Crow Princess, Page 45

PAGE 45 — Crows: the Bad Boys of Birding (conclusion)

Crows also have a wicked sense of humor. There are many stories of crows snipping clothespins off lines just to watch the clean sheets fall to the ground. Others like to undo shoelaces.

While melody may not be the crow's strong point, they have their own, highly evolved language. A scolding call warns of an approaching predator, such as a fox or an owl; a rallying call means that the predator is closing in; an assembly call is sounded when it's time to mob the enemy. There is also a dispersal call, the crow equivalent of "Scatter!"

Henry Ward Beecher, an eminent 19th-century American preacher and naturalist, once said that if human beings wore wings and feathers, very few would be clever enough to be crows.

And, any crow could tell you that is true.

Kathy Bernhardt is the president of the Wildlife Care Association in Sacramento, California (www.wildlifecareassociation.net).

To view this article in its original, unedited glory, visit: http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/Crows.html

If you are a crow enthusiast, consider joining the American Society of Crows and Ravens (A.S.C.A.R.). You can visit them online at www.ascaronline.org.