Diana

I really like and appreciate crows, as I do all native birds. This lesson addressed the myth that crows eat an outsized number of baby birds compared to other predators. While it's good to dispel such myths and learn the facts, I did want to mention something I recently learned, which is that the success of "subsidized" corvids (crows and ravens that benefit from being around humans) is causing hyperpredation of turtles and tortoises (see Hyperpredation of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises by Subsidized Corvids | Herpetological Monographs (allenpress.com)). Those of us taking this course obviously love birds, but if you don't know much about turtles, they have it really rough! Reasons include that because they move slowly, they're easily killed by many things (natural predators, cars, humans), 70% of illegal wildlife trade is in reptiles and amphibians, and turtles take a very long time to reach sexual maturity (something like 4-20 years, depending on species). They are very vulnerable animals. I thought this was just interesting to know, but also a good reminder that it's generally best for humans not to interfere in natural processes by "subsidizing" certain species, since we don't fully understand the downstream impacts on other creatures in the ecosystem (and yes, I understand our activities do more damage than any other species!). The best way to support animals is by creating rich habitat (if you have space to do so) with native plants that provide food, cover, and sites to rest, reproduce and nest, which benefits all animals. I'm not being preachy if you choose to feed birds, just encouraging folks to support all animals if possible, which allows nature to better do its job of keeping things in balance :).