2/14/22 - AMCR - American Crow
A common bird that everyone knows, but a really interesting one. I have distinct memories of the thousands of crows that would roost every evening in the fall along Old Georgetown Road in Rockville, MD, as I would drive home from work. An incredible sight. It has become a sign of the fall for me, when the crows start their huge communal roosts. There are a lot of interesting theories about why they roost -- is it to share information about where the best food sources are? Is it for safety (in numbers) from predators such as owls? Is it just like a hotel, where the birds all come to the best place to stay, or a bar, where they just like to hang out together?
It is really interesting how social crows are. Family units stay together -- pairs are monogamous, from what I gather, but children stick around for years to help raise the other young. There are also plenty of stories of people getting to know their neighborhood crows and recognizing their personalities.
A lot of good information is here from the Cornell lab, and there's a whole course available through the Cornell lab for loads more on the crow.
No comments:
Post a Comment