I have always thought of crows as urban but perhaps not urbane. However, having recently watched Pied Crows (Corvus Albus) in a garden in Lusaka, I may have been wrong.

Ravens and crows, who let’s face it, get mostly bad press, are comical and quirky, and rather fascinating to watch. And when it comes to sound, they are not the one-trick pony I always believed they were. Of course, the most prevalent sound is their usual harsh cawing and if there are a lot of crows together, it can be murder on the ears… 

But sitting beneath the overhanging boughs of a jacaranda tree in which they were roosting I realised that in close proximity to one another they communicate in a quite a complex way. They do not sing of course, but they converse using such an array of high and low notes, as astonished me. They murmur, croon and gurgle. I heard gentle, light clicks and sweet, soft notes as if one were trying to cajole another.

I watched one uttering soft sounds as he hopped along a branch towards another who kept hopping away. To my ears it was if he was entreating the other to stop. Finally they were side by side and the crow that had been following the other, offered a morsel of something to eat. The first inspected the tidbit and then took it most politely and they sat for a moment in companionable silence, surveying the earth beneath them.  

On the other side of the same tree a different scene was being played out. A crow came into land beside one who was already sitting there. The second waddled a step or two towards him and pushed him in the chest with his beak, as if trying to push him off the branch. The first gave an indignant squawk and flapped off. The second moved into the spot which had been vacated as if that had been his intention all along.

Crows are intelligent birds. I read that they are known for their problem-solving and amazing communication skills. Having listened to them and watched them, I can believe this. Research apparently shows that crows don’t forget a face either. In fact, if they encounter a human who is unkind to them, they will teach others within their group to identify the human and even, to mob him.  On the other hand, if habitually fed by a human, they will very quickly learn to return there – and sometimes bring their buddies. A crow and raven diet consists mainly of insects, small animals, fruit and seeds but they have also developed scavenging habits in the many cities where they live around the world. Sometimes they don’t only pick up things to eat.

I know of a crow who used to invade the classroom where my mother once taught, for the express purpose of stealing pens or things left on desks. Once, he even snatched a piece of white chalk right out of my mother’s hand as she was about to write! They seem to be attracted to shiny objects. Which got me thinking back to that pair I watched. I imagine a conversation went like this;

“I got you a present.”

“Ooh, ooh –  is it a diamond? I love diamonds!”

“ Well, no now that you mention it. Not a diamond. It’s a bit of stale bread. Sorry.

“Ooh, I love stale bread!”

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This sweet and mischievous White-necked Raven called Mischief repeats what his trainer says. Sometimes….

For a short poem by Robert Frost and a Madonna song accompanied by eerie raven imagery, please follow this link. https://shellbell.home.blog/verse/