# Crows are clever



## Bretrick (Dec 16, 2021)

My neighbour throws bread out on the lawns for the birds.
I place a shallow bowl of water out there for them because of the heat.
The bread dries out quickly in the heat.
I watched a Crow get a piece of the dry, hard bread, drop it in the water, wait a few seconds, then get it out and eat it.


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## hollydolly (Dec 16, 2021)

They give me the heeby jeebies.. I feel they're the devil birds.. we have them the size of cats here... some even bigger than cats


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## Bretrick (Dec 16, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> They give me the heeby jeebies.. I feel they're the devil birds.. we have them the size of cats here... some even bigger than cats


They are called a Murder of Crows for very good reason.


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## Gaer (Dec 16, 2021)

Crows and magpies are clever but MEAN birds!  They attack relentlessly!


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## Bretrick (Dec 16, 2021)

Gaer said:


> Crows and magpies are clever but MEAN birds!  They attack relentlessly!


Magpies attack here while their young are still in the nest.
Never known a crow to attack.
Talking about Australia here.


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## ElCastor (Dec 16, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> My neighbour throws bread out on the lawns for the birds.
> I place a shallow bowl of water out there for them because of the heat.
> The bread dries out quickly in the heat.
> I watched a Crow get a piece of the dry, hard bread, drop it in the water, wait a few seconds, then get it out and eat it.


A few years ago I parked the car in a small shopping center, got out, and there was the most heart rending sight, a poor pathetic crow with a broken wing hopping about in front of a convenience store, dragging his broken wing on the pavement. I went in the store, bought a pastry, came out, and threw it to the poor bird. He grabbed it and flew up on the roof. My wife could not stop laughing. (-8

I've read about crows who were unable to crack a walnut shell, so they plucked walnuts off a tree, dropped them in a crosswalk, and waited for passing cars to break the shells. When the light changed they would fly down and harvest the nuts. Very clever birds.


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## Bretrick (Dec 16, 2021)

> A few years ago I parked the car in a small shopping center, got out, and there was the most heart rending sight, a poor pathetic crow with a broken wing hopping about in front of a convenience store, dragging his broken wing on the pavement. I went in the store, bought a pastry, came out, and threw it to the poor bird. He grabbed it and flew up on the roof. My wife could not stop laughing. (-8


That is so funny


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## Gary O' (Dec 16, 2021)

I love the crows
.....and the Jays

They both are smarter than yer average bird.

The Jays up at the cabin would sit in the treetops and imitate hawk sounds, then swoop in on the feeders after the smaller birds and chippies left.







The chippies were fun to watch
They'd all be feeding their little faces, then hear that hawk sound, and look up...sitting very still
Not even their mouths moving
crumbs on their lips









Then, one would chip one loud chip




......and off they'd scramble


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## palides2021 (Dec 16, 2021)

I saw one crow recently outside my kitchen window. He had settled on the branch of the dogwood tree and was looking around. I think he spied me looking at him. I looked at him and he looked at me, and then daintily, so I wouldn't see it, picked one of the berries off the dogwood. I had never seen a bird move so sneakily. It was almost as if he were wiping his beak, but I saw him eat the berry. It was the darnedest thing.


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## Murrmurr (Dec 16, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> They give me the heeby jeebies.. I feel they're the devil birds.. we have them the size of cats here... some even bigger than cats


They're kind of like cats; smart, sometimes affectionate, loyal, and they have good memories.


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## Murrmurr (Dec 16, 2021)

Gaer said:


> Crows and magpies are clever but MEAN birds!  They attack relentlessly!


Not without reason, though. They're very protective.


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## Gaer (Dec 16, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Magpies attack here while their young are still in the nest.
> Never known a crow to attack.
> Talking about Australia here.


Yes, You are right!  I've SEEN magpies attack cats and small animals many times but I have only HEARD of crows doing the same. This was not verified by me. Sorry!   Magpies swarmed down and tried to kill my kitties!


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## Bretrick (Dec 16, 2021)

Gaer said:


> Yes, You are right!  I've SEEN magpies attack cats and small animals many times but I have only HEARD of crows doing the same. This was not verified by me. Sorry!   Magpies swarmed down and tried to kill my kitties!


Poor kitties. Did the kitties come running to you for protection?


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## hollydolly (Dec 17, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> They're kind of like cats; smart, sometimes affectionate, loyal, and they have good memories.


I don't like cats...and cats are generally not loyal..dogs are loyal but not cats. cats will go anywhere there's food...and shelter ..but yes crows are clever, and  sneaky


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## Irwin (Dec 17, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> My neighbour throws bread out on the lawns for the birds.
> I place a shallow bowl of water out there for them because of the heat.
> The bread dries out quickly in the heat.
> I watched a Crow get a piece of the dry, hard bread, drop it in the water, wait a few seconds, then get it out and eat it.


You should show this article to the crows (or at least to your neighbor):

*Bread is Bad for Birds*
Bread offers wild birds absolutely ZERO nutrition. ZERO. But, how could it possibly harm them, if it has zero effect? Simply, bread fills up a small stomach in a hurry. The bird doesn’t know the food is useless, but leaves feeling full and satisfied, nonetheless. This is a deadly combination of factors, considering how many calories birds need to eat in order to survive.
https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/resources/bread-is-bad-for-birds/


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## hollydolly (Dec 17, 2021)

Irwin said:


> You should show this article to the crows (or at least to your neighbor):
> 
> *Bread is Bad for Birds*
> Bread offers wild birds absolutely ZERO nutrition. ZERO. But, how could it possibly harm them, if it has zero effect? Simply, bread fills up a small stomach in a hurry. The bird doesn’t know the food is useless, but leaves feeling full and satisfied, nonetheless. This is a deadly combination of factors, considering how many calories birds need to eat in order to survive.
> https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/resources/bread-is-bad-for-birds/


I aways want to tell people the same thing at the lakes as they're throwing huge pieces, sometimes whole slices into the water for the ducks, geese and swans...


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## ElCastor (Dec 25, 2021)

Irwin said:


> You should show this article to the crows (or at least to your neighbor):
> 
> *Bread is Bad for Birds*
> Bread offers wild birds absolutely ZERO nutrition. ZERO. But, how could it possibly harm them, if it has zero effect? Simply, bread fills up a small stomach in a hurry. The bird doesn’t know the food is useless, but leaves feeling full and satisfied, nonetheless. This is a deadly combination of factors, considering how many calories birds need to eat in order to survive.
> https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/resources/bread-is-bad-for-birds


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## IFortuna (Dec 25, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> I love the crows
> .....and the Jays
> 
> They both are smarter than yer average bird.
> ...


Did you know blue jays are related to crows and ravens (corvid)? I love crows and ravens, they are super smart.  There is a lot of myth surrounding the crow. Northwest Native Americans revere the raven as powerful the way I understand it.  They can also be the trickster much like the coyote.
Crow is also a clan animal. Some say the crow brought fire to humans.  In Judaism, some scripture was tied with crow feathers as crows are thought to be messengers of God. (Unverified story but kinda' nice.)


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## David777 (Dec 25, 2021)

My neighborhood streets have many large *American sweetgum*_, _liquidambar styraciflua, shade trees.  We also have an abundance of eastern gray squirrels living in those trees. Groups of crows are also abundant, and each morning at dawn tend to be especially noisy with all their many sounds.  Because I've lived here for decades, both species have learned to recognize on sight this human.    I never feed either but will sometimes talk to them briefly as their behaviors can be funny.  If a person gets anywhere close to either species they are almost certain to fly or run off.   I can often walk right past them just a step or two away and they won't run or fly off as they have come to recognize me by sight as someone they can trust.  And that says something about their intelligence science would not expect.


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## Gary O' (Dec 25, 2021)

IFortuna said:


> I love crows and ravens, they are super smart.


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## Ruthanne (Dec 26, 2021)

I had a pet crow as a young teen.  He was very smart and loving.  He followed my school bus to the school to make sure I was ok.  Then he'd land on my arm.  I gave him kisses.

When I got back from school he'd be waiting at the bus stop.  I would call to him and he'd come.  His name was Gabriel and I miss him to this day.

One day I called his name and he didn't come to me.   I called and called and no Gabriel.  He never showed up again.  Don't know what happened to him.  He was a great bird.

He had come in the house and liked everyone.  Miss him


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## ElCastor (Dec 26, 2021)

Irwin said:


> You should show this article to the crows (or at least to your neighbor):
> 
> *Bread is Bad for Birds*
> Bread offers wild birds absolutely ZERO nutrition. ZERO. But, how could it possibly harm them, if it has zero effect? Simply, bread fills up a small stomach in a hurry. The bird doesn’t know the food is useless, but leaves feeling full and satisfied, nonetheless. This is a deadly combination of factors, considering how many calories birds need to eat in order to survive.
> https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/resources/bread-is-bad-for-birds/


We've made the mistake of feeding raccoons. Bad idea, don't do it anymore, but we do feed crows and smaller birds. The crows get a handfull of cat kibble a day on top of a fence. Seems to agree with them. Started out with a pair, then one day a smaller Junior showed up with them. Junior is now full grown and still comes around with mom and dad.


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