Anything but Common: The Hidden Life of the American Crow

I have no trouble believing that squirrels prey on songbird nestlings far more than crows. Squirrels prey on everything including your screens and wiring. I would not know where to look for a crow's nest. I do live where there are both crows and ravens but I don't think I've ever seen a raven. We have many crows and I love watching them. When several gather they just seem like they have important things to discuss. My house overlooks a river so I don't see the crows from my balcony, they're in the trees in the neighborhoods behind me. But the raptors come, flying over the river. We have many eagles and also Peregrines. When they venture into the crows' territory I can hear the crows, and I usually get to watch several, chasing the falcon or the eagle out of the area. My main reason for loving crows is their attitude.

1.  I would suggest instead she has a snake in the garden or perhaps it might be the squirrels that are feeding on the seeds from her bird feeder. 2.  We have lot's of bird, and crows in Montauk, NY.   However the most fascinating Crow Jamberie I have ever seen was at the Rincon Center on Mission Street in San Francisco.  Each Fall literally hundreds meet for a few days at dusk to perch and caw on the former SF Post Office for a crow-fest or maybe they are ravens ??? 3.  Now on east coast; no ravens.   But on west coast, both.   Size and sound are the easiest differentiators; then hairy feathers.   Just learned about the feather count in flight.   Will be a great tool. 4.  In Montauk, we have lot's of bird varieties...The crows act as the sound alarm for danger for the smaller birds.  Once the crow sounds out, generally the Jays, Cardinals and Red Wing Blackbirds start making noise tool.     I have seen two crows chase a hawks that could be dangerous for smaller birds.    

2. I’ve seen crows all over the place, including on my house and in my front and backyard in places.  Never been able to find a nest, though. 3. According to the maps, I live in a place that hosts both crows and ravens year-round.  I have seen both, and can better distinguish them now. We don’t see ravens often enough to notice behavior patterns here. 4. Other crows, at least.

1.  The snakes & squirrels/chipmunks kill the most. Crows will do it if possible, but they’re way down the list, with deer & below ants. And crows are more fun.

I am on Cape Cod on the coast in MA and we do not have ravens. Often crows are quite common and numerous and common to see. Lately I have just occasionally been hearing them, and seeing them infrequently, including singly, at the beach. Somehow I have come to associate their sound with fall ... we'll see. One thing I love about them is that when I hear them "mobbing" it tells me to stand still and watch for a while, and generally I will see a  beautiful hawk being chased off by them, and other smaller birds. I assume, in this way, they are benefiting the other smaller birds - sending up the hawk alarm, and all. I will ask some more experienced bird watching friends for some help in finding a nest --- I never thought to look and would not have a clue where to find.

To neighbors who complain about crows eating baby birds, I would point out that many other animals eat them and in far greater numbers than crows do. We don't have chipmunks here but we do have plenty of squirrels, raccoons and possums and they all eat more nestlings than crows do. We don't have to look far to find crows. There are plenty in our California neighborhood. We do also have ravens. In addition to the clear size difference, and the noticeable difference in tail shape, crows tend to hang out in large flocks and ravens don't. I've not usually seen more than 2 ravens at a time. Alarm calls from crows alert all the birds in the neighborhood to the presence of danger. We've seen that with the resident red-shouldered hawks.

I would tell my neighbor that I used to feel the same way and if he actually saw the crow taking baby birds, it would be hard to argue but if he didn't, I would tell him about the whole "squirrel thing."  My dad used to HATE crows for that very reason but now he says that he has decided that the crow can't help what he has to eat and that most animals eat live things so he's eased up on the crow hate. I'm actually very relieved to know that it's squirrels that do more damage to baby birds. I've lived here in the Pacific Northwest and in South central Alaska and always see crows. Alaska seemed to have a lot more ravens than we get here - at least that I can see. There are usually WAY more crows present anywhere I go. I'd love to spot a nest. I don't think I've even noticed one. I can usually distinguish between the crow and raven. I got all but one right on the quizzes above! The raven seems less interested in garbage and people food. The main difference is the voice. I suppose the crow is good at annoying the crud out of eagles and hawks and making them move along. They also pick up a lot of road kill and scraps of people food from the ground.

I live part-time in the Coachella Valley in Palm Desert, CA. We have both crows and ravens, though see many more crows. There is a program at The Living Desert here to make restaurant owners/managers aware that open dumpsters attract these birds. Having larger populations of ravens, particularly, is a problem for the endangered desert tortoise. When the young ones hatch, they are easy prey. Actively attracting them to areas where the tortoises are living and breeding is further endangering these wonderful creatures. The education has proved beneficial, as participating restaurants have begun closing or covering their dumpsters on average an additional 43 days annually. Some progress!

While crows will eat the occasional baby bird, they eat only slightly more than white tailed deer do. I see the American crow daily in my neighborhood and very often in our yard as we feed them peanuts. We don't have Common Ravens in our area. I live in Alabama. I think birds and other animals benefit from crows in at least a couple of ways.  We have hawks in our area and the crows chase them away. They also yell loudly when there is a predictor around, such as a cat, which warns other birds and small animals. I haven't seen anything in the lesson yet for me to know how to locate a crow's nest.

Just curious:  After finishing this first lesson, should I know how to id a crow's nest?  I did not see any material on that yet, but I am hopeful to learn about it.   If my neighbor were badmouthing the crow I would tell him what I told my son this afternoon:  Crows don't really eat baby birds.  You mine as well hate dear, because they ate pretty much the same amount of baby birds as deer did.  I would also point out that if he does want to blame a creature for the destruction of those nests, he should look to the squirrels and chipmunks that he thinks are so "cute." I live nee NYC, and I though in my small city we don't see a ton of crows, I have noticed fish crows nearby more and more.  I am wondering, what is the link between the American and fish crow?  Are some of their behaviors similar?  Is the only way to distinguish them by the sound of their call?  I noticed that I do not see any fish crows on the ID with the ravens.  Is it possible to tell them apart?

1. Using the graphic in this lecture, I'd say that besides deer, crows prey on baby birds the least and that biggest predators of baby birds are snakes in the south and squirrels and chipmunks in the north. 2. I've been to 47 states and 5 provinces and have seen American Crows in all those places. 3. We don't have ravens where we live now but we see them often when I visit family in the Pacific Northwest. The size and beaks help me tell them apart. I've not observed enough raven behavior enough to distinguish them by that trait. 4. Our flock of chickens benefit from having crows around because not only do they sound the alarm when they see hawks (primarily Red-tailed and Red-shouldered, but often also Coopers, in our area), they also mob them, giving the chickens time to run and hide.

1.   I  would probably tell my neighbor that squirrels kill more baby birds than American Crows; if they did not believe me, I would simply tell them about the study showing how squirrels and chipmunks kill more nestlings than raccoons, cats, and weasels, and that squirrels kill almost as many baby birds as snakes. If she (or he) still complains, I would probably say "I'm sorry you feel that way." Then, I would probably leave. :)

The squirrels and songbirds in my yard are warned by the flock of crows who visit everyday, whenever hawks and cats enter the yard.

I would try to educate them that snakes and squirrels are bigger predators. I would try to educate the neighbor as to the amazing things that crows can do.

12/27/19 1. I would ask the neighbor if they actually saw a Crow kill a songbird. I would show the neighbor the statistics. I would tell them to watch the Starlings and Blue Jays because those two are the real culprits. 2. I have seen a Crow nest and decoy nests. Their nest is large and full of sticks. Their decoy nests are not as full as their real nest. They chase Ravens away. 3. I live in Maine. We have both American Crows and Ravens. The Ravens that swing through have a more throaty sound. They are much larger than the Crows. 4. Seagulls and Starlings benefit from having Crows around. As soon as the Crows start talking the others come around.

1. I will tell my neighbor that squirrels and chipmunks are the biggest predators of baby birds and that actually jays and crows are near the bottom of the list , along with deer . 2. I have 3 crows that come to visit in Hamburg Twp., Michigan. They like walking along the middle of the dirt road, maybe pecking for salt in the winter. They will also look around in the leaf litter and under the feeders. I would like to find a nest, but most likely their nest is on private property in the woods beyond my neighbor's home. 3. The raven is not found near me, but maybe I can see one sometime in northern Michigan. I will note that the crow has more rounded features than the raven and 5 longer wing feathers . 4. Owls will use nests left behind by crows. They also warn other birds of hawks, become the prey of larger predators, and help spread seeds. They help keep the food web in check by eating insects and rodents.

I was surprised to learn that there is a crow hunting season in California where I live.  Much of this seems to rest on the idea that crows destroy crops and kill waterfowl - negatively impacting farmers and hunters and carry West Nile virus.  Curious to know the counter-arguments and statistics to these statements. https://www.wonews.com/t-CAGunsHunt_HuntingCrows_013119.aspx Guess I was surprised because on one hand they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 1918. Michele

I live in Southern California in the wild lands and we have both crows and ravens. My neighbor actually has complained to me about corvids killing nestlings, so I was really happy to learn from the pie chart that crows make up a very small percentage of song bird predators. Next time I see her I will tell her that snakes and squirrels make up 50% of predators, followed by raccoons, ants, mice.. I am not sure yet how to locate a crow's nest. We had a pair of ravens in our canyon this spring and I wasn't able to locate their nest either. I see ravens more frequently than crows in our particular canyon, but I have seen crows in other areas near by, primarily in more populated neighborhoods in backyards, trash cans, and flying. I volunteer at our local wildlife hospital and have been fortunate to see both crows and ravens close up. It's more difficult to distinguish them in flight, but close up it's easier to see that the ravens are twice the size and have a more protuberant or "ugly" beak. The crows look like a sleeker, more streamlined, more elegant bird. I've been paying more attention to the differences in their sounds. I love all the gurgly sounds that ravens make. I'm not sure I've been around them enough to notice behavioral differences and I look forward to that. Owls benefit from crows being around because they like to use their nests. Crows are the "neighborhood watch" for other wildlife. They dispense seeds.

I live in central Ohio where there are no ravens.  Crows are common but not quite ubiquitous.   Kevin McGowan mentioned in a video for the online crow course that crows(American) like pines and the tallest trees in the area for their nests.  While working a fundraiser in a commercial area with less then optimal birding, I birded as I could.  Crows were usually around.  I observed one land in the top of an Eastern White Pine(Pinus strobus) tree in a bank parking lot across the street.   Then it dawned on me.  I looked around and saw no other close by trees of size, let alone pines.  The foliage is dense so it is hard to make out a nest in there but I highly suspect there is.  What is not to love from the crow's perspective?  People provide these planted pines for housing, and fast food trash for board.  Eastern Redcedar(Juniperus virginiana) is largely the only native conifer in the area.   Sure, they could work to find food in natural areas, but why?  They are smart.  Gregory S. Allen

I love crows. At first I didn’t. One day I was running in my neighborhood and a crow flew up low behind me and pecked me really hard on the top of my head. Then everyday it did that no matter what side of the street I used. Then it began to notice me a block away, cawing at me and continued to peck me on the head. Finally I avoided that street out of fear but a year later decided to run on it again. Sure enough, a year later, the crow saw me, flew down and pecked me hard on the top of my head. I could never figure out what I had done to that crow unless it was to inadvertently run under a tree where it had babies. Later I read about the University of Washington studies about how crows recognize faces and I became intrigued and started learning more about them. I have a crow experiment in my own backyard now that I will mention later.

Hi, everyone: I enjoy your comments about crows and ravens very much. Please keep them coming. I last wrote on 8/2/19 about finding a baby bird and a baby squirrel (on different days) in the water bowl I placed on the corner of our second-level deck. Today, my neighbor witnessed a crow bring a dead mouse to the water bowl. This bowl is a 12-inch diameter clay saucer that is often placed underneath a large clay pot, and I can see it from the third level of our townhouse.  When I glanced out the window and saw something large in the water bowl I sent my husband out to "take care of it." That's when our neighbor reported that he watched a crow pecking at it. So, is the crow a predator or just a scavenger? So far, crows have brought these three animals as well as chicken bones, plant roots, and lots of bread products. They are very enterprising and like their food well moistened!

1 American crows have actually killed about as many songbird nestlings as white-tailed deer. 2 Near trashcans 3 Crows live in the east more

1 Statiscally, snakes and squirrels are the prime predators for song bird nestlings 2 I feed American crows in my backyard in southeastern NC  I will look for nests on my walks in the future 3I don’t believe there are any ravens here and I have never seen one 4/crows warn of predators. I have seen the crows in my backyard chase hawks away.

1) Crows actually are not the biggest culprit in killing baby song birds in fact it's more the squirrels and chipmunks that do the most damage. 2) I see them in my neighborhood.  I don't know if I could see their nest, but will be keeping my eyes open now.  I did watch a group of them chase an owl into a tree.  Yelling at it the whole time.  It was very interesting! 3) I've seen ravens in the Yellowstone National Park.  I didn't at the time know if it was a crow or raven.  Looking back now it was defiantly a raven.  He was huge and had those beautiful neck feathers. 4) They seem like they can let other animals know there's a predator around.  They disperse seeds and clean up road kill Lol.

I live in Las Vegas NV and I took the class because I've always been interested in the 'crows' that spend the night in my trees sometimes or that you see feasting on all manner of stuff when you drive through the desert to California.   jThe first thing I learned is that all those guys aren't even crows they're ravens . . .   And while we have plenty of grackles all over (which I knew about) and plenty of ravens it does not appear we even have crows around.  I'm still glad I took the course because I like birds and animals even if they don't live close by.