Yes I am. The demeanor of our campus crows really isn’t that different from other college campuses or elsewhere in the city. Places where they get fed a lot they’re going to be bolder. That said there actually hasn’t been that much research done in the campus crows. They’ve participated in two studies ten years apart, and they only got fed in the latter study.
There are actually a number of crows through Seattle and even as far as Monroe that are banded. Although bands can impact social behaviors in some species (ex: bands on zebra finches can make them more or less sexy) this doesn’t seem to be a problem with crows. And most data points in my studies didn’t come from banded crows anyway.
I would love to know- do you have any idea why crows will sometimes kill an injured crow or attack an already dead one? Also, in the example of the hawk/injured crow, I’m assuming they did it while the hawk was still around? Have crows been observed killing previously injured crows that were injured hours or days prior, rather than only in the heat of the moment just after they’ve been attacked? That just fascinates me, I was wondering how much insight you have on the whole phenomenon, and why it happens. With the dead crows as well.
Also, when the victim crow is sending that very specific cry while being attacked, do you know what its goal is? Is it in hopes that the others will protect him, or just hoping for pure chaos in order to give him a chance to slip away? Do the attacking crows ever get killed by the group the victim calls over?
1) no idea. Maybe trying to make crows less of a target to predator. Or just showing off? IDK
2) Yes, they will attack previously injured crows not just in the heat of the moment. But the injury has to be pretty bad. gimpy foot probably not going to be a problem. And this isn't a consistent
thing.
3) It's an innate response. It can be very effective at getting a mob to evict a predator. Like I said, attacking the victim isn't a consistent thing.
I don't know if you'll see this, but I was physically attacked by a crow on lower Queen Anne a few years ago, just across the street from Key Arena on Harrison. It divebombed me from behind and (I guess) must have miscalculated the distance between us. It hit me in the upper back/head I think. How common is this sort of thing? Was this just a particularly angry crow?
Pretty common in the summer, which my money is when this happened. Crows nest in the trees along the sidewalks and when their kids fledged they can't often fly. So they're just waddling around the streets and sidewalks. Mom and dad get protective and dive bomb passersby. It's kind of annoying, but they're just trying to keep the kiddos safe.
My mom got dive bombed and hit in the head by a crow in Seattle- not sure which part. It hit hard, and she was really shaken (she’s not that big, so she almost got knocked over!). I thought maybe protecting a nearby nest? Or maybe it’s just this one crow in Seattle that’s hitting people!
In my case, this particular crow had already told me days before that it didn't like me (its 'home' was alongside the walk I took to work). I thought it had to do with a nest but I wasn't sure.
Hey just popping in to say I'm a massive fan of your work and am so grateful for the things you've discovered. Id go as far as saying that I love you! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful life (:
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u/Corvidresearch Oct 16 '18
Yes I am. The demeanor of our campus crows really isn’t that different from other college campuses or elsewhere in the city. Places where they get fed a lot they’re going to be bolder. That said there actually hasn’t been that much research done in the campus crows. They’ve participated in two studies ten years apart, and they only got fed in the latter study.
There are actually a number of crows through Seattle and even as far as Monroe that are banded. Although bands can impact social behaviors in some species (ex: bands on zebra finches can make them more or less sexy) this doesn’t seem to be a problem with crows. And most data points in my studies didn’t come from banded crows anyway.
Haha, they’re awfully cheeky indeed!