 For the holiday, a thread on how to befriend crows. -- Befriending crows is a wonderful thing. I have many crow friends at home and at work. They bring joy at unexpected moments and can rescue a miserable day even without shaking down the dust of snow that Robert Frost described. This thread is an updated version of one I posted at the bird site in July 2019. #birding #birdwatching #birds #urbanbirding #crows #corvids #crow #corvid #crowfriends 453 comments
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If you feed them regularly, they will come to recognize you. They're remarkably good at recognizing faces, gaits, and even the sound of a particular car's engine. In the rain wearing a new jacket with the hood up? They recognize me. After a year away from the office due to COVID policies, I thought my office friends would have forgotten me. No. They spotted me within a few yards of the parking garage. Try to be consistent. Make sure you have food for them each time you see them. Crows are so smart that this isn't essential. But it's a general principle in animal training which is, in a sense, what you are doing. Though as you'll discover, it's more like them training you. Personally, I like to talk to them. I have no idea whether this helps or not. But I treat each one with dignity, greet them when I see them, explain what I'm doing as I'm getting out a treat, ask them how their days have been, that sort of thing.  As to "how much they understand," I feel pretty confident going with "more than you'd expect." @ct_bergstrom do they ever bring you presents? I remember reading a news story once about crows that befriended a girl and bright her shiny things. @ct_bergstrom Descendants of the dinosaur, recognize faces of humans, are monogamous for life and live more than 15 years. But they are around me with a little too much than I care for. @ct_bergstrom I love this thread & your suggestions. Once I added shelled peanuts to my bird feeders the crows began showing up. I love them! @ct_bergstrom I talk to the birds, too. I've also learned that they fly away faster if I'm looking directly at them, so I have to talk to them while facing away from them. My neighbors probably think I'm insane. :) @ct_bergstrom we have both crows, red tailed and coopers hawks in our neighborhood. The crows frequently collaborate and chase the hawks. Since itโs not nesting season, sort of curious why theyโre doing it as I donโt think the hawks are a threat to the crows? Everything if found via google just says, yeah they do this. For the crows that live near my house, I have a call as well. It's simple. I go outside and shout "Hello, crows!" I'd do that every time before feeding them, especially if they were nearby to see me feeding. After a few months, they started doing something new. When I called them, even if they were blocks away, they started talking back with loud food calls. Now I can go outside, call once, and then listen to them calling back to me as they fly in from all around the neighborhood. Photo: A frequent visitor who goes around the house until she can see me through the window, and then endeavors to get my attention. The crows at work almost always spot me before I spot them. I think they recognize my gait because they can find me in a new jacket with the hood up against the Seattle rain. They have a particular flight pattern, a low swoop braking right in of me, to get my attention. Sometimes their wingtips brush my arm as they come by. This took a while; at first I would feed them any time I saw them, even up high on a light pole. Now I wait for them to swoop me. My avatar here is one of those work crows. Sometimes after an unpleasant work meeting or something they find me as, tired and grumpy, I'm leaving my building. They never fail to make me laugh, and to turn around my mood. I've never received trinkets from crows, but they've still given me more than I've given them. @ct_bergstrom I once received a dried stalk of grass that had gone to seed as a gift. The crow insisted that I take it. @Lee_in_Iowa @ct_bergstrom thatโs what I figured since I leave mealworms for them. @ct_bergstrom I absolutely love and am fascinated by crows. We have a very active murder around our property and they are totally intriguing. Then there are fledglings! If crows trust you, they will introduce you to their young ones. Nothing is better. Nothing. Crows are also loyal and brave. Please do not piss them off because they hold grudges โ and share these grudges with their brethren. Victims, clockwise from top left: Bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, osprey, common raven. Which brings me to a warning. Tempting as it can be, under no circumstances should you use the instructions Iโve provided here to assemble your own personal arm of crows to carry out acts of unspeakable evilโor even to wage justified campaigns of retribution against your enemies. Crows are wise birds, and they will catch own quickly. Once your crow army realizes that your seeming friendship is merely an instrumental ploy to harness their power to your own ends, may God help youโfor I cannot. So that's pretty much it. It's relatively easy to befriend crows, and it's endlessly rewarding. I hope that a few of you are able to make crow friends of your own, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures with them. @ct_bergstrom Carl, thank you so much for this thread. I have an old and very dear friend who is a HUGE fan of crows. She even has one tattooed on her calf. She's currently in the hospital fighting for her life. And I sit here 3000 miles away feeling helpless. Your thread lifted my spirits during a rough holiday season. Thank you! โค๏ธ  @ct_bergstrom Thank you for such an informative thread. I've always enjoyed our neighborhood crows. A group of them regularly spend time in our back garden (commonly 5-6). Never realized we could try to befriend them. Thanks for the advice. @ct_bergstrom I share your regard for and love of crows. Have had some very special interactions with them which have taught me much about their 'crowmanity'. Would add one more thing. They exist with other birds. Have often noted how when garden birds are threatened by arrival of a predator, one crow calls the others and in comes the support. They are an important part of a bird community @ct_bergstrom I have two different groups who come by for peanuts. There were a few initial squabbles but now they seem to have a time sharing arrangement.Original crow is still my fave, so smart and shiny! @ct_bergstrom such an informative thread thank you. Shared with wife and daughter. Weโve taken up birding the last year or so. Going to have to try and make friends with our neighborhood crows. In the spring we hand 6-8 crows regularly they disappeared for a while and just a couple around now. These pictures taken when they were in a tree in our backyard.  @ct_bergstrom When I lived in Paulsbo, the crows and seagulls would protect the ducks from the bald eagles by attacking them! @ct_bergstrom they nest out back and it gets very loud and territorial in summer. Crows are highest in order then swoop in the Magpies then the Jays and in between rush of air from wings the smaller birds.  @ct_bergstrom No crows near me, but I am trying to make friends with the resident geckos. @ct_bergstrom Reminds me of this classic reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/ki6fnd/oregon_i_accidentally_created_an_army_of_crow/ @ct_bergstrom, what a delightful welcome back! We have a neighbor who leaves peanuts for the crows, all over the neighborhood. They not only recognize him but watch him sleep through his bedroom window in anticipation of his morning feeding walks! @ct_bergstrom I tried this. I even got a decoy crow to encourage. My peanuts were discovered by blue jays. I have blue jays that come beg at my office window for nuts, but never a crow. @ct_bergstrom Well I'm surrounded by crows and tend to resent cos few native birds but ok, attitude change @ct_bergstrom We started this a few months ago per your advice and it's really rewarding! Initially it was just a pair of crows but now we have about 5 or so crows who patiently line up for their daily peanut feast. More recently they've started following us on our walks, which seems to attract other crows. The word is out! Only downside is I feel guilty when I don't have any peanuts with me.  @ct_bergstrom Iโve been feeding some squirrels nearby only because thereโs a massive construction project that laid black plastic and mulch over their food storage fields. (Which will last months). The poor squirrels keep going to their old holes wondering why they canโt smell their food. Sooo, Iโve been buying hazelnuts in bulk. I chatter to them of course and especially the very cute fat ones. They seem to be surprised at my friendly gentle chatter. @ct_bergstrom Any tips for learning to distinguish individual crow friends? Iโve established the friendship with the locals and they have trained me. I only see one at a time stacking the peanuts, but Iโm not sure if itโs always the same bird. @ct_bergstrom I am working on my local murder (hee) right nowโI fill my pockets with peanuts for our morning walk. If they are out, they will have a scout waiting for me most days now, at the end of our cross street. The scouts send out a call and the rest gather for treats. They are a delight!  @ct_bergstrom used to see this goth dude with dozens of crows following him around the park it really was quite the mood. @ct_bergstrom Er, cool stuff. May not be the wisest strategy with New York City crows, though ๐๐   @ct_bergstrom I've seen YouTube videos about this but I'm afraid to try it. I don't want to be "that weird old geek on the third floor of building ten with all the bird shit on his balcony." ๐ I'm moving to start a postdoc soon, and I really want to befriend the crows I find on the new campus @ct_bergstrom I love this thread, and the photos are amazing. I have about 7 crows that sometimes feed in my yard; they are pretty shy and also the feed a lot at the nearby bay beach which has good and varied pickings. I would love to get their attention, but even opening the slider makes them fly off. Any tips? (Lots of bird feeders and many other birds around that would love peanuts if I left them outโฆ) @ct_bergstrom I've always wanted to do this because I love crows, but I've wondered if it's a bad idea for the same reason you shouldn't try to befriend other wildlifeโthey might grow dependent, for instance. Do you have any perspective on that?
 @ct_bergstrom @ct_bergstrom Wonderful thread! I have about seven crows who visit regularly. One rattle knocks me often -- I didn't realize it was a female! I can't identify them enough to know who does what, but one of them pulled out a feather and left it for me, and two cast pellets. @ct_bergstrom I thought this said "how to befriend cows" and I was thinking okay, that's interesting. Then I saw the pic of a crow and was thinking "why is there a crow?" Then my brain caught up ๐ Crows are awesome - corvids are some of my favorite animals. Thanks for sharing this! @ct_bergstrom this warms my heart ๐ Love those UW-B crows. We had 3 crow friends at my last house, they definitely knew my daughter & would follow her home if they spotted her on a walk! We fed them consistently and they chased off hawks (big plus as our neighbor had chickens). We moved ~1 mile away and I wish I could say that they crows followed us but they did not ๐ข There are other crows here but we must be part of their โcommuteโ because they never stop to eat, just pass by @ct_bergstrom I love this, thanks so much!! I know crows are very intelligent birds, I wish I saw any often enough to have a chance to befriend them. I guess I should get in the habit of carrying some nuts with me when I go outside, just in case hehe @ct_bergstrom Thank you so much for this thread! If you have the time, can you tell me why rural crows are harder to befriend? I live in a rural area and have been trying to befriend crows with mixed results. But I have not been talking to them nor very consistent about the exact time I leave food, so I will try harder in those areas. @ct_bergstrom I have been friends with a Murder for many years. We exchange gifts. I have a brand-new bag of shelled peanuts for them. I will get bottle caps and change. Once I got a watch. @ct_bergstrom There are dozens of crows that hang out in our neighborhood. We named our house The Rookery and have been working for years at befriending them, and they know to expect that we will feed them. They will sometimes have one perch on the wire outside our window to beg for food. There are also a family of crows where I work (down the hill from UW) and before the pandemic the parent crows would bring their fledglings to meet me each summer. Such an incredible and delightful privilege! @ct_bergstrom I would love to befriend a crow. I used to feed a few outside Starbucks a few times. But I wasnโt consistent enough to become their pal. Will need to try it again. @ct_bergstrom i worked a farmers market for years selling baking. They were thieves at first in the morning setup period, and I had to chase them away. At end of market I would yell Crows! and break up a few croissant, danish, baguette - whatever was left over - and give it to them. @ct_bergstrom this is Fenton a young crow Iโve been feeding. I placed a plastic bead necklace on my driveway as a marker and then put pieces of dry cat food in it. It only took 1 day and Fenton learned to come with I placed gif necklace down. @ct_bergstrom i am definitely gonna try to befriend them - they fascinate me on my walks and I often wonder what they have observed about me @ct_bergstrom haven't had any crows come by the place but the local stellar jay comes by for peanuts on a regular basis. @ct_bergstrom ๐ I belong to an ancestor worshiping culture(เฎคเฎฎเฎฟเฎดเฏ|Tamizh), Crows have very high reverence here as they're believed to be carrying our ancestors soul. So each day many people here feed the crows first with rice before breakfast and on new moon day many undergo fasting, Make special food and give it to the crows first. Obviously #crows , Extraordinarily intelligent as they are keep perfect timings and seems to know the lunar phases ๐คฏ; No wonder we revere them. @ct_bergstrom this is such a fantastic thread - thank you ๐ I've befriended the hummingbirds in our neighborhood, and it's so fun. I think most animals are much more intelligent, and sociable, than most people give them credit for. I make a vocalization that sounds as close to theirs as I can get, paying attention to the number of each they make, repeating it back. They often fly in front of me and hover, as if to say "hi," and have zipped by, very close to my head. Wonderful. We had a #crow we nursed back to health and released. They visit us daily. #Corvids are great. #crowfriends @ct_bergstrom I simply *ADORE* corvids. We've got mostly ravens around my place but the rules are the same as with crows. @ct_bergstrom I live out in the country, and I noticed last year a pair living in the cedars beside our house. Iโm going start trying to make friends. @ct_bergstrom we feed a lot of neighbor crows at our bike shop, and like you I have a call โIโve got some treats for you, crows!โ โ not elegant but it works. they love our leftover trail mix and cookies/scones/pastries left from our guides and guests. I also feed them leftover oatmeal and veggies โ they loved cooked butternut squash that was too stringy for me insarted befriending crows with 3 pounds of ground beef. they seem unimpressed with popcorn tho. @ct_bergstrom these photos are beautiful, especially the Bothell crows. Iโve considered trying to make friends with some crows, I would love to hear if you have any tips regarding dogs and crows. Thanks for everything you have shared already! @ct_bergstrom TYSM For this thread! i remember that fifty years ago, my grandfather who was day-caring me took me every day to a nearby river where he called the crows and chatted with them. as i was a very little kid and didn't ever met anyone else who was able of doing so, he was a real magician in my eyes. now i remember again and furthermore understand a little better. thank you so much for sharing this interesting background. ๐ @ct_bergstrom I have two that live in the trees near my apartment that I love. They are so smart. I want corvid best friends one day though. @ct_bergstrom lincolns inn Chambers london employed me to control nesting populations of herring gulls, the crows watched me work, then dropped 5 week crows on me ( had hatched in nests made with wire that disrupted natural development) the second crow dropped on my head survived and now has a family and community of his own 30 mile south of london... it imprinted on the house opposite the window sill it grew up on and never leaves the te territory. @ct_bergstrom will this advice work with magpies? They seem to be the dominant corvid in my neck of the woods @ct_bergstrom Thank you for this thread. I like crows, there's quite a lot of them where I live, now i might push this relation to the next level. @ct_bergstrom Thank you so much!! I have a pair of ravens who fly over my house every day. They have by seen swiping a dead mouse off the patio that my cat left the night before. I often greet them as they fly by and they often call once after I say โmorning Raven.โ I'm rural though and have not tried to feed them myself. Would these tips work? I'd love to have them come to feed @ct_bergstrom Cool! I recently befriended a couple who comes for breakfast every day now ๐ฅฐ #CrowsAreCool @ct_bergstrom @ct_bergstrom I had a family of crows that moved into a tree behind my old place. I used to walk my dog there, a really energetic beagle that wanted to befriend all other wildlife, so he'd sit beneath their tree wagging his tail while the crows barked at him. After several months they calmed down about him and I, and would fly down to the lower branches of the tree and just kind of hang out with us. One day they up and left. I guess they had to move onto greener pastures. But they were great @ct_bergstrom Happy Birthday Dad and Merry Christmas. @ct_bergstrom When I was a kid, there was a man in one of the local pubs who had a crow. It would come into the pub and drink Guinness with himโฆ @ct_bergstrom Had a pet (Hooded) crow as a boy (a rescued nestling a few days old-pink, no feathers). He didn't grow primary wing feathers for a couple years but when he did he occasionally brought me things first thing in the morning. Hungry? I have an earthworm! It's OK your mother will wash the pillow. One of many stories: He stole money from the kitchen and hid it in a shed outside and sulked when I followed him (behaving suspiciously) and found his stash. Intelligent, mischievous & fun. They also need water. They know me as the fetcher of water and will shout for it. Thank you is not in their line of business but their emotional currency is trust. I saved a fledgling. They know. They are very visual. I nod in greeting.  @ct_bergstrom Well, this led to quite the rabbit hole! We apparently have two species in Japan, hashibuto-garasu, and jashiboso-garasu, with very different habits. Now I'll need to figure out which are perched on the power poles around the house every morning. Thanks for posting!  @ct_bergstrom Befriend? I can't get rid of them! ๐
@ct_bergstrom I talk to all crows. They are amazingly brilliant animals that can solve complex puzzles.  @ct_bergstrom I love this thread and all Corvidae. You can even befriend them without much training. At least if you are a friendly dog and a raven youngster! My experience is written in German but you can switch to Google English at the top of the page: https://cronenburg.blogspot.com/2019/05/snoopy-bilbo-und-woodstock-krachzel.html  @ct_bergstrom @ct_bergstrom superb thread. We had a tame magpie that used to visit us and sit on our arms as kids. It was magical! @ct_bergstrom Crows are great but I value the friendship I have with a small flock of Magpies on my property. @ct_bergstrom Food: Here in Alsace, we have old walnut trees in the meadows. The crows and ravens adore walnuts. There's a small path for the tractors, and the crows know exactly where two tractors coming towards each other must swerve. They lay the nuts on this place and the nutcracker farmers do their work.๐ @ct_bergstrom I have a great number of crows that reside here. Fascinating birds. Been trying to find a way to be sure they are crows and not Ravens. The square tail verses the pointed tail sounds great until you have binoculars bumping into windows trying to catch a good angle to tell the difference. Smart birds whatever the distinction. @ct_bergstrom thought I was about to read something from the Neil Gaiman shorts, but you really are about to teach me how to make new friends. Wellโฆ Happy jolly Christmas. ๐ ๐ @ct_bergstrom @ct_bergstrom I love this thread, and I'd love to make friends with our neighbourhood corvids (we have a lot of European jays - which were super rare when I was a kid but which seem to be coming back now - as well as magpies, jackdaws and crows), but I worry that encouraging them to visit may increase predation on the other songbirds in our garden. Do you think this is a problem? (In which case maybe I should try to make friends with crows near my office @ct_bergstrom  @ct_bergstrom There's a raven couple living at a sunflower field near our home. I wanna try and befriend them. Don't know if ravens will be happy with peanuts or if the crows won't snatch everything away, before the ravens even realize it's there.  @ct_bergstrom great guide. I don't have crows near my home but several ravens. I wonder if the same techniques would work. Thoughts? |
Gregory's Server
If you live in an urban or suburban area where crows are around it's not too hard to befriend them. Rural crows are harder but not impossible.
First and foremost they like food. Peanuts in the shell are a favorite treat but most anything works; crows are omnivorous. It's probably not good for them, but they adore cheetos.
Photo: not a good shot but the only one I have of my beloved Tatterwing demonstrating next-level peanut technique: five at a time by spearing. No other crow figured this out.