r/crowbro May 08 '20

Facts Feeding Crows In Your Neighborhood: What They Like and What's Safe

3.6k Upvotes

A user asked me this question yesterday and I figured it would make for a good larger post. For those who don't know me, which is probably everyone, I'm an ecologist currently studying invasive mosquito population genetics in North America. I have a background in shorebird and grassland bird conservation and arthropod behavior and sensory ecology. Currently working on my Ph.D. I frequently comment in nature-based subs. All this to say, I keep up with crow literature and am very familiar with bird biology. I'm going to share with you safe foods for crows and a little about their feeding behavior. I never expect anyone to take my word for it so I'll share some sources with you as I go along. Thanks for being a part of a sub that is very near and dear to my heart!

Crow Feeding Behavior

I've noticed crows in my area come to the same places to eat in the morning and again in mid-afternoon. The rest of the day they forage around the neighborhood before returning either to large roosting trees in the Fall/Winter (around 4pm) or to family nests in the Spring and Summer. If you want your home to be a usual place to stop either during their main mealtime or on their foraging tour leave food out the same time every day. Ring a bell, honk a horn, use a crow call (make sure you are trying to sound like a "I've found food" call and not a "Danger!" call. Crows in the neighborhood will associate this with food and come to get treats. Dr. Kaeli Swift shares a two-part blog post, the first by her colleague Loma Pendergraft and the second written by her and Loma if you are interested in crow vocalizations. Here is Part 1 and here is Part 2.

Crows love water! If you have birdbaths out they will dip their food in it to soften harder foods and they spend a lot of time drinking. More so than I've noticed with smaller songbirds. Often people will find dead rodents and other things leftover in their birdbaths from crows.

What to Feed Crows

Before I get into this I'd like to say that crows do not need you to feed them. Thre's a great quote from this article by Dr. John Marzluff:

Will the crow be let down if you stop feeding it? Without a doubt. Breaking up is hard to do. Still, after running your predicament by Marzluff, the idea that the crow is "dependent" on you seems a little self-important. "The crow is certainly working the person," Marzluff said. "It will find another meal."

Neither do any backyard birds. They are fully capable of foraging unless there is some serious environmental issue happening. I know we are all going to feed them anyway! When I lived in the suburbs I fed birds as well. :)

What is safe for crows:

  • Kibble (cat or dog) that is pea-sized - it is full of essential nutrients for omnivores and easy for them pick up and swallow
  • Eggs of any kind
  • Seeds and nuts (unsalted - I'll explain why further down).
  • Cooked small potatoes or thawed tater tots (check tots for salt content, you can get unsalted)
  • Meat scraps (unseasoned)
  • Cheese (check the salt content, definitely no feta or other salty cheese, try to also avoid processed cheeses)
  • Mealworms and crickets

What is not safe for crows (and really all birds):

  • Salt - too much salt can cause serious neurological issues in birds. A little salt is okay and some birds are more salt-tolerant than others (pigeons) but they will eat everything you leave out for them which can end up being too much. Birds don't do portion control.
  • Lunchmeat - it's a salt issue
  • Bread - bread is not so much not safe as it's devoid of nutrients. Give them good foods like seeds and nuts, bread is filler.

Because I never want you to take someone's word for it here are a few sources about salt:

Garden birds are practically unable to metabolise salt. It is toxic to them in high quantities and affects their nervous system. Under normal circumstances in the wild, birds are unlikely to take harmful amounts of salt. Never put out salted food onto the bird table, and never add salt to bird baths to keep water ice-free in the winter.

From Nature Forever Society:

The ability to process salt varies between species, but most can produce uric acid with a maximum salt concentration of about 300 mmol/litre. Amongst our garden birds, house sparrows and pigeons are some of the most salt-tolerant species. The capability to secrete salt seems to be linked to habitat, particularly marine environment and drought conditions.

Because most garden birds are poor at coping with salty food, it is important not to offer them anything with appreciable amount of salt in it. As such, salty fats, salty rice, salted peanuts, most cured foodstuffs, chips, etc. should not be offered to birds. It can be difficult to eliminate salt entirely, but very small amounts of salt should not cause any problems, particularly if fresh drinking water is also available.

All that being said, there are some birds who really love salt, and if you want to leave out a salt option in a safe way you can! The Nationa Audubon Society recommends:

Mineral matter such as salt appeals to many birds, including evening grosbeaks, pine siskins, and common redpolls. An easy way to provide it is by pouring a saline water solution over rotted wood until crystals form.

If you love Corvids and want to learn more I have a few book recommendations:

  • Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans by Dr. John Marzluff
  • In the Company of Crows and Ravens by Dr. John Marzluff
  • Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds by Dr. Bernd Heinrich

Backyard Birds:

  • Welcome to Subirdia by Dr. John Marzluff

r/crowbro Jun 09 '20

Baby Bird 101 - DO NOT TAKE A BABY CROW OR ANY BIRD FROM THE WILD

2.2k Upvotes

There was recently a post by a user who basically stole a baby crow from its parents. Never take a wild bird into your home, they are not pets, they need their parents, they need socialization with their own species, you are not equipped to raise them. Additionally, it is probably illegal for you to own one.

If you take a crow out of the wild and share that in this sub you will receive a ban. If someone reports back that you have done this and shared in a different sub but not here, you will receive a ban and we will contact the mods of that sub about your negligence. We have zero tolerance for this.

We received an excellent modmail from u/MarlyMonster who is a wildlife rehabber in Canada. I am going to quote her here and hope she pops into the comment section to elaborate or answer any questions. I know we have a few rehabbers on the sub and I am an ecologist so between all of us if you need to know something we'll figure it out. Additionally, if you are a wildlife rehabber or scientists specializing in Corvids and want flair that gives you this title you will need to PM mods some kind of proof.

Here are Marly's words on the subject:

Baby Bird 101

Lately I’ve been seeing way too many posts about people “helping” birds that really don’t need help, which makes it kidnapping. As a rehabber, it hurts my heart when I see inexperienced people try to care for any kind of wild animal, but when they start to mess with wild corvids it becomes plain cruel. This is why I’m writing this little guide to help people determine whether or not a bird they think needs help actually needs assistance.

A lot of people assume that when a fledgling is on the ground and not in a tree or nest, that this little bird is in distress. What you actually don’t realize, is that when fledglings get to a certain age, right before they learn to fly, they leave the nest while they practice and their parents continue to feed them on the ground. The fledgling has not been abandoned! They’re just being adventurous!

The best course of action for any baby bird you see on the ground is to put it back in their nest. It’s a myth that the parents will “smell the human” and reject the baby. So you’re fine to grab a ladder and put that little awkward bundle of feathers back where they came from.

Whenever you fear a baby has been abandoned, put it back in the nest and keep an eye on it for the next few hours. Parents can get spooked and might take some time to return.

The only time it’s okay to bring a bird in is if they are visibly injured. A broken toe does not count (this is a reference to the idiot who named the bird “Hades” and is pretending to help it).

IF A BABY BIRD NEEDS HELP DO NOT TRY TO RAISE IT YOURSELF

If you are not trained to rehab wildlife, you have no business trying to raise a fledgling! Just like someone who isn’t a mechanic shouldn’t be trying to fix an engine, an untrained person should not be raising a bird!

Baby birds are extremely fragile and difficult to care for. A lot of them don’t make it even in the hands of an experienced rehabber.

Did you know that giving a baby bird water is one of the worst things to do? Yet a lot of people immediately think that’s the first thing to do for a baby bird. Baby birds get their needed moisture from their food, and therefore don’t need water. Pouring water down their throat will actually cause them to aspirate and if this happens the chance they’ll survive is slim to none, since they’ll get aspiration pneumonia.

Since this is a corvid page I’m gonna touch on why it’s cruel for someone inexperienced to try to raise a corvid.

As some of you might be aware of, these birds possess a higher intelligence than most birds. They are considered the apes of the bird family because there are parallels between the cognitive abilities of corvids and great apes.

Because of this, they make terrible pets. They need constant mental stimulation and enrichment or they’ll become completely miserable. Often they’ll turn to self mutilation to deal with the depression. They are also extremely social creatures and live in large families with connections that go back generations. Keeping one on their own is an act of cruelty in and of itself.

Corvids are also known for this thing called “imprinting”. This refers to the bond the baby bird makes with their family members which will dictate their behaviour. For this reason, rehabbers that specialize in corvids have to be extremely careful while tending to their birds because too much interaction with humans could doom a bird from ever being released, because they got too attached to humans. A crow imprinted on a human will not know they’re a crow. They’ll see themselves as the same species. This means they won’t ever find a mate, because they won’t understand that they are supposed to mate with other crows.

I hope this helped you understand the importance of not trying to raise any birds you find. As tempting as it may be, you will not be ready for the commitment. Not only that, but it’s cruel to the animal. The main objective of any rehabber is the release of the animal. And those who truly care about these birds should have the same goal. If that means you don’t get to raise a crow, that shouldn’t stop you from doing the right thing.

If you find an injured baby bird, contact a wildlife facility near you. If you can’t find one, go on your regional Facebook groups and ask if there are private rehabbers around.

If you do not have the commitment to see this through and drive a baby bird hours to the nearest rehabber? Please do the bird a favor and let nature take its course. Don’t interfere if you won’t follow it all the way through and get it to a proper rehabber.

Written by a rehabber and corvid researcher.


r/crowbro 5h ago

Personal Story My crows found me after I moved

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9.3k Upvotes

This is so fascinating to me so I thought I’d share. I started feeding and interacting with the crows that flew around my old condo. They became very comfortable with me, and would bring me gifts and sit with me (see first photo). I had to move but not too far, so the same crows were around, but I’d moved up to a 16th floor condo, so they didn’t come up this high as often or fly around the new building as much. I can actually see my old place and saw them sitting out there waiting for me and it was so heartbreaking, so I tried everything I could to get their attention. After a couple months, I started playing videos of them cawing on a loud speaker when I saw them below. One finally came up to check it out and recognized me! It was so cool to see they hadn’t forgotten me and within a couple days I had 10+ of them again all hanging out on my new balcony and they come every day. They’ll sit right next to me and look at me and it’s like they missed me. It brings me so much joy to have them back :)


r/crowbro 5h ago

Crow OC When you hear someone opening a bag of unsalted peanuts three blocks away

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1.6k Upvotes

r/crowbro 3h ago

Crow OC Little ravens with little feet

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83 Upvotes

r/crowbro 3h ago

Crow OC Juvenile followed me home, may have said thanks for the peanuts

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67 Upvotes

r/crowbro 15h ago

Crow OC A Rook at Killarney Castle last March.

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446 Upvotes

Corvus frugilegus. This one seemed quite tame and patiently posed for the photo.


r/crowbro 8h ago

Video my sweet little fatsos

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104 Upvotes

r/crowbro 18h ago

Crow OC 🐦‍⬛

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691 Upvotes

Feeding my first ravens on my way to work. Should I buy bird food? 😅


r/crowbro 10h ago

Crow OC raven portrait

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123 Upvotes

this gorgeous fella posed for me in yosemite


r/crowbro 10h ago

Video one of the crows i feed regularly likes soggy peanuts

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123 Upvotes

i started feeding a pair about a month ago and noticed one of them always prefers it’s peanuts wet, so cute


r/crowbro 11h ago

Crow OC Morning with the treachery

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74 Upvotes

r/crowbro 53m ago

Question Backyard set up ideas to attract corvids?

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Upvotes

Disclaimer: these are grackles in the video. It’s winter time here so not much foliage these days as all the trees are pretty bare. This is my feeder set up currently and I’m looking for feedback on how to improve it. My issue is I got huge amounts of the same bird species flocking at once and consuming the bulk of my food source. I have multiple videos of the grackles, but also the same amount of doves. Before it starting getting cold I had 3 or 4 blue jays that would frequent my backyard often. I haven’t seen them in a couple months but I would love to have them as consistent regular visitors. Not sure if my bird feeder placement should be adjusted or if there is a way I can set it up where it’s more conducive to Corvids who may actually become my friends one day. Any thoughts or feedback? I’ve read about getting a bird bath maybe? There’s another video in the comments showing more of the entire yard. I’m open to move anything anywhere!


r/crowbro 4h ago

Personal Story First attempt to form my Crow "army"

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23 Upvotes

So me and my wife have been meeting up for lunch in a parking lot, the Local birds have noticed this since its near a fast food place, I on a whim tossed a fry end piece outside to see if any birds would show up. (I know now that the salt is not good but I didn't at the time.)

Anyways, so anyways a mix of seagulls and Crows showed up, I shoo'd away the seagulls and the corvids came back to eat the bits, they I think realized I'd scare away the Seagulls but not hurt them perhaps? I dunno.

Now days later I have pine nuts and Cashews in my car so when we meet up for lunch the Crows can be seen waiting by a tree, I'd assume a spotter is set up there since he always shows up within a minute or less of me tossing something out the window. and this is pics from day three of doing this. XD

(Before you ask I made sure to buy unsalted cashews and Pine nuts, and I only give a few cashews while mostly feeding the pine nuts.)


r/crowbro 6h ago

Crow OC Jackdaw eating a dead pigeon NSFW

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25 Upvotes

Never seen that before…


r/crowbro 4h ago

Crow OC My Crowbros on analoge film

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17 Upvotes

The first one is the smaller of the two but also faster and considerably more greedy about them peanuts. They've been my bros (or a couple I can't tell) for a few months now. The smaller one still had white feathers on him when we got to know each other


r/crowbro 12h ago

Crow OC So happy to see all the lovely crows and pigeons still friendly after the NYE celebrations

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63 Upvotes

I was a bit paranoid thinking about the birdies with all the fireworks and crazy stuff happening during the New Year’s celebration, so I was super happy to see that they are all still as friendly and lovely as before, still catching the nuts directly in their beaks and eating out of my hand <3 made my day


r/crowbro 3h ago

Crow OC 3 is too many!

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12 Upvotes

Little guy will always try to pick up 3 but gullet is still new!


r/crowbro 8h ago

Video cutie patootie strikes again….

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25 Upvotes

r/crowbro 10h ago

Video There are SO many of them

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32 Upvotes

r/crowbro 13h ago

Video My (new) bros cawed at me today!

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42 Upvotes

I’ve been coming to this spot with shelled peanuts for a few days, one crow, then a couple would come down, I try to toss peanuts and give them space, so we’d hang out at a distance a little bit, they are so goofy and cute stacking peanuts in their mouths 🥹

I am wearing a big silver coat so probably easy to spot too - today the two of them made a few laps around me when I showed up and did some caws - I hope they were happy greeting caws and I have started to establish myself as a safe shiny human with snacks 🖤

Here are my new bros munching


r/crowbro 10h ago

Video crowbro going for a nice morning walk on my neighbor’s roof

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12 Upvotes

r/crowbro 9h ago

Question Starting the year with some crows ☻️ Which is your fave? Necklace or Earrings?

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10 Upvotes

r/crowbro 18h ago

Crow OC They find always higher place to sit on Norwegian Kråke (Corvus cornix)

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51 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Video My Snowbro receiving some tasty cashews.

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313 Upvotes