Chapter 22 - CROW  FAMILY

The Crow Family are included in this booklet, especially for the talking ability of Ravens and Jackdaws. Ravens are the largest Crows and are big black birds, Jackdaws are black birds with grey necks. Crows are devoted to their mates and take good care of their young. The various Crows make good talkers when trained young and tame very easily. If you are a country dweller, and purchase a young Raven or Jackdaw that really gets to know you, after training it to talk you may allow the bird its liberty during the day as you would a house cat or dog. It knows enough to come back to its cage when hungry or when called. If the hunting season is on or some neighboring farm boy has nothing better to do than take pot shots at passing birds, keep it in its cage. They become so tame and attached to you, that it is worthwhile to give it the liberty of your grounds if possible. Before allow-ing your pet Crow its full freedom, cut five flight feathers on one wing. When he gets to really know you and his sur­roundings, you may let them grow in again and allow him the freedom to come and go out of his pen as he pleases.   It will give you great amusement with its antics. Young Crows only cost about $10.

If your dog is a sociable fellow, he will find that he has a new companion who will share his kennel — and his food. A strong attachment may be formed between the two.

The Crow is more of a thief than a Magpie. If anything, they are bolder, have an infinite capacity for avoiding dan­ger and are very intelligent, more so than many dogs. I ob­served the actions of the common House Crow in India, which is related to the European Jackdaw. It is the best known bird in that country. It was comical watching the common native dog known as a Pariah Dog trying to eat a piece of meat or other refuse with an interested audience of House Crows around him. One after another would sidle in close till the dog made a snarling charge, whereupon a couple of the Crows would make a fast grab for part of the morsel or the whole swag. In the end, the dog either lost his smelly tidbit to the Crows or carried it off in disgust to a more secluded spot.
Another incident with Crows in India occurred when my Talking Hill Mynah was sunning itself on top of my tent after bathing. Hearing a commotion, I ran outside in time to see my pet Hill Mynah being carried off in the talons of a Pariah Kite (a large Hawk common in India). About a dozen Crows flew right behind it cawing loudly although futily, as the Kite didn't drop my Mynah. The whole gang eventual­ly flew out of sight. Crows are very communal in their habits, and if something happens to one of them as for in­stance, being shot — the others fly high and erratically, cawing loudly in protest. This happens even if they just see one of their own dead. I really believe the Indian Crow mourns its dead.

FEEDING AND GENERAL CARE

Crows subsist on exactly the same diet as was given in another chapter for Magpies, which are in the Corvidae Family also.

They will bathe in a big pan on a sunny day. A minimum size cage for them would be 3 to 4 feet long x 2 feet wide and high. A large perch may be placed on each end near the bottom, and far enough from the sides to accommodate the tail. One perch may be thicker than the other, and place them low as Crows like to walk on the ground also. If you have the space in your backyard, an 8 to 12 foot long enclosure is preferable to allow the bird some exercise. They may be left outdoors the year around in a spot sheltered from winds and dampness. They may be allowed freedom to go in or out after they are well tamed.

Crows may be induced to nest by making a foot square box with a four inch diameter entrance hole. A supply of twigs, feathers, wool, etc., is acceptable to them for nest building. Notes on a few Crow species are here given:

EUROPEAN RAVEN (Corvus corax corax). Europe.

WESTERN RAVEN or MEXICAN RAVEN (Corvus cor­ax sinuatus). Habitat: Western United States and Mexico.

A talking Raven, which starred in the movie "Bill and Coo."   These birds are inexpensive, easy to care for, and although they are thieves, do have
amusing ways.

NORTHERN RAVEN (Corvus corax principalis). Habitat: Northern United States and Canada.

Ravens are rare in Eastern North America, though found generally throughout the northern hemisphere. Noted for its sagacity, the Raven is able to survive in all but thick­ly settled areas, where its size makes it a conspicuous target. They are glossy black, intelligent and hardy. The young have dull black plumage with grey eyes. In the European species the inside of the mouth of the young is pink instead of black as in the adults. They lay from 4 to 7 eggs.

These birds are known as distinct talkers. The Mexican Raven is sold very reasonably.

Two Jackdaws in England.

JACKDAWS — These birds aren't found at all in the Western Hemisphere. They are black birds with a grey neck. Their eyes are pearly white, giving them a cunning look. Young Jackdaws have bluish-grey eyes instead of white. The young are easy to rear and have been popular, amusing pets in Europe. They become so tame that they may be allowed to fly around your place. In Europe, white Jackdaws with pale blue eyes have been seen at times, and were mutations which occur among these birds. They lay three to five blue eggs with brown spots, raising one brood a season. The sexes are alike in these birds.

The Indian House Crow is sometimes confused with the Jackdaw but, although the same size, it has dark eyes, longer bill and glossier plumage. They have been popular in Eng­land and Europe as talking birds.

ROOK — This Crow Family relative inhabits Europe, and winters in North Africa and Northwest India. Rooks are a glossy purplish-black in color, and the adults hava white bare skin faces. The sexes are alike, and the young have feathered faces till one year old, after which the face gradually becomes bald.

When tamed, Rooks make comical pets and will learn how to talk. They lay 4-5 dark green eggs with brown spots. Like the Jackdaw, one brood is raised in a season. In England, young Rooks just out of the nest have been made into a Crow pie, as they were good eating, which is unusual for Crows.

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