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Crows and Their Similarity to Parrots Carolyn Swicegood, Hollywood, Florida

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Crows and Their Similarity to Parrots Carolyn Swicegood, Hollywood, Florida Crows and Their Similarity to Parrots Carolyn Swicegood, Hollywood, Florida DID YOU KNOW THAT ... • They create and play games. • Crows have been • They exhibit evidence of good short term and long term memory. taught to speak? Crows do not migrate over long distances, but thousands will some­ • Crows can learn to count? • They have a communication times spend the night at a common cen­ system within the flock. • Crows can recognize ter, and disperse the next morning to and match shapes? visit various feeding grounds. Crows • They are able to mimic human are omnivorous and eat seeds, nuts, speech and other sounds. • Crows feed in flocks with berries, insects, frogs, mice, eggs, crus­ sentinels used as lookouts? taceans, nestlings, and even carrion. Problem Solving Skills of Crows Crows regurgitate "pellets" consisting Crows have been observed drop­ • Crows are empathetic to non­ of indigestible fur, bones, and other ping palm fruits, walnuts, clams, and avian creatures? material. Curiosity and memory, as mussels onto hard-surface roads. Then well as skills of invention and problem they wait nearby until a passing car has MOSES AND CASSIE is a popu­ solving, are required for crows to dis­ crushed the hard shells to return and lar film that documents the case study cover and remember a large variety of retrieve the food. Few animals are intel­ of a wild crow that raised an orphaned food sources. ligent enough to employ such complex kitten. behaviors related to planning in order InteIIegence of Crows to find a solution to a problem. Basic Information About Crows Corvids are considered to be the Nature writer, Candace Savage, Crows are members of the family, most intelligent of all birds. In compar­ relates another amazing demonstration Corvidae, and the genus, Corvus, ison to their body size, Corvids have of the crow's ability to solve problems. which includes ravens, magpies, jays, the largest cerebral hemisphere of all At the University of Chicago, a crow nuthatches, rooks, jackdaws and birds. The American crow has a brain kept by researchers was partly fed with choughs, stout-bodied birds with a the size of a pecan. They learn fast and dry food, which it preferred to eat after large and heavy bill. The average size share knowledge with each other. There it was moistened. Sometimes the keep­ of a crow is between seventeen and is evidence that they make complex ers forgot to add water to the food. The twenty-one inches when measuring decisions and exhibit many signs of crow, in an apparently spontaneous and from the tip of the bill to the end of the enjoying a high level of awareness. untrained act, picked up a small plastic tail. When fully grown, they weigh Most Corvids, especially ravens and cup that had been provided as a toy, approximately one pound. Most crows crows, display behaviors considered by dipped the cup into its water trough, appear to be jet black but their feathers scientists to indicate higher intelli­ carried the filled cup across the room to actually include purple and green. Their gence. Here are a few of those behav­ the feeder, and emptied the water onto physical appearance does not differ IOrs: the dry food. If the crow spilled the between the sexes. Only surgical sexing water in the course of carrying the cup, or DNA testing can distinguish male • They display skills it would return to the trough for more from female crow with any certainty of problem solving. water rather than continuing to the unless reproductive behavior such as feeder with an empty cup. This egg laying or mating is observed. Its • They create and use tools. sequence of behaviors is clearly a well­ usual call is a loud and raucous "caw­ • They engage in thought out plan and not simply an caw" and they fly cautiously. In captiv­ communal hunting. accidental discovery on the part of the ity, both crows and ravens have been crow. known to live for about thirty years but • The raising of young crows is a in the wild, the average life span of a group effort. Family Life of Crows crow is seven or eight years. Crows are sociable birds. Family 4 Number 2 2004 life is a large part of their social structure. the breeding paIr another behavior nestling are frequently preyed upon. Male crows will court a desired female COlnmon to many parrot species. Crow will attempt to defend their own by fluffing their feathers, stnltting, and Crows typically lay four to ix family members, as well as unrelated flying around her. Crows usually mate eggs that are drab olive or blue-green crow in need or di tress. for life but in sorne circumstances, they with brown or gray splotches. They are Baby crows that survive to the split up and find another partner. Both incubated nlainly by the female, but age of four weeks have rno t of their members of a breeding pair paI1icipate in both melnbers of crow pairs have been feathers and usually take their first the buil,ding of the nest. Often juveniles observed incubating the eggs, some­ flight around this age. Like S0111e par­ from prior years help gather the nesting times sitting on the nest together. The rots, the young crows relnain with the material. Flock of crows separate for eggs usually take between eighteen and faInily for onle tilne after leaving the breeding in late spring or early summer, twenty day to hatch and the baby nest. Frequently, a young bird will but gather together again when breeding crows open their eyes about five days reJnain with its parents through the next season is over. During the winter, hun­ later. All family members help to care ne ting eason and will assist in the dreds or even thousands of them congre­ for the nestlings, and the demands of care of new nestlings by bringing them gate in roo ts, usually in the tallest trees the baby crows for food are 0 noi y food and guarding the ne t site. or building . Flock of 50,000 roosting that their location i sOlnetimes discov­ crows are not an uncommon sight in the ered by hawks, raccoons, and both feral Personality of Crows United States and there have been reports and domestic cats. In spite of a nlighty Crow are curious creatures and of roosts in rural areas of Oklahoma and comlnunity effort to protect theIn, crow they are attracted to all things bright Nebraska numbering over a million and shiny. They steal trinkets jewelry, crows. Just before time to go to roost at sunset, crows gather at the roosting site for social interaction with flock mates. They enjoy chases, mock fights, and loud calling which becolnes quite rau­ cous due to the sheer number of voices. Crows are known for nesting in inac­ cessible places like the tops of tall pine or oak trees. They prefer to build in coniferous trees at least sixty feet tall. The nests are built of branches and twigs and are lined with bark, ]noss, twine, roots, various plant fibers, and an interesting as ortlnent of other Inate­ rials. Owls, (especially the great horned owl), hawks raccoon, snakes, and ometilnes squirrels pose a danger to the eggs and nestlings so crow pairs go to great lengths to hide their nest sites. The felnale does the final arrangelnent of nesting material into a safe and com­ fortable place for the eggs and babies. A mated pair of crows ometimes is assisted by several non-breeding Inem­ bers of the flock in nest building defending the territory, and feeding the nestlings. These helper birds often remain associated with the same breed­ ing pair for several years and it is like­ ly that they are learning valuable mat­ Brian Bla:::er is devoted to crolVs! He raises al7d handFeeds Afi-ician Pied Crows as companion ing and parenting skills as they assist birds, two are Sh01l'17 here. the afa WATCHBIRD 5 and coins and stash them in hiding places. Families that owl perched upon her arm, the local sentry crow spotted have kept pet crows describe them as busy creatures on a this most hated of crow enemies. Suddenly a murder of constant hunt for treasures for their private collection. Jerry crows began dive bombing them with more crows arriving Vance of Missouri, reports that when he was a youngster he with every passing second. The ruckus was enormous, and had a pet crow named Henry who followed him every­ school children and teachers began running out of the class­ where. Henry would pick up every shiny object that he rooms to see what was going on. Luckily Gabriele and Max could carry in his beak and add it to his special "stash," were able to take refuge in the designated classroom with­ which he kept hidden in a rotted-out hollow of his favorite out being injured. However, on their way back to the car, tall tree. Henry stayed around until he was about two years there was a repeat of the mobbing which sent Gabriele run­ of age before he joined a group of wild crows and left his ning for the car with Max holding tight to her arm. Gabriele human companion. wisely decided to use a carrier for Max on future visits. The My family had the pleasure of the company of a crows had not only dive-bombed her head but they also had young, fully flighted Blue Jay (another member of the deposited their severe misgivings and indignation on her Corvid family) for an entire summer and everything in our nice, new "school presentation dress" and in her hair.
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