Whether you’re here with specific questions or a general interest, you’re in the right place to learn the science behind one of the globe’s most charismatic and influential groups of birds. I created this blog in 2012 when I was just starting as a graduate student at the University of Washington as a platform to share my own research on crow “funerals” and to answer questions I was regularly fielding from the public. Since that time, my title and area of research has changed, but my passion for corvids and commitment to science communication remains immutable. I hope that by educating the public about these magnificent birds people will not only view them more compassionately, but will appreciate what a valuable connection to the natural world they provide.
No matter your feelings for them, nearly everyone has a story about crows, ravens, jays or magpies—even those people who otherwise feel quite separated from nature. This connection is not recent one; you need look no further than the religious texts and creations stories of cultures around the world to appreciate our historical fascination with these animals. The fact that some of them are conspicuous and thrive in human dominated environments means that corvids are uniquely accessible animals that offer a wealth of opportunities to connect people of all interests and backgrounds to the natural world. With over half the world’s population living in cities, this kind of accessible connection is more important than ever. So go watch them play, problem solve, bond with their families, cause mischief, inspire mythology, and watch you right back. The questions and stories these observations provide will always be welcome here, and I do my best to answer each message within a few days. So go learn, and let me know what information you’re still hungry for. Welcome to the Corvid Research blog!
corvidresearch.blog 
Hi, my name is Abbey and I listened to the Ologies episode you were in with Alie Ward, and I’m just wondering if you could help me out with a little problem. I have a stray cat that I adopted and she’s outdoor, because she was feral, and I think she pissed off some crows because now she’s being dive bombed by the same two over and over again. They pin her in places and caw all day long. I’m sure she did something to them to get them to act this way, but I’m at a loss. My neighbor is a sociology professor up at the local college and it’s getting to the point where she cannot get any work done because of the noise.. any ideas?
Cats can absolutely be trained for indoor life. It’s safer for her, the birds and will address the noise issue!
Interested in everything Corvid
Thank you for having this site accessable. I live in the middle of the San Luis Valley and never before have I seen Crows this big, some as big as chickens. I saw a small group of Crows flying about a year ago and one of them suddenly tucked his wings in and rolled halfway over so it was falling upside-down then it half rolled back spreading it’s wings out, flapped it’s wings twice and did another half roll wings tucked three more times. I have never in my life seen anything like that until about 4 months ago 4 Crows were flying spread out wing to wing about 20 yards apart maybe 30 yards away from me as they passed by then the one on the end closest to me broke off and flew towards me then did those half rolls going over me making a cooing sound almost like a pigeon flying directly over me then took off back with the others! I do caw at the Crows regularly, I love it when they fly slowly over me like hovering and the should is somewhat like a helicopter in slow motion in the movies. My name is Raymond Orin Sandoval, thank you for taking the time to read this.
Hi Raymond, given you description it possible you’re seeing ravens not crows. If you ever get photos you’re welcome to email them to me for ID!
We keep a small flock of backyard chickens. We started with 12. Red Shoulder hawks are a nuisance and had started to attack and eat the chickens. I noticed that often crows would give chase and harass the hawks. I started putting some small nuts and some leftover scraps on top of the flat chicken house roof. If there was a hawk chase or even nearby screeching, I would often put more to encourage their presence. Now I have a group of 3 to 4 crows playing body guards to my chickens and haven’t had an incident in months.
I hear this all the time! Glad it’s working for you
Dear Corvid Research:
I need advice on how to move the American Crows feeding area thirty-yards. Is there a special way, because I tried one time before and it didn’t work.
Thank you
No special way. Stop feeding them where you don’t want them to be. Restart in the new spot after a couple weeks
Hi Dr. Swift. I’m not sure if this website is still live or not; but I’ll ask my question anyway. I have a crow friend that would come to my balcony for a treat for over a year. I haven’t seen her/him in several weeks now. Is it possible that s/he went to live with another murder or group?
There are two others that I started giving treats to also…but I hope that did not discourage the original crow friend from coming.
This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing her/him.
Thank you for any insight.
Hi Pam, given the timing it might just be a breeding female that’s occupied on the nest. It’s possible it was a younger crow that has dispersed but I’d hold out hope it’s just busy nesting until August!
Hi!
I’ve recently befriended some crows at the NOAA campus in Seattle and I am going to be attending UW this fall in the environmental studies program. I’m currently listening to the ologies podcast episode about crow funerals and how you studied their facial recognition abilities while at the UW. I didn’t think studying crow and Corvid behavior was a possibility for me but it’s something I’m very interested in. Please let me know if you know anyone at the university that I can talk to about this. Names, emails, courses, anything would help. Thank you!
Hi Deja, unfortunately the main crow researcher at UW (John Marzluff) is retiring this year. The Ha lab in the psych department sometimes does behavioral work with crows. No specific classes on them or anything, but look up Jim and Renee Ha and see what’s going on in their lab! I would also recommend looking into the ESRM program, as that’s a better fit if you’re interested in wildlife studies. Good luck!
I have been feeding the “FRIENDS” (my name for all crows) for more than 2 decades. I have no heirs and am looking to leave my somewhat modest ($500,000) estate to the improved research and possibly a sanctuary for my FRIENDS. I would appreciate your input. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Brenda
Hi Brenda, donating your estate is a great way to help wildlife. I would look into local land trust agencies in your state and contact a lawyer to further explore this option.
Hi Dr. Swift,
I apologize in advance for the length of this question. I befriended our local murder of American Crows about a year and a half ago. Yesterday, I had two crows perch fairly close to me (closer than normal) and one had a twig in its beak. I was confused because we already went through nesting season. Sure enough, we went on a walk a couple hours later and we found a dead crow about two blocks from our house. I remember I saw one or your TikToks about finding a kill spot or body, so I purely observed the body and did not touch it. They were guarding it, but were eerily silent while I was observing it. I did pause and read your material after returning home and of course realized what the twig was all about. They cawed loudly and there were double the number in the usual flock throughout the day and into the evening. I drove by the body today and there are no guards. Is the funeral over? What should I do/definitely not do? Thank you!
I am wondering about a large group of crows that I’ve noticed recently take over a hotel that is being built on Longboat Key, Florida. They arrived about 2 weeks ago and last year at this time the hotel wasn’t built yet- just a few derelict low buildings and a lot of vegetation. Could this have been there stop on migration? They seem very vocal, maybe angry about more urban sprawl?
Hi Laurie, in my experience crows are very attracted to construction sites. I think the disturbance prompts a flush of new food as insects are pushed around and lunchtime leftovers are tossed here and there. The novelty of it may also be appealing for its own reasons.
Hello Corvid world – I live in northwest PA and almost every day I hear a bird call that no one can identify. I have recorded it several times, and can send the recording . Basically it sounds like a nasal onk onk, and is usually accompanied by other crow calls. What do you think?
Hi Kathy, you can email it to me at kaeli.swift@gmail.com
Without hearing the recording, it could be a raven. Ravens have an amazing vocabulary.
In my neighborhood I have both American Crows and Fish Crows. Do they roost together?
I’ve started feeding the crows, and using my trail cam, I’ve determined that only fish crows visit my feeder, not American crows. Why might that be?
They do roost together, yes. I’m not sure why the American crows wouldn’t be coming in. My guess is that the fish crows have control of the territory and work to keep them out.
Hi there, I just posted a crow poem on my substack, a friend read it, and sent me your blog. Looking forward to reading. In the meantime, you may enjoy this: https://richardwells.substack.com/p/imaginations-kitchen-dd8
I observed a crow in my side yard acting very peculiar. It was standing on the ground with its head hung very low on its breast, like it couldn’t lift it, and when it saw me it walked slowly away and under some shrubs and ferns. I couldn’t get my phone camera out in time, but it was the most unusual conduct I have ever observed. I left it alone, hoping there could be a positive outcome if I didn’t stress it, but I expect to find it dead in the garden bed where it sought (I assume) refuge. Anybody seen this?
Hi Don, I have not witnessed something like this before. Let me know if it dies, and I will forward your observation to some pathologists I know for input.
Hey there,
I live in a coastal canyon in Southern California. A raven approached me a few years ago while I was tossing a treat to my dog during a walk. I tossed the raven a dog treat and that seemed to seal a deal between us.
Fast forward 8 years and that raven is still finding me in the canyon and coming to my home to spend time near me on a regular basis. He has had two different long, term mates and six clutches of babies during this time. He brought all the babies over the years to perch near my home as well.
In addition to occasionally giving him dog treats, I sometimes set out pieces of salmon skin or a raw egg. I don’t give him food on demand, nor on a regular basis. But he just seems happy to follow on walks and perch on the roof or in tree at the house. He makes gargling and beak snaps to me while he fluffs his feathers and shows nictitating eyelids. I have read up on ravens over the past years and, needless to say, I am very emotionally moved by his affection.
My question is, realistically, what is his life span at this point? Obviously, I am very attached to him after all these years.
Thanks in advance for any info.
Kristen
Hello! I’m Liva and i study and rehabilitate crows in Turkey. Hooded crows are my main area of interest, and we refer to them as “black” (corvus corone) and “grey” (cornix) crows based on their appearance. In some countries, these two crow types can interbreed and produce hybrid offspring with muddled, mixed coloring. My question is: the grey-colored ones (hooded crows) have been considered a separate species until now, but a birdwatcher friend recently told me that hooded crows are now seen as a subspecies of the carrion crow. I wanted to reach out and ask for clarification and information about this. Thank you in advance for your response. 🙏🏻
Hi there! We’ve been feeding a crow family for a few years, and I was so sat to spot one of them clearly injured in our back lane today. The crow’s feathers were all badly askew (a couple looked broken) and it was walking very strangely, sort of awkwardly waddling swinging one leg out. Not sure if it got into a fight with something or if it maybe got a glancing blow from a car. It did seem like it was still getting around and pecking for food; didn’t see it fly but also I didn’t get close. It was accompanied by one of this year’s fledglings. My local wildlife rescue’s website sort of has a checklist for when it’s appropriate to call them about a wild bird and this crow doesn’t meet the criteria (it’s not visibly bleeding, it has its feathers still, there aren’t predators, I didn’t see it hit a window and it’s conscious and not covered in bugs). My questions are: (1) is there anything I can do to help? and (2) what in your opinion are a bird’s chances of recovering from a minor injury? I don’t know if it’s typical for corvids to survive these types of situations.
Hi, @Jackie. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you. But I can tell you that one of the crows that I’ve been feeding for several years now somehow injured her left leg some time ago (way more than a year ago) and she’s adjusted just fine. The leg is completely useless, just hangs there. But it helps to keep her balanced. She comes almost every morning, made it through a harsh winter with just her one good leg. So at least in her case, however she became injured, it hasn’t held her back.
Hi Jackie, the answer really depends on whether it can fly. If it can, then there’s a good chance of recovery. Crows survive all the time with even dramatic leg/foot injuries. Unfortunately, your only roll is as spectator. If you already feed them it is of course fine to continue doing so, but I don’t recommend intervening further especially in the absence of taking them to a professional. If this crow is to survive under more challenging circumstances it needs to start learning to do so quickly. But I have hope that it will!
Thank you both! I think I spotted the same crow up on a wire this morning so it CAN fly, at the very least. Fingers crossed that it will recover!
Hello, I have a concern that maybe you could enlighten me about. I walk all over Seattle where there is a never ending abundance of crows. I also have returning crow friends for the past five years at my home that I consider my close bird friends. This year, Silver and Cher have two babies, I call them both Cocos because I caould not tell them apart until today I broke out the binoculars to see why one of the cocoa had something going on with its feet. Now I’ve noticed this in other adult crows at an alarming rate in the past two years. This condition is called, bumblefoot. This junior crow, Coco has it bad. What is causing this? I do travel home to Southeast Alaska yearly in June where I visit with hundreds of crows up close and have not seen one with this problem, aside from pox on the face which I have seen but not bumblefoot. So what the Seattle area and why closest to the city? Please help me because it looks like elephant titis of the feet on these birds and looks difficult to perch, walk etc in the older crows. I just want to help in the case you are researching this pattern or want public health identifying these birds when I come across them. Thank you for your time and I look forward to reading your response.
Hi Tins,
First let me remind folks that I am not an avian pathologist so please take my response with a degree of uncertainty. That said, my guess is that what you’re describing is avian pox (which is a viral infection) rather than bumblefoot (which is a bacterial infection). I say this because I didn’t find much literature on bumblefoot in corvids, but there is plenty on pox, which can present in much of the same way. No one is working on tracking this disease very closely, but the fact is we have an incredibly high and densely population of crows in the Seattle area. This no doubt contributes to the spread of infectious disease (whether it’s pox or indeed bumblefoot).There are a lot of crows in parts of Alaska, but they don’t concentrate in quite the same way they do in some of the major cities of the lower 48. Likewise, different diseases have environmental constraints that can make them more or less common between places like AK and the Puget Sound. There’s not a lot you can do other than to keep any areas of use clean, and don’t feed them in such a way that encourages them concentrate. I’m sorry that you are witnessing this in a bird family you are close to, I know that it is very painful to see and you are no doubt worried for them. I wish I could offer more tangible advice.
Best,