The Cornell Lab Bird Academy Discussion Groups Anything but Common: The Hidden Life of the American Crow Approach behaviors towards people recognized and remembered as food providers

    • Just wondering if anyone has stories to share about how any crows first approached to request food. Although we hear about the well-known experiment showing how crows remember and react to people they regard as threats, I have only found one source providing detailed behavioral description of how crows remember and react to people who were of benefit to them, here: https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/animal-behaviour/when-crows-attack/ According to the article, they use a quieter approach, described as
      Crows seeking a handout, for one thing, might tap a person with their feet, but don't typically initiate the more painful beak-on-flesh contact... "Aggressive crows will attempt to stay out of view," Pendergraft added via email. "They'll perch high and fly around constantly, whereas the hungry crows will deliberately remain in the person's field of view when possible – they are hoping to be fed." While panhandling birds usually keep quiet, defensive ones caw a lot.
      As I only found this one source describing crow food solicitation behavior, I'm unsure how well-studied this phenomenon is. So I thought it'd be interesting to see if others here have had any crows seek them out in a similar manner.
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