if you should choose to feed crows, consider the impact it will have on your neighbors. We live in a nice community with one neighbor who feeds the crows his kitchen scraps, dry dog food etc. We now have a crow disturbance beginning BEFORE 6am EVERY DAY. The crow calls are 10x louder and more frequent than a dog's bark. Did I mention we are awakened pre-dawn EVERY DAY of our lives now by the crows? It is not possible to sleep through their cawing. We wake up and close all our windows (during the summer) but it does not help very much at all. Crows landing on the roof to eat our neighbor's nasty kitchen waste are very noisy and impossible to ignore. This impacts at least 12 neighbors in the immediate area. We know how to deal with a constantly barking dog. What can we do about the crows? Of course we have spoken with our neighbor but he prefers to be friendly with the crows and resultant rats; who by the way also love a big pile of dog food dumped in the front yard. Rats to their credit can be trapped, and have yet to wake me from much needed rest. Please leave my name off, but you may use my town. (Sleepless in Poulsbo) ++++++++++++++++ crows.net response: Like anything else, feeding crows must be done with due consideration for one's neighbors. Crows can be incredibly noisy and since they like to feed at dawn and tend to have loud discussions about menu choices, a person who provides them with large quantities of food around the clock can quickly become a major neighborhood problem. The crows themselves are not the source of the trouble; they wouldn't be there without the food. It sounds like you have a man who is not as considerate as he could be of his neighbors' right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property and who should change his crow feeding methods immediately for the benefit of everyone. To avoid the dawn cacophony, food could be put out in late morning in a bowl or pot or on a feeding table that would keep it confined to a small area. If the container of food was brought inside in the evening, the crows would quickly learn that breakfast was off the menu and should stop their morning visits in a very short period of time. If your neighbor could be convinced to try something like this, the crows would still be fed, he would still have the pleasure of watching them, and the peace of the neighborhood would be restored. *********************************************** POSTED: July 27, 2007 More on Food Dunking Crows Spring 2007. Camarillo, Southern California, U.S.A. upscale residential area. 1/2 acre lots, citrus orchards and rowcrop within 1/2miles. On a hill. I maintain a bird feeding area with bath in my backyard. I feed them every thing from table scraps, old cereal, old dried bread and birdseed. One morning I discovered one of the dry tortillas was in the bird bath. I wondered about it and began to p notice that the occasional crows were around. For several weeks I observed them while feeding. None put the tortillas in the bird bath. I finally saw one crow soaking one in the bird bath. After that I commonly saw crows carrying the dried bread and tortillas to the bath and pecking at the them as they softened. This suggests to me that most of the crows did not know this trick until one or more crows demonstrated it. Then they all knew the trick. It seems to be learned behavior from the crow who knew the trick. (J.V.) ++++++++++ crows.net response: We've been getting a number of reports about crows dunking food in late Spring and early summer. It would be very interesting to know if this behavior is continued throughout the year or is only related to the feeding of nestlings and younger fledgling crows at this time of year. It would be great if all you crow watchers could keep us posted on the what and when of crows dunking food throughout the year in your birdbaths, ponds, etc. (Michael Westerfield) *************************************************************** POSTED: July 26, 2007 Is It Legal to Keep a Crow? I know that you can kill crows in most state but is It illegal to "keep" crows in all states? I've searched the net and can't find the answer. I've always wanted to foster one and have met people who have, but don't know about the legalities in Tenn. ++++++++++ crows.net response: It is illegal under the U.S.federal migratory bird act to keep any of the North American crows or their feathers or any other part of them. This is true in all states despite the fact that it is legal to hunt and kill them in many places. The only way a crow can legally be kept is if you have both federal and state permits to do so. Federal permits are generally only issued to educational institutions, museums, etc. or to persons legitimately involved in scientific research. I've never run into any person who actually had a permit to keep a crow. (Michael Westerfield) **************************************************************** POSTED: July 25, 2007 A Crow Funeral Alberta, Canada. Observed July 21, 2007. Heavily treed back yard. To my dismay, my dog caught and killed a young crow today. I realized something was happening in the back yard when I heard a different type of "caw". There were aprox. 5 crows staring down at their injured friend. Their caws were very loud and persistent. Eventually the trees and air were filled with about 15 frantic crows. Some swept down and tried to scare my dog , unfortunately, by the time I got to the crow, it was too late. I also observed that magpies had joined the group of birds. All birds remained there and "screamed" loudly for quite some time. Needless to say, I was very upset and could clearly see how family oriented these birds are. Comments: Obviously quite intelligent and definitely possess a complex language system. (J.R.) ++++++++++ crows.net response: Crows are very family orientated and the death of one of their group always seems to affect them deeply. The scene which you describe is very common when a death has occurred. It is interesting that magpies also joined in, but not too surprising since they are closely related to crows and seem to understand the meaning of many of their vocalizations. (Michael Westerfield) ***************************************************************************************** POSTED: July 24, 2007 Chip Dunking Crows Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA. July 20, 2007. I have been a crow admirer for years. My sister and I had stopped at 'turn out' to take pictures of a mountain stream. As I got back in the car a crow landed on the rock wall. I started talking to it (with my sister laughing in the background). It keep hopping closer and closer. I rummaged around in the car and found a bag of potato chips. I offered him/her one and it came even closer. I tossed it onto the wall and he started calling for the family. Within seconds a baby and several other adults were on the wall. Several of the adults took the chips to indentations in the wall that had collected rain water and 'washed' the chips before eating them! Before we left they had summoned more family and there were many that were less brave, waiting in the trees for the chips I had thrown on the ground. (Margaret) I own parrots and they frequently wash food. But I had not seen others birds do this. I wondered if it was just to soften the food or perhaps they don't like salt!! ++++++++++ crows.net response: Some crows do indeed regularly dunk food. This is particularly true during the nesting season when they will soak up water in food to bring to their young. The moisture in their food is the only way the young get needed water. Its also possible that if water sources are scarce in the area and the indentations in the wall are pretty shallow, soaking food would be a good way of "picking up" the water. As far as salt is concerned, I'm not sure that I've ever heard anything about crows liking it or not, but from my observation s, at least some crows seem to like salty foods just fine. However, individual crows seem often to have distinct tastes for one sort of food over another, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the ones you observed disliked salt. (Michael Westerfield) *************************************************************************************** POSTED: July 17, 2007 An Enemy of Crows Hello. What a wonderful site for studying crows! I am hoping to understand my own flock in Asheville, NC better. They are the noisiest, most brazen and clever flock I have ever observed anywhere. I have an excellent feeding station where I feed whole corn to about twenty deer and twenty turkeys every evening. Naturally, the crows will swoop in and grab some if they think I am not home. They know me, my car, my wife and their behavior is dependent on household activities. Because they also used to raid our bird feeders at will, if they thought no one was home, I have occasionally threatened them with a .22 rifle which I have fired as a warning a few times, so they now consider me a mortal enemy, but they no longer hit the feeders as they used to. The instant I step out of the house the sentry immediately sounds off to the others in the woods. If my wife steps out of the house they do not respond at all. My wife likes to remind me how much they seem to hate me for threatening them. It certainly appears she is correct. I wanted to hear what the sonograms of the alarm calls on your site sounded like but I am only getting static. Is there a problem with those? Our flock's caw signals are very distinctive and clearly they have various meanings. BTW, I had a tame crow when I was a kid and he was a marvelous pet. He was raised from a fledgling but was always allowed to fly free. He would hang out with a wild flock but always came back especially if my parents were having cocktails on the patio. He loved to dip his beak in my father's Martini and he would get quite tipsy, even falling off the back of the chair to the ground occasionally where he would get snuffled by our spaniel who loved him. (N.C., Asheville, N.C.) ++++++++++crows.net response: Thanks for the report. Crows do indeed recognize individual people and once you have been designated as an "enemy of crows" its hard ever to live it down. Word of your "bad character" might spread from crow to crow and you might find yourself being scolded by crows anywhere in your local area. I checked the sonogram and it really isn't working on the website. I'll have to try and figure out what the problem is. (Michael Westerfield) *************************************************************************************** POSTED: July 10, 2007 Crows Dunking Food in Bird Baths Has anyone else encountered this problem? Crows are bringing their food - bread chunks, road kill etc. to our bird bath and leaving it in the water. It is disgusting! Sometimes they return to eat it if I don't take it out. I put a hanging plant over the basin at our most public bath at a height that the crows cannot get under it to eat and the smaller birds still can get in to drink and bathe. The other two baths I have left open. I don't want to completely stop the crows from access - does anyone have an idea how to deal with this behavior? We have had crows around for years, but this is the first time we had this happen. +++++++++ crows.net response: Usually the problem you describe only occurs when the crows have young in their nests. They can't carry water to their nestlings, so they soak food in shallow pools - often bird baths - and carry water to them that way. Usually it stops after the young leave the nest. You don't say where you are, so I can't tell if its still nesting time there. Its also possible that if you are having a drought and there are no other water sources, the crows are using the birdbaths rather than the pools they usually use. (Michael Westerfield) ************************************************************************************ POSTED: July 9, 2007 "Altruistic" Crow Behavior Tumwater, Washington: Wooded area with cedar trees, douglas firs and maple trees behind the South Puget Sound Community College. I often go to this area and feed a group of crows that seem to live there. Among the various things I have observed is that often one will lite on a tree or lamppost above me and watch me scatter bread. Then he might fly away and return with various other crows. It appears to me as if the observing crow, is able to delay gratification in order to somehow let the others know that there is food available. (s.c.) crows.net response: Hello! Thanks for the report. Your report describes one of the major distinguishing characteristics of crow behavior, that they have a very strong social/family orientation and individuals often show what appears to be altruistic behavior. They routinely put aside their own immediate good in favor of the good of other crows. Those who find a source of food will very frequently call other crows in before eating themselves. Parent crows will keep watch while their offspring feed, even if it means going hungry themselves. Not uncommonly crows will risk their lives to aid another crow that is injured or in danger. One of the more odious characteristics of certain hunters is that they will play the recorded distress calls of injured crows and then slaughter the crows that come to the aid of the supposedly endangered birds. Crows also have an excellent system of vocal communication and can provide information to other crows about the location, and kind, of food as well as just about anything else that might be of interest to the crow community. (Michael Westerfield) ********************************************************************************* POSTED: December 21, 2006 Tool Making Crow Video You may have heard of the famous incident where a crow in the laboratory was caught on video making a tool apparently by reasoning out how it could be done and then doing it. In the experiment that was being carried out, food was placed in a little bucket at the bottom of a tube. The bucket had a handle and crows were given either a straight or hooked strip of metal to use to try and fish out the bucket. In this video clip you will see a crow that was given a straight piece of metal fashion it into a hook in very much the same way you might do it, by sticking one end into a crack and exerting leverage on the other. Take a look by clicking on the link below. ********************************************************************************* POSTED: December 17, 2006 Crows Using Cars as Nutcrackers From time to time we have received reports of crows opening nuts by dropping them into traffic and recovering them after cars have run over them and opened them. Many scientists doubt that this is a studied and reasoned action. Follow the link to the video of crows in Japan and see what you think. ********************************************************************************* POSTED: December 14, 2006 A Visit by the Roost Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minneapolis: 12/11/06. The Seward Neighborhood of Minneapolis is an old one with the Mississippi River as our eastern boundary. It is an "inner ring" neighborhood, close to the U of M, population intense, part commercial, part industrial, part residential. At dusk this evening the sounds of crows began to fill the air. It is unseasonably warm (39F) for December, no snow is on the ground, and a fine mist began falling about 4PM. There is a huge crow roost north of here on the River and we certainly have crows here but never like this evening. The crows filled the air - some sounding like kittens, some like blue jays, some clacking, some sounding like geese and others cooing like pigeons. The old stock trees, mostly hackbery and maples started to fill with birds. If you didn't know all the leaves were off the trees it looked like the trees were completely leafed out - but it was all crows. The trees for a 1/2 block area were all filled - but nothing outside of that area. There were thousands of birds and it was a spectacular sight! Don't understand why this evening...crows used to frequent our trees up till 5 years ago when the patriarch crow (named einstein) died in our yard. He is buried under a boulder by a concrete bird pool. That year the crows would pay respects but not stay. They came back once for the death of a neighbor and ringed the top of her home. And left. Now they occasionally come through, often escorting a hawk out of their territory and we see flight lessons of the young on power lines, but nothing like this. It was magical. (M. A-C.) ********************************************************************************* POSTED: November 3, 2006 Clarence the Crow Reno, Nevada: 2001 - 2004. American crow: Found hatchling, about 4 inches long, fallen from a nest (possibly knocked out of the nest by an owl, it was at night). Parents and presumably older siblings had a fit, but I took the baby and "cross-fostered" it. Too complicated to report here, but I've studied other animals, e.g., chimps, and "Clarence" was extremely intelligent. He learned to speak several words- mama, doodles (our shih-tzu), frank (our cat), Colin (my husband), bluebird (a large bluebird, his buddy), food, etc. He understood MANY words. Example: I'd say where's the bluebird? He'd fly to window and look for the bluebird and call for him. Or, where's doodles? And he'd go find her. He was completely untamable, fiercely independent, but affectionate and possessive. Perched at head of our bed, guarding us, sometimes slept in dog bed with cat and dog. Went on walks with dog and cat (actually walked, this was before he could fly). At the time I was the administrator of a hospital/hospice for Alzheimer's patients, and he went to work with me, acting as a care animal (along with other animals). He was invariably gentle with patients. One example to demonstrate intelligence: he was as mischievous as could be, would peck keys off laptop keyboard, or, if I forgot to hide cigarettes he'd pull them from pack and rip them to shreds. One time I got particularly upset (like the 3rd pack in one day), and I yelled at him and stomped on the floor. The next opportunity he had to get my cigarettes (and from then on), he carefully removed every single cigarette without breaking it and carefully lined them up in parallel. Unbelievable. Although I'm a scientist (a cognitive psychologist) my experience with Clarence has mystical overtones. I can't explain it all here, but Clarence suddenly grew much bigger, at least 20 inches long, then learned to fly (I don't know what was wrong with his wings, but his feathers didn't grow properly, then all of a sudden, they grew in). One day he started flying expertly, flapping his wings slowly and gracefully, like he'd been doing it for years. This was after more than two years. He opted for freedom, flew away, risked everything to be free. For three days he sat in a tree, calling and calling in the rain, above our house. Finally, he disappeared for over a week. To make a long story short, he conquered the wild, gained two main companions, then became a leader of crows, for over a year came to visit every day at dusk, often bringing his entire "murder" with him, and then less and less often. The tall trees around our house would be dotted with dozens of large black crows, utterly silent, watching, while he flew down and "visited" with us and our pets, in our backyard. It was quite eerie and wonderful, we felt honored, graced, witnesses to something magical, mystical. To further validate this, he seems to appear whenever I most need him (to this day)- in times of trouble, death, despair, etc. comments: Wovoka, a Pauite leader, considered crows sacred. Many Indian tribes have crows woven into their creation stories. I know why. One need only have a crow peer deeply into your eyes to awaken you to other realities. (S.S.) ********************************************************************************* POSTED: October 27, 2006 Another Murder of Crows: Riverton, Wyoming Every year at about the time when crows begin moving into towns and cities to form their winter nightime communal roosts, some misguided folks begin organizing ways to free their municipalities of what they consider to be "vermin". Often the methods chosen are incredibly barbaric and include shooting, poisoning, and even the use of explosives to slaughter the birds. The latest report of a planned mass murder of crows comes from Riverton, in Freemont County, Wyoming. Read all about it in the local paper, The Ranger, by clicking on the link below. If you wanted to help end this senseless slaughter, it would be helpful if you sent a "letter to the editor" to The Ranger. You could also "google" Riverton, Wyoming and use the information to write letters or send emails to the "Town Fathers", Chamber of Commerce, etc. http://www.dailyranger.com/headline2.htm Article in The Ranger about the Upcoming Slaughter of Crows ********************************************************************************* POSTED: October 25, 2006 The CrowCentric website has a lot of really great crow photos and some fine art works. http://www.crowcentric.com/ Great Crow Photos and Art Work ********************************************************************************* POSTED: October 25, 2006 A "Crow Funeral" Crows react very strongly to the death of one of their flock members. The reaction often times takes the form of what is popularly refered to as a "crow funeral". The following is a report on one such event. October 16, 2006. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. A downtown-busy street. A crow fell to the ground-probably electrocuted, and 12 or so other crows were screaming and upset. I took a plastic bag out of my back pack and picked it up to get it off the street and I was followed home by the group as I placed it gently near a tree in my back yard (only a block away). They watched and continued cawing for half an hour or so. Later the crows seemed to take turns on the tree above their friend-looking down at him quietly. The next day they returned around the same time to check on his remains. Cool creatures. (R.B.) ********************************************************************************* POSTED: September 13, 2006 Tata, the 59 Year Old Crow: A Request From His Caretaker Tata the crow who died at age 59 in July was in my care for the last 6 years. During that time he lived in a parrot cage in my dining room in a bay window with occasional excursions to the yard for a walk about in warm weather. Tata seems to have been a very happy crow, despite a life without flying lived totally with humans and their dogs. During the time he spent with me, visitors who spent time sitting with Tata experienced incredible heart openings that were quite blissful. I would see the person weeping for joy and Tata sitting quietly watching the person (though he was blind with cataracts) or with his head cocked paying attention. I, myself, felt this many times as I held him in the mornings while I cleaned his cage, as we "meditated" together, or as I preened him. I am writing a book about Tata and his life and I am interested in hearing from others who may have had similar experiences with a crow, or any animal. The consciousness of crows is my interest. I am a wildlife rehabilitator and deal with so many animals every year. I have found this heart "openness" in perhaps three other animals, but none to the extent of Tata. Kristine Flones, Bearsville, N.Y. klippebo@hvc.rr.com ********************************************************************************* POSTED: August 31, 2006 ACTION ALERT: SLAUGHTER OF CROWS IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Officials in Lancaster County, PA intend to poison up to 50,000 crows during the roosting season this fall and winter. Follow the link below to learn about this cruel and sensless act of destruction and what you can do to help prevent it. Your help is vital to end both this and the other annual crow massacres that happen periodically at various places in the U.S.A. Murdering Crows in Lancaster County, PA********************************************************************************* POSTED: August 19, 2006 AUSTRALIAN GOLF BALL STEALING CROWS - A favorite series of postings from May 2002. 5/13/02. Dear Crows.net. I am a bird lover but also a golfer and the theft of golf balls [by crows] is very prevalent where I play and it is an expense I could do without. I look forward to a reply. Yours sincerely, L. M. AUSTRALIA ******** Crows.net Response: Hello. Crows really steal golf balls in Australia? Could you tell me exactly how they do it? I've observed crows taking a chicken's egg, which is close to the size of a golf ball, but they have to punch a hole in it and get part of their beak inside to carry it. And what do they do with the golf balls they steal? This is the first time that I've heard this complaint. The crows down there must be a heftier and more aggressive lot that here in the USA. Michael Westerfield. ******** 5/14/02. Dear Michael, Thank you for your prompt reply. This is how they do it... They are as cunning as a fox and always seem to go after a ball that has been hit into a clear area on the fairway, where they know they are out of range of anyone who might decide to run after it to frighten it. They simply come from the pine trees they are in, along the fairway, and fly low to the ball, pick it up in their beak and fly away, always just over the fence where the golfer cannot take off after it (although we feel like it). He flies over long grass to some structure like an old fence post and drops it. As he flies away, you can see it in his beak which is wide open. I have been told that one grassy field beside this golf course, had a grass fire at some time in the past and it exposed THOUSANDS of golf balls, but of course they were all ruined. Very frustrating. The local pro at the course said if you carry an (unloaded of course) shot gun in your golf bag they seem to sense danger and stay away, but I won't be doing that, and I'm not sure if it would be legal anyway! They are, like most birds, and seem to work out a way around the latest method of scaring them off as an orchardist would do, and let's face it we are just out to have a game of golf and not into carrying a kit of stuff to frighten birds. I look forward to your thoughts on this. Kind regards, L.M. ******** Crows.net Response: Hello again. Well, I've tried to find an answer for you, but have been unsuccessful. It seems like the crows have the perfect set-up to bedevil humans. They honestly enjoy creating a fuss and tormenting larger birds and animals - humans included. Often the young males - much like teenage humans - gain status in the flock by "counting coup", performing daring deeds like chasing hawks or stealing golf balls in the face of angry golfers. One possibility, since the golf balls may be attractive because of their similarity to eggs - and it always causes a great amusing fuss when a crow steals eggs - have you tried using different colored golf balls? Will crows steal florescent red, orange, or yellow balls as often as they steal white ones? Michael ******** 5/24/02. Dear Michael, I shared my communications with you at the golf club yesterday and they have been down the track of coloured balls and the crows love them! It seems the only thing that really discourages them is to see a dead one. Many thanks anyway for replying to my question. I give up! Kind regards, L.M. ********************************************************************************* POSTED: August 7, 2006 The Crows of Burnaby, British Columbia The following link will get you to an excellent article from "The Vancouver Courier" of August 5, 2006 about the gigantic year round crow roost in Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby Crow Roost Story ********************************************************************************* POSTED: August 3, 2006 Tales of Mokey, a Pet Crow Western New York, a long time ago Area description: small town in rural area Observations: I don't know if this is of interest since it's second-hand crow stories from a time before I was old enough for much personal observation. My father had a pet crow named Mokey for a good twenty years, given to him as an orphan by friends in the local parks department. These are some of his stories. 1. The Thief. Mokey would steal almost any shiny object, keys, change, etc and hide them in ones of his stashes. But, if you were quick enough, he would relinquish any treasure if offered a chance at my fathers Zippo lighter, an object of life-long lust. 2. All-Around Nuisance. OK... a lot of these. One day, he methodically removed all the clothes pins from a laundry line and deposited them in a bird bath three yards down. If sneakers were left out, he was known to laboriously pull the laces out and string them through a nearby tree. In those days we still got milk delivered and it had to be taken in very quickly as Mokey liked to tip the bottles over and watch the milk run down the sidewalk. 3. The Drunk As the basis for mixed diet, Mokey was given small dog biscuits which he dropped into a tray of water to soften. One day, after an inadequately cleaned up party, he dropped his buiscuit into a glass containing vodka. You have never experienced the evil-eye until you've been glared at by a staggering, dismally croaking crow with a hang-over. Comments: I just enjoy these stories and hope you do too. A.K. ********************************************************************************* Crows team up to carry dead rat Tadworth, Surrey, England Earlier this year I was driving over a bridge above a busy main road when I saw a pair of crows carrying a dead rat between them in mid-air. They set down together on a wall and then started to peck at it. (Crows.net asked the observer for more details.) There isn't much more to tell really. It was at the beginning of the summer this year, at about 2.30 in the afternoon. I was coming back from Tadworth in Surrey, crossing a flyover/bridge that goes over the M25, and then on down Pebblecombe Hill, when I noticed the crows. The road the bridge is on is very long with woods either side, including a golf course, and not many houses, those that there are being set way back from the road. The crows were probably about 7 or 8 feet above the ground carrying a fairly average size looking rat. I had plenty of time to watch because there is a speed camera just before the bridge so the traffic had slowed right down. i have no idea how far they had flown with the rat or where they had come from but they were in the air when I spotted them. I saw them carrying the rat for a few seconds, and then settling on some sort of fencing or wall at the side of the bridge, and I just had time to see them start pecking at the rat. It was dead and already wounded by the look of it because I could see blood on it. I was quite astonished at the time because I had never seen any birds hunting in pairs before and to see them carrying it between them really was bizarre. Anyway I think that is about all there was to it. I would be interested to know in future if anybody else sees anything similar. (S.H.) Crows.net is unaware of any reports, in the literature or elsewhere, regarding crows teaming up to carry an object. We'd greatly appreciate it if anyone who has observed anything similar, or knows of any published references to such behavior, would submit the information to crows.net. ********************************************************************************* POSTED: July 27, 2006 Flassendale. North Yorkshire. England Observation date: 2005 Area description: We live in a North Yorkshire forest. We were sitting on the decking in our back garden under our Oak trees. Observations: Our rescued Carrion Crow was guarding his food from our Siamese cats by pulling the dish away from them and marching up and down in front of it. The bravest of our cats decided to ignore him and eat the contents of the dish. The crow stared at her indignantly and tried to pull the dish away but the cat just crouched further over the dish. The crow stepped back and assesed the situation then went behind the cat and picked up her tail and began to pull. The cat's face was a picture. comments:This crow often displayed behaviour that showed an ability to reason that was far beyond what our dog or cats where capable of. He/she had no fear at all of them either. We believe that he/she had been poisoned by our local gamekeeper which is why we found him/her as a young bird unable to fly. He/she enriched our lives for a few months but was never completly well and never learned to fly despite his/her efforts to. The poison seemed to have attacked his/her central nervous system and he/she gradually faded despite our vets and our attempts to keep him/her alive. Sadly we lost him/her. We still miss him/her as he/she had a wonderful character. Crows are wonderous! We called him/her Mordag as we never knew whether he/she was Morrigan or Dagda.
********************************************************************************* JULY 23, 2006 St. Augustine, florida: July 2006 Area Description: St. Augustine is a tourist town on the Atlantic Coast. Observations: I'm a wildlife rehabber that normally just deals with song birds...but this month I've have the opportunity to rehab 3 young crows (all from different areas of town)that were abandoned and nearly starved to death. I am amazed at thier intelligence and concern they have for each other. I released the two older crows today and put the younger one in a large cage in the back yard as she is still way too thin and young. The guys I released kept coming back to the baby all day talking to her. As the sun set I went out and opened the cage door and both releasees came down and went in the cage and started feeding the young one and talking. I left the cage door open just to see if they'd stay and bed down with her....and they did. Comments: I feel these guys have an unusual ability for compassion toward each other that I haven't seen in other bird species. They've certainly impressed me! (B.E.) ********************************************************************************* JULY 21, 2006 Crow Believed to Be Oldest in World Dies Crow that may have been the world's oldest dies at age 59 BEARSVILLE, N.Y., Jul. 7, 2006 (AP) There's no way to prove Tata was the world's oldest crow when he died Sunday at age 59. But an expert on crows says it's possible. Tata's tale began in 1947 when a thunderstorm blew the fledgling out of his nest in a Long Island cemetery, a mishap that likely led to his long life. Injured and unable to fly, the bird was scooped up by a cemetery caretaker and brought to a local family with a reputation for taking care of animals, Tata's most recent owner, Kristine Flones, told the Daily Freeman of Kingston. "He was never able to fly, so he became their family pet," said Flones, a wildlife rehabilitator in the Woodstock, N.Y., hamlet of Bearsville, 95 miles north of New York City. The Manetta family took care of Tata for more than half a century but gave the bird to Flones in 2001 because of their own health problems. Blinded by cataracts and 54 years old when she got him, Tata was still a wonderful pet, Flones said. "When you came around him, his energy was very beautiful," she told the newspaper. "It was as if he were exuding or giving off a loving energy." "It's an incredibly old bird," said Kevin McGowan, an ornithologist at Cornell University who has studied crows for more than 20 years. "They don't live that old in the wild." McGowan said the oldest living crow he has documented in the wild is a bird he banded as a fledgling and has tracked for 15 years. There is an unsubstantiated claim of a 29- or 30-year-old crow in the wild, but he knows of no older crows, tame or otherwise. While claims of animal longevity are tough to verify, McGowan said, "This one sounded pretty reasonable to me." In an environment without predators, communicable disease or the likelihood of a fatal accident, a crow could grow as old as Tata, he said. Flones said Tata was still active and alert in his later years, to the point each spring that he called out from inside the house to crows outside, often loudly and beginning at 5 a.m. |
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