Now I know to refer to the family of crows living in my neighborhood as a family and not a murder! That's so cool. There was one young crow who was very vocal and visible by my house throughout the summer. It always had at least one other family member with it and it has been fun to watch it grow. The crows do seem to get along really well but I do see dominance between them. However, it's not overly-aggressive behavior...more like a big brother cutting in line for food ahead of his younger sibling. The Black-billed Magpies in my neighborhood seem much more tactical about food than the family of crows. They are braver around humans and descend on food almost instantly. I call them "Seal Team 6" because they are so organized. The crows don't seem to have that same urgency. To help protect crows from WNV, I can look into ways to help reduce the amount of mosquitos in my yard. We don't have a lot, but when it rains they become thicker.

1. Sometimes the offspring get feisty with the parents. They also seem to try to outdo each other when going after food.

2. The crows always seem to work together while other birds seem to chase each other away from food sources.

3. Treat mosquito infected areas, or eliminate standing water in yard area.

Interesting.  I didn't know about families.

I live in Central Alberta Canada. Usually, American crows are only her in the summer. However, last winter two remained. They joined the magpies in our garden for the winter and ate from food put out on a plate for the magpies, but could not get into the feeder, although they watched the magpies do it. These two survived the winter, but when the summer crows who nest near by returned, they chased off the winter pair. The crows have left now this year and there is no sign of the winter two.

Our summer crows can get into the feeder. It took them a couple of years of watching the magpies and learning to fold their wings in time. Now, they teach their young to do it each summer.

The crows know me when I put food out and will sit close by. The magpies are less trusting! However, the latter will come to the window or door in the winter if I don't get the food out soon enough in the morning.

When my cat was alive, both the crows and magpies knew her and ignored her -even to the point in the case of the magpies telling off their young for harrassing her. Shew was older and never chased them. But one day a ginger cat came in the yard and both species immediately chased it off!

1. The adults are very protective of juveniles on the ground - CAW! CAW! CAW!

2. When crows are flying in groups, they appear to be having a grand old time, swooping here and there, and being very raucous. They also watch out for each other. In comparison, I imagine they share a lot of similar behaviors to ravens. I just finished watching Vance Crofoot’s 2024 documentary “What Ravens Do,” and I will be more observant in the future of the similarities and differences in behavior.

3. I haven’t thought about West Nile Virus much, which is bad since I do much of my birding in the evening. I recently started wearing long-sleeved shirts at the local wetlands, but I need to use insect spray. My county’s mosquito & vector control district web page has a diagram of the virus cycle: mosquito bites bird with WNV (believe it or not, a crow is shown), and the same mosquito bites people and animals. The district recommends: 1) Get rid of standing water, 2) check house screens for holes, 3) wear insect repellent, and 4) report dead birds.

1. We have a family of crows and they love our neighbours's trash can. They roost on the wire hoping that someone will fill the trash enough than the lid will not close tight and they will be able to get some food. Otherwise, since we feed the blue jays and that the squirrels and chipmunks hide peanut all over our yard, the crows wander about to find some hidden peanuts. Fun to watch. They are around our house most of the day.

2. Crows are nothing like the other birds. They are just so relaxed and they take walks on the grass and do their things.

I recently read the book Science Comics: Crows  Genius Birds, By Kyla Vanderklugt.

It went into great depth about the PFC and the crow's lack of one. It also discussed the crow's ability to count to 6 and the part of the Crow's brain known as the Nidopallium Caudolaterale, or NCL.

Crows can also see farther in depth of the Ultraviolet spectrum than humans can (humans can't see ultraviolet at all)

When I was in high school, I picked up a dead crow outside my school that I suspect had been killed by students and brought it home to skin (taxidermy was a hobby at the time). I chose a clearing near my house surrounded by alder trees and, in the middle of skinning, looked up to see maybe a dozen crows perched in the branches watching me in utter silence. It was an eerie and moving experience, and not something I would expect to see from most other species!

I have been sad this year because it seems like the old couple I have been watching for the last ten years must have died.

For most of my time living where I am, there was a crow couple that lived in the tree across the street. They would sit on the power line across the street, side by side, and one would put it's head down for the other to preen,  which they dutifully did, for a few minutes and then would move farther down the power line. The preenee would then sidle down the power line to be next to the preener, put it's head down and repeat the request, which would be performed again. This ritual would go on sometimes for 15-20 minutes until the preener would fly away, with preenee following. I haven't seen them in about a year now. I miss watching them.

I do feed the group during the winter. A few show up in the morning and when they see me putting out food and water they call to the rest in neighboring trees "breakfast's ready!"

1. There are a couple pairs of crows that hang out in a tree behind my house in the morning. They are paired up sometimes allopreening and other times just seeming like they're hanging out with good company. They will vocalize if others land in the tree.

2. Crows seem to be more social and hang out in pairs or groups compared to the other solitary birds I see around my yard.

3. Plant native plants to attract animals that feast on mosquitos like bats.

This helped a lot. Thanks! Crow behavior is very different from other birds. I notice that with any other random bird couples that we may have on the back porch eating birdseed, they're just kind of eating and minding they're own business or yelling at the other types of birds. Yes, I'm sure that they're all cummunicating in their own way, but crows seem to be a little easier to understand what they're thinking. Crows are usually talking more to each other and they're personalities are easier to read.

3. Using mosquito nibs in bird baths or other places where mosquito might breed.  Encourage dragonflies by giving them places to land.

WNV. Mosquitoes.  Bad news all the way around.  In an effort to decrease the spread of the virus, steps should be taken to slow the reproduction of mosquitoes.  Eliminating  standing water  and installing bat houses are two things that may help.  And for the personal protection of people, wearing long sleeved clothes and use of mosquito repellent is advised.

We can decrease the spread of West Nile by eliminating sources of life for mosquitoes— for example standing water.  I do have a bird bath in my yard but I change the water frequently and watch for mosquito larvae.

My husband and I heard several birds yesterday when we were watching the birds in our front yard, but could not actually located them.  We have not seen as many crows this summer, because of the drought?

Item 3: encourage mosquito consuming birds, bats, frogs in our area.

decrease mosquito breeding areas around our homes and grounds. Straighten gutters so that water does not stand. Put vibraters in water holders or keep water moving.

support mosquito studies like at U Notre dame near us by providing spots for collection devices and volunteering.

We have a family of crows that visit our backyard feeder and the interaction between them is so interesting.  There are three young (I assume siblings) and they seem like they're goofing off, poking each other, playing with each other.  Then the adult shows up, caws at them, and they follow the adult away.

So what is happening when a group of crows are picking on a certain individual? We have one here at my work that stays on his own and hides from the others. When the others are around, and making a LOT of noise, this guy runs (the best he can, he has a bad limp), gets up close to the trunk of a tree, cowers down and shivers. Does not move from there until the other crows have left the area.

I am so surprised at the extent and length of their family life.

I live in a townhouse community and crows have learn that birds build their nest under decks. They fly low or walk along fences to check for new nest or young birds. It is fascinating to see them every year patrolling the area.

3.Maybe we can avoid putting still water and be careful when around mosquitoes, if we see a crow who is sick, we can report to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center, so other crows won't get sick while trying to help the sick individual.

My friend, who admittedly was one of the crow-haters, nevertheless recognized how smart and sociable they were. She told me a story that she once observed a crow that had died, and a number of other crows, presumably family, congregated around it in a circle as they just stared at the dead crow in silence. She figured it was a crow funeral. Has anyone heard of such a thing with birds?

I encounter groups of crows that I assume are a family primarily in two areas of the housing development where I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I think there are two families in 750 acres. I think of them as the north and the south families. Occasionally they meet near the middle and have a squawking and cawing good time (I may be anthropomorphizing about that).  Mostly I observe a smaller group of four or five near where I live flying through the trees or foraging on the ground. I can think of no other birds that I have observed that compare to the crows. The closest I can think of in this area would be the Canada geese. There is a breeding pair here every spring/summer. The main difference from crows is the breeding pair will not allow any other goose to come close to the juveniles to share in parenting. But then the juveniles are quickly up and about eating grass like the adults.

A family of crows visits our backyard frequently. I've noticed the crows soaking food into the bird bath (not only food they've found in the nearby park like pieces of pizza, tortillas, bread, chicken wings, but also young birds) to make it easier to tear apart and eat. I have never seen another bird doing that.

Like many other birds they take sunbaths. It is an amazing sight when crows are sunbathing together (see picture).