Diane

1. Inbreeding may cause genetic issues such as weaknesses and shorter life span perhaps. 2. This is not that surprising. It is always nice to think that crows are monogamous but oh well...Yes, I believe it could be beneficial for their genetics especially if the extra male is from a different family.

I've watched a family of crows forage with lookouts warning those on the ground.  I've also noticed smaller birds diving at crows in the air when the crows are close to their nests.  Crows seem to be louder and in larger groups than other birds. Bat boxes might be a good way to decrease the mosquito problem.

1. I would say that actually more nestlings are killed by snakes and chipmunks and crows only invade about 2% of the time. 2. I grew up in Louisiana and Mississippi and live in North Georgia now so I guess Ive mostly seen crows and not ravens. I also lived in central Virginia for many years so perhaps I have seen Ravens there as well as crows. I am hoping to be able to tell the difference between the two now. 3.I live in an area where only crows live. We will be moving to West Virginia in a few years. I can't tell by the map if Ravens are in WEst Virginia. 4. I'm not sure why other animals might benefit from crows other than their warning sounds.