Mini-feature 1: American Crow
As night approaches and the sky grows dim, an eerie feeling always creeps over unsuspecting passersby. From the treeline they’re being watched by dozens of eyes, illuminated by the dim glow of street lamps. Draw too near and they’re sent into a frenzy and hundreds of American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) escape into the night sky all across North America. Despite their less than stellar depiction in folklore and modern media, and my fears they’ll swarm me on the way to my car, these birds are a highly intelligent species belonging to the family Corvidae.
Corvids are notably crafty, and researchers were even able to teach an American Crow to sharpen a stick and use it as a tool for foraging [1]. They’re also as chatty as they are clever, communicating with a diverse range of calls. Researchers have observed American crows vocalizing to alert one another to danger, draw fellow crows to food, and even uniquely identify one another in the flock [2]. In spite of my long-standing fear of their harsh caws and beady eyes, there’s much more to the American Crow than a bad omen.
Written by: Emily Corona is a third year undergraduate student studying animal science with a specialization in animal behavior at UC Davis. She has a keen interest in livestock and large animal welfare and hopes to pursue it with her degree. When she’s not studying for the next midterm she loves needle felting, poetry, and cozying up with a good reality TV show.
References:
[1] Caffrey, C. (2000). Tool modification and use by an American Crow. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 112(2), 283.
[2] Mates, E. A., Tarter, R. R., Ha, J. C., Clark, A. B., & McGowan, K. J. (2015). Acoustic profiling in a complexly social species, the American Crow: caws encode information on caller sex, identity, and behavioural context. Bioacoustics, 24(1), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2014.933446
[Edited by Jacob Johnson]