Crows are smart. Real smart! So smart in fact that a theme park in France has trained six birds to pick up trash and cigarette butts. Each time a crow drops off a piece of trash, a dispenser issues a food reward. What a brilliant idea!
Crows can drive us all crazy with their loud, repetitive "cawing" and with baby producing time in full swing, this is only magnified as juveniles join the chorus continually begging to be fed. A member of the"corvidae" family, crows are considered to be among our most intelligent birds, so I have been trying to appreciate this amazing fact and learn more about them.
When it comes to nesting season, they are incredibly territorial and protective,chasing anything and everything away. In the forested area next to my home, I learned this was the first year a pair of red-shouldered hawks did not nest in their usual pine tree, as a pair of crows were setting up camp in a tall cypress tree nearby. Any time the hawks attempted to approach the area, they were aggressively chased away.
American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) start to nest in early spring and may also build decoy nests if they think someone suspicious is watching them. Clever eh? Over the last month or so, we have listened to the endless cacophony as the parents delivered food back and forth to their offspring. But other crows appeared to be visiting the nest also and I discovered that "helper crows" assist with the job of feeding. How cool is that?
Crows are cooperative breeders and nesters, so the job of building the nest and raising the young is a group effort. Often times this is by other members of the family unit which can include older “kids” hatched in previous years and even extended family members such as nephews, brothers, etc. of the parents.
Now that three babies have fledged and left the nest, it is difficult to predict where they will be, as they are very mobile and erratic in their behavior in addition to being quite comical! Capturing video is tricky and based on sound rather than sight, as I dash to locate the spot where I can hear them. The above clip was shot while hanging out of an upstairs bathroom window :-)
Young crows will remain dependent on their parents and "helpers" for a couple months after they fledge and many remain as part of the family unit for several years. I have no doubt they will always drive me crazy, but I also have a newly found appreciation for my wild neighbors.