The crow cawed again overhead, and a strong sea wind came in and burst through the trees, making the green pine needles shake themselves all over the place. That sound always gave me goose bumps, the good kind. It was the sound an orphan governess hears in a book,before a mad woman sets the bed curtains on fire. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
I see a multitude of crows during weekly visits to GSMNP, and they are relatively pushy creatures. As I eat my lunch out of doors, there are usually no fewer than half a dozen crows watching me, hoping I’m a sucker who will give them crumbs. My lunch is for a human, not for them, so their efforts come to naught. You have probably seen them and may have discounted them as ubiquitous (true) and nothing special (untrue). After I jumped into this topic I realized just how impressive these birds are.* Let’s take a look, starting with the moniker used to describe the scene when crows gather.
*You may be seeing a trend here. I keep learning to appreciate things and creatures I didn’t know enough about–such as the snakes I highlighted in May.
Why a "murder" of crows?
There are few facts regarding the origin of a “murder” of crows. It’s mostly speculation and folk tales according to PBS, which offers these possibilities:
- Crows conspire (my word) to determine the treatment of a specific bird in their flock.
- Since they’re scavengers, they’re often hanging out where something is dead. Or about to die.
- This grouping was named at a time when the designated namers used some entertaining labels, such as an ostentation of peacocks and a skulk of foxes.
The last bullet point fits, right? And it’s also the most likely answer. However, crows do have a funeral of sorts for their companions (?), whether they’re murdered or not.
A few ways crows exhibit human behavior
According to Iflscience, crows do gather around “their” dead, but it isn’t for charitable purposes. These birds examine the body to determine whether there’s a lingering threat. Apparently, when one crow stumbles across a body, they make a certain call to gather other crows. They “stand around the carcass and scold” for up to twenty minutes. Perhaps it’s similar to a scene in “Bones” where Temperance, Zack, and Angela stand over a cadaver and offer up potential causes of death. Who knows? But there’s more to these feathered friends than mourning.
A How Stuff Works article reminds us of the Aesop’s fable where a thirsty crow uses his ability to reason. He comes across a pitcher of water, but his beak isn’t long enough to reach the liquid. He drops stones into the pitcher until the water level rises enough for him to take a drink. Pretty clever, huh? And, like humans, crows are found just about all over the world.
Depending on your source, crows live almost everywhere, except Antarctica and the southern tip of South America, and they will also eat almost anything, according to PBS. That describes some humans among us, according to me. 😉 They also make a great deal of noise when they need help and totally unrelated crows will come to their aid. Ok, that bit may not always be true of humans, but it is to some degree. I’ve seen it happen in public places. Back to our feathered friends.
Several resources reflect the intelligence of crows, but here are a few examples from an Audubon’s article in August of 2021:
- Crows are some of the most intelligent animals on earth. They have been observed using tools, such as “dipping a cup in water to moisten dry food and ripping a splinter of wood from a fence” to capture prey from a hole.
- Their opportunistic habits enable them to stay well-fed by digging pits to uncover clams, dropping nuts on pavement or other hard surfaces to gain access to nut meats, and stealing dog food.
- Crows’ highly social nature facilitates work groups, in part to scavenge in farm areas where fruit and vegetables are–or were–growing.
There’s more on their abilities; if you’re curious, read the full Audubon article.
Crows
Ravens
- Average weight is just under 1.5 lbs.
- Tail feathers appear fan-shaped when open since they’re the same length.
- Make a different sound – listen here.
- Flap to fly
- Usually travel in large groups.
- Weight can be just over 4 lbs.
- Tail feathers appear wedge-shaped; the middle feathers are longer.
- Make a different sound – listen here.
- Ride the thermals & glide.
- Usually travel in pairs.
All told, they have a right to crow
Now that I know more about crows, I understand why they’re a favorite of my youngest granddaughter. Mind you, they aren’t as vocally talented as a nightingale or as brightly attired as a blue bunting. Not even as cheerful as a chickadee. But those brains. Off the charts. I can’t recall where, but I read that a crow’s intelligence equals that of a seven-year-old human. Their whole bodies weigh less than 2 lbs. and our adult brains alone weigh around 3 lbs. And yet. Yes, I know I’m gushing, but they seem to do a lot more with their gray matter than we do. While I don’t plan bring any home, or even feed any of them, I will never look at them the same way again.
You?
They’re certainly more intelligent than some young Ivy League students I’ve seen on the news lately. 😂
I wish I could say you are mistaken.
Don’t dislike them but, as to favorite birds they would not make my top ten. The noise they make is quite unpleasant. They serve no particular purpose as their prey is going to rot and go to dust. Woodpeckers relieve the trees of harmful insects, birds of prey help reduce rodents and snakes, hummingbirds are fun to watch, other birds are colorful or make pleasant sounds. Not a fan.
It might not change your mind, but there’s information I didn’t have room to include. Ok, maybe I forgot to include it – this is from the Humane Society: A crow family can eat 40,000 grubs, caterpillars, armyworms, and other insects in one nesting season. 🤷♀️
I love having crows around. They always alert me to nearby hawks that might want to have a chicken for a snack. They often even chase them away .
They engage in practice aerial combat with one another. Usually while the Murder watches from tree tops near by two individuals will( Dog) crow fight and when one tires another will take his place and so on.
I’m sure you came across the discussion of how they remember faces. Research done w researchers using masks of different looks. The crows recognized the masks that were aggressive toward them and passed on the knowledge to future generations.
Didn’t know about the aerial combat. Do you know why they do it? Remembering the faces, though, that’s in the video. Clever creatures with long memories.