Crows

The ubiquitous Corvidae, arguably among the most fascinating, clever and adaptable of birds - can be found on almost every contintent.

The intelligence and social behaviours of crows is widely documented: roosting together in large groups; using tools; stashing food and mobbing predators are all common everyday examples of their remarkable intelligence.

Indeed, so impressive is the crow that they have garnered a prominent place in our mythologies. Here in the Pacific Northwest, our indigenous people have long celebrated the Raven as both 'the creator' and 'the trickster' (( http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/native_american-mythology.php?deity=RAVEN )). On the other side of the world - the raven has long been associated with Odin - the chief godhead of Norse paganism. Crows also figure prominently in Buddhism, as it was they who cared for the first Dalai Lama - and continue to herald the birth of many subsequent Dalai Lamas including the current Tenzin Gyatso. Even from the cradle of Western Civilization - the ancient Mesopotamian Mythologies acknowledge the superior intelligence of the crow in "The Epic of Gilgamesh", one of our earliest written works.

In Vancouver and Seattle, we have a remarkable hybrid cross-species that has developed: a combination of the American and Northwestern crows - who reportedly have developed their own unique language and complex social hierarchy (typically Northwestern Crows are relatively solitary - not so with our urban variants who roost in massive colonies like that found around Burnaby's Still Creek).

Unfortunately for crows though, their remarkable intelligence, adaptability and omnivorous diet have created a symbiotic relationship with our urban centres and sprawling suburbs. Declining songbird stocks combined with fear-based superstitions and/ or a general dislike for crows have resulted in a local trash newspaper calling for a "crow-cull".

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id=5aca5b9f-665e-4e3c-b5fd-c752a838d5d3

Then I see Facebook pages like these little pissants dispensing advice on how to poison crows (regardless of the potential to kill other birds and pets)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2970085275


Well, I LIKE crows.. and I'm proud to stand up and say so.. I love watching the daily spectacle of them traveling en masse across the skies of the city at dusk as they return to their rookery. I enjoy their antics. I marvel as I watch them knock acorns from the oak trees on my street so that cars might crush out the meat.

With their uncanny ability to thrive in an environment that is otherwise hostile to wildlife (bees are dying in record numbers, songbirds are being found to contain toxically high levels of mercury) - we should be defending these remarkable creatures.. not killing them

******

CROW FACTS:


- corvid brains are among the largest in birds and are comparable in brain-to-body ratio of the great apes and cetaceans, just slightly lower than our own. In studies crows have out performed both domestic cats and dogs, displayed complex memorization, innovation and improvisation skills suggesting cognitive abilities on par with great apes. Some crows have even reportedly demonstrated a capacity for imagination - an ability previously believed to be unique to humans alone

- crows mate for life, courtship involves acrobatic feats and tests of endurance

- crows have a complex social system, and

- crows (particularly juveniles) have been known to play games

- crows have been extensively documented using tools

crows in decline?

http://courses.washington.edu/vseminar/survey.htm


Crow FAQ

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm


bird brains?

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/112096_crow12.shtml


non-lethal means of controlling urban crows as 'pests'

http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/Urban-Crow-Fact-Sheet.pdf




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The ubiquitous Corvidae, arguably among the most fascinating, clever and adaptable of birds - can be found on almost every contintent.

The intelligence and social behaviours of crows is widely documented: roosting together in large groups; using tools; stashing food and mobbing predators are all common everyday examples of their remarkable intelligence.

Indeed, so impressive is the crow that they have garnered a prominent place in our mythologies. Here in the Pacific Northwest, our... (read more)