Bird of the Month: American Crow

Our October bird of the month is the American Crow! While sometimes associated with Halloween, there’s nothing to be afraid of! In fact, lone crows are very cautious, sometimes even backing away from tinier songbirds when they don’t have the support of a group. American crows rely on their flock, otherwise called a “murder”, to help with foraging and roosting in the colder months. A crow community also helps to raise the young, teaching them how to be self-sufficient while also keeping them out of harm. Younger crows will often help raise newborns and stay with their parents to help their growing flock.

Crows are omnivores, eating practically anything they can get their beaks on, though they’re not prone to visiting feeders. By setting up a more open tray, you can help feed them directly, though they might end up training you to follow their schedule!

Crows are widely known for being highly intelligent creatures that learn from their surroundings and adapt to a variety of situations. Their beaks are not sharp or tough enough to pierce some of the foods they rely on, so they’ll either use tools, their surroundings, or even people to accomplish their goal. You might drive by some crows on the side of the road who have placed nuts on the road, waiting for you to drive over and crack them open for them!

Here’s an anecdote from our very own Dave about his exciting experience with a very smart crow:

    

“When I was a young boy of maybe 8 to 10 years old, my mother and I were just coming home from the grocery store. We had an extremely wooded lot some ways away from the main road with plenty of wildlife around our house. We always had a number of birdfeeders around the yard, as the landscape made it attractive to lots of deer, raccoons, squirrels, and the like. As my mother and I were standing at the front door as she looked for her house keys in her purse, we heard a voice come from the woods that said ‘hello’.

As you can imagine, we were very startled! We looked around and didn’t see anyone. Was it perhaps a meter reader from the city? Who knows. Needless to say, my mother was a bit freaked out when nobody came around the corner.

After a couple more times throughout the next few days of hearing ‘hello’, we searched again in the direction of the voice. It turns out it was a crow perched up in a tree. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we watched the beak open up and clearly heard hello. It turns out after a few phone calls to both the city, as well as a wildlife organization we were told it was more than likely a bird that was tame at one point and had learned to talk from a previous owner.

Eventually, the bird flew off, never to return. I’ve always had a fondness ever since that day for the crow!”

For further crow anecdotes and more, check out the Nature Centered Podcast: https://woodbury.wbu.com/nature-centered-onewbu

Share your photos of American Crows in nature with us in-store or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!