The American Crow
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Our feathered friends in the Corvidae family are typically looked down upon as annoying critters that don't deserve to live. It's easy to see why; this family includes such birds as Blue Jays (notorious for bullying other birds), Magpies, and Ravens. It doesn't help any that the sounds typically made by these powerful birds are typically harsh caws, and the fact that they'll eat anything necessary to get by (but, then again, so would a human) causes the growers of small fruits and vegetables to put these birds on their proverbial hit list. However, there's one bird, at least, that isn't so bad, and while it isn't perfect (like the rest of the world), it doesn't necessarily deserve some of the distaste it gets. If you haven't guessed by now, the bird in reference is the American Crow. By the time you finish reading this, It is hoped you'll have a little more respect for these ebony avians, or at *least* not hate them so much.
As human beings, we are generally guilty with judging things by outward looks before looking at inward beauty; so let's get the appearance of the crow out of the way first. As anyone can tell you, you can't go wrong with basic black, and the Crow has had that wardrobe mastered for a while now. If you take note of how a crow's feathers look in daylight, you'll eventually notice something peculiar and very beautiful; the very glossy feathers shimmer royal purple in strong sunlight. It's interesting to see, to say the least, and it's especially beautiful if you can observe them flying and see their feathers shimmer in mid-flight.
This may surprise you, but a crow's voice isn't quite as bad as you may think. Not that you should go out and expect to fall peacefully asleep to the melody of a Crow's lullaby, unless you have some spare anesthetic with you. But compared to the other birds of the Corvidae family (excluding the Gray Jay), a Crow's voice isn't quite so bad. If you hear a harsh and flat "kaark!", you're NOT hearing a Crow, but a Raven. Ravens are generally bigger (except the White-Necked Raven which is the same size and looks the same except, well, it has a white neck) and their feathers are ruffled and shaggy, whereas a Crow's are smooth and sleek. Let's just say that a Raven's almost metallic screech can pull anyone out of any sedative, no matter how powerful. A Crow's voice isn't necessarily nice, but it's just a semi-loud "Caw!", which isn't that annoying unless you have about fifteen crows around you, or it just sits out your window and refuses to shut up.
Watching a Crow fly is very interesting; it's a sight that can't be described in words. These large, chunky birds fly *exactly* like hawks and eagles, by gliding along the breeze with their lofty wings. If you like seeing the Bald Eagle in flight, you'll like a crow in flight, guaranteed.
What's especially alluring about a crow the most is its personality. Most of you probably hold a Crow's intelligence level on the same level you hold a piece of flaming dog poo on your back porch. You'll be surprised to hear that Crows are VERY intelligent, and as a matter of fact, one of the most sociable birds around. These gregarious avians are of particular interest to scientist with window-framed glasses, whom like to squeeze everything under a microscope and dissect the secrets of life. They've discovered that our ebony feathered friends have what makes out to a very primitive communication system, (More advanced then a household animal, less then a dolphin) and those annoying calls you hear are them communicating to each other. They're very intelligent and able to learn things. Please, though, don't expect going out to a crow and have it do tricks for you. These things are best left to the zoologists who have nothing better to do with their time. You can almost look at crows as super-intelligent cats that don't sleep all day, aren't picky about their food, and a whole lot cuter.
The Crow is a fantastic, sociable, and overall adorable bird. When one looks at them in an open-minded light, it's difficult to understand how we humans thought we'd scare away these intelligent birds with a man stuffed with straw, or really, why we'd want to do such a thing in the first place.
As human beings, we are generally guilty with judging things by outward looks before looking at inward beauty; so let's get the appearance of the crow out of the way first. As anyone can tell you, you can't go wrong with basic black, and the Crow has had that wardrobe mastered for a while now. If you take note of how a crow's feathers look in daylight, you'll eventually notice something peculiar and very beautiful; the very glossy feathers shimmer royal purple in strong sunlight. It's interesting to see, to say the least, and it's especially beautiful if you can observe them flying and see their feathers shimmer in mid-flight.
This may surprise you, but a crow's voice isn't quite as bad as you may think. Not that you should go out and expect to fall peacefully asleep to the melody of a Crow's lullaby, unless you have some spare anesthetic with you. But compared to the other birds of the Corvidae family (excluding the Gray Jay), a Crow's voice isn't quite so bad. If you hear a harsh and flat "kaark!", you're NOT hearing a Crow, but a Raven. Ravens are generally bigger (except the White-Necked Raven which is the same size and looks the same except, well, it has a white neck) and their feathers are ruffled and shaggy, whereas a Crow's are smooth and sleek. Let's just say that a Raven's almost metallic screech can pull anyone out of any sedative, no matter how powerful. A Crow's voice isn't necessarily nice, but it's just a semi-loud "Caw!", which isn't that annoying unless you have about fifteen crows around you, or it just sits out your window and refuses to shut up.
Watching a Crow fly is very interesting; it's a sight that can't be described in words. These large, chunky birds fly *exactly* like hawks and eagles, by gliding along the breeze with their lofty wings. If you like seeing the Bald Eagle in flight, you'll like a crow in flight, guaranteed.
What's especially alluring about a crow the most is its personality. Most of you probably hold a Crow's intelligence level on the same level you hold a piece of flaming dog poo on your back porch. You'll be surprised to hear that Crows are VERY intelligent, and as a matter of fact, one of the most sociable birds around. These gregarious avians are of particular interest to scientist with window-framed glasses, whom like to squeeze everything under a microscope and dissect the secrets of life. They've discovered that our ebony feathered friends have what makes out to a very primitive communication system, (More advanced then a household animal, less then a dolphin) and those annoying calls you hear are them communicating to each other. They're very intelligent and able to learn things. Please, though, don't expect going out to a crow and have it do tricks for you. These things are best left to the zoologists who have nothing better to do with their time. You can almost look at crows as super-intelligent cats that don't sleep all day, aren't picky about their food, and a whole lot cuter.
The Crow is a fantastic, sociable, and overall adorable bird. When one looks at them in an open-minded light, it's difficult to understand how we humans thought we'd scare away these intelligent birds with a man stuffed with straw, or really, why we'd want to do such a thing in the first place.
