BETH GIRDLER
I am going to come out of the closet on this one. I suffer from corvidophilia, or the love of corvids. The corvidae, or crow family, include crows, ravens, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers.
Most corvids are medium to large birds, with nostrils covered by bristles. The males may be slightly larger than females, in some species, but you cannot tell them apart by their coloration. They are gregarious, aggressive birds with harsh voices.
Corvids have a fascinating habit of congregating in large numbers in the non-breeding seasons to sleep together. Crows can gather in the thousands in these "roosts." One roost in Oklahoma held over two million crows. A number of hypotheses about the purpose of these roosts have been put forth but no one answer has been confirmed.
All corvids are omnivores. They eat just about anything including carcasses and human remains, which might explain the term "a murder of crows."
I have a corvid feeder that is often in use - my compost heap. Contrary to the rules of composting, I throw on fat and meat scraps, which never have a chance to decompose since they are gone in less than a day. Crows do eat some farm crops but their elimination of the far more destructive mice, cutworms, and grasshoppers outweighs the damage they do.
Corvids use a large repertoire of vocalizations to communicate. Crows and ravens can be told apart by their calls. Crows "caw-caw" while ravens have a deep, croaking "gronk-gronk." Jays are just plain noisy.
Corvids are also incredible mimics. Dogs barking, hawks screaming, and even the sound of water tinkling or sirens are not out of their realm.
I have raised many injured or orphaned animals over the years but the two blue jays and one baby crow I got to know made me a corvid fan for life.
My father and I found a baby crow with a broken wing at the bottom of a hundred-foot red pine (crows typically nest way up tall trees). Sammy grew to adulthood and in the process, I learned much about crows. Sammy learned to say "Hello." We did not teach our crow to say this, Sammy just heard us say the word every time we came with food. If we weren't fast enough with Sam's breakfast, the whole neighborhood would wake to an increasingly louder and more insistent, "Hello, hello, HELLO."
Corvids are also fantastic flyers. Ravens in particular are fun to watch on the wing. Crows and jays in flight tend to flap steadily, but ravens often soar and will do barrel rolls, dives, and tumbles as well. In Kananaskis Park, Alberta, I watched from a cliff as a pair of ravens flew past a peregrine falcon release site.
The ravens were vocalizing and doing rolls and flips, briefly locking feet and tumbling, when a young falcon came screaming down on them from where it had been circling further above. This was just a warning buzz and I am sure the ravens knew they were in no danger. The pair tucked and rolled out of the way, moved off fifty feet and resumed their conversation and play at a safe distance.
Corvids have strong family structures. They mate for life. However, if a mate dies, another is quickly sought. Unlike many wild animal families, the young are not chased from the territory when they mature. They often remain with the family unit for years, helping to raise siblings.
When corvids find a mate, after a long selection and courtship process, they are often tolerated within their parents' territory where they nest and raise their own young. No less than five adult birds have been seen at one nest at the same time feeding the young within.
This cooperative behavior -- where older siblings, aunts and uncles help care for the young of the collective -- is typical of species of superior intelligence such as wolves, dolphins, elephants, and primates. Contrary to popular belief, owls are not the smartest birds. Their large eyes just make them look wise.
With a brain proportionate in size to that of humans or dolphins, corvids are considered among the most intelligent animals on earth. In intelligence tests, these large-brained birds scored on level with gorillas and chimps. Their superior intelligence is demonstrated by their ability to use tools, play, communicate, and show affection and tenderness with mates and young. I am not being anthropomorphic here. Watch the selection process some blue jays go through at the feeder, carefully lifting each peanut before flying off with their choice.
One day a friend came to hear Sammy talk. My friend lit a cigarette and turned to talk to me. The crow snatched the cigarette from his hand and walked around holding it in its beak. I was just starting to worry that Sam's tongue might get burned when the crow dropped the cigarette neatly in the water bowl. Exactly how I feel about smoking...
There is so much to learn by watching these birds. The next time you hear a crow or a raven, stop and watch. Know that here is a fellow creature that deserves respect and admiration and a place on this planet. Corvidophiles unite.
If anyone has a crow story to share, I would love to hear it. And if anyone knows a version of the old count-by-crows rhyme I would like to see it. Here is my favorite:
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