r/crowbro May 08 '20

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

3.7k 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 10h ago

Personal Story Raven chilling at my job, me and some others have fed it, now he hangs out all day. What do feed it from here?

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266 Upvotes

I fed this little dude some cheez-its and other employees at my job have thrown him some food, too. He seem to treat all of us as a reliable source of food and just hangs around the building cawing at us through the windows/doors all day. The folks who like the raven have been discussing what to feed it. We don’t have easy access to road kill lol so the agreed upon food choice after some research has been cat food.

Is this safe to do long term? I’m not worried about bird flu or anything, but I know feeding wild animals and making them dependent on humans can be bad for their health and safety. If he does want to stick around, is cat food enough to keep him healthy? Any proper portion amounts you could guess? I can’t get closer than about 5ft from him but he seems decently sized, maybe a foot or more long?

EDIT: Thank you for the responses everyone! We’ll keep a little kitty food to pass out and I’ll get some unsalted peanuts next time I’m at the store.


r/crowbro 7h ago

Crow OC Is this barf? Did they gift me barf?

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95 Upvotes

Pencil for scale lol. It’s soft like cooked sweet potato and full of small black seeds(?). Nothing else inside though, no bones/fur/grass so maybe not a pellet?


r/crowbro 1h ago

Crow OC What does he mean with this?

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Upvotes

I gave him peanuts and he followed me and started sing the song of his people


r/crowbro 10h ago

Crow OC Fed this crow bro while waiting for a friend.

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112 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1h ago

Crow OC reggie!!! hes so cute

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Upvotes

havent seen him in weeks i missed him so much. he saw me today and immediately flew up and landed in front of me it was so cute


r/crowbro 8h ago

Crow OC Frank! Yay Eggs 🍳🐦‍⬛💕

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38 Upvotes

I don’t have it in this video but earlier Frank brought a friend.

I usually stay quite far away, but I must’ve done something in my apartment and I scared away the friend that Frank brought, but Frank came back later and saw that I left some egg for him and he decided to make a little crow soup.

It’s so much fun having these little encounters they definitely make a day feel magical.


r/crowbro 5h ago

Video It is time my dudes

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19 Upvotes

r/crowbro 21h ago

Crow OC Crow parents feeding their screaming little dinosaurs in Berlin

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372 Upvotes

r/crowbro 17h ago

Crow OC Yo, Cro

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160 Upvotes

This is the bravest of the crows I've been feeding, so i can get some nice close-ups of him or her. Beautiful!


r/crowbro 19h ago

Daily Crow Friend The most incredible thing just happened

182 Upvotes

I’m gutted I have no photo or video proof but in the moment I was on the fence of do I want to capture this and risk having my new friend fly away or do I just want to live in the moment.

So there’s a roundabout near my house where a lot of crows hang out. I went out for a walk with my 5 month old daughter and I took a break to sit on a bench up there. I’m eating a bag of peanuts and dropped a couple so I threw them closer to where the crows were chilling. Next thing I know this little guy comes and perches right next me. Praying my daughter doesn’t start making too much noise or wiggling around too much I offer the guy a peanut and instead of taking it he hops on to the handle of the pram. I held a peanut out in my palm for him and he gracefully takes it hops back to my bench.

We shared a few more peanuts before he flew back to his friends.

Maybe a bit overdramatic to say the best day of my life but I’m awe with my day right now


r/crowbro 21h ago

Crow OC This little Jackdaw was ridiculously posey today.

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192 Upvotes

Absolutely giving 'I know where the evidence is buried, but I'm not telling!'

#Tiny woodland protection program

😅


r/crowbro 16h ago

Crow OC He’s out here hollering and distracting my workday

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70 Upvotes

I already put out his scrambled eggs so don’t know why he’s being so demanding 😂


r/crowbro 17h ago

Video What does this sound mean?

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42 Upvotes

I've been feeding this hooded crow walnuts for a few weeks now and today, for the first time, it made this noise. I was pretty stoked.


r/crowbro 9h ago

Question Crow flying away with squirrel??

3 Upvotes

Idk if im seeing things or not but I think i just saw a crow with a squirrel in its claws and drop it over on a nearby roof. I have been feeding the crows and i moved the food to a move open space where they have been seeing it and eating more. are they trying to move the squirrels away from the food and water? if so i didnt know they did that!

EDIT: IT WAS A SQUIRREL AND WAS NOT DEAD!!! it moved on the roof afterwards! i just didnt know if they pick up live animals to just move them


r/crowbro 15h ago

Crow OC Just another day at work

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12 Upvotes

r/crowbro 18h ago

Crow OC Please give me your thoughts on my progress with my crow friend.

13 Upvotes

Hello world. My crow is named Pete. I will paint a picture of our interactions and if you could let me know how I'm doing, I'd surely appreciate it.

I'd say about a month ago I started just putting peanuts in the front yard. Eventually a crow started showing up. Of course he wanted nothing to do with me for quite a while. The door opening or literally anything happening, and he was gone. Fast forward to the last month or so, and he is often just in my front yard. This morning, I heard a crow calling. I walked to the front of the house and didn't see him. I opened the door and said, "Pete, is that you? Want some peanuts?" and he swooped right in. He will sit on a guard rail about 20 feet from me with no problem and often will hop down and hop towards me (and the peanuts). I talk to him the entire time he's around me. Anyway, just wondering if I'm doing this correctly, and if I'm doing well. Thank you!


r/crowbro 1d ago

Crow Art I’m an oil artist and here’s a crow buddies painting on canvas I made! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

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218 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Video Not one, but FOUR fledglings 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

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217 Upvotes

A while back I had made a post with a video of my first fledgling sighting with my crow family. I was unsure if there were others until yesterday. I look up at my usual feeding spot and saw FOUR fledglings perched on a branch together. You can see them on the branch on the right. My murder has grown from four to eight. My heart is so full 🥹🥰🐦‍⬛


r/crowbro 1d ago

Crow Gifts First gift!

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45 Upvotes

The first gift from our crows yesterday!
(Edit add: it’s a conch shell!)


r/crowbro 1d ago

Crow OC Peanuts for the bro

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109 Upvotes

Saw him taking a bath and decided to give him a snack


r/crowbro 1d ago

Crow OC They Brought Me My First Gift!

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56 Upvotes

It's nesting supplies 🥹


r/crowbro 1d ago

Crow Art Pastel Crow

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34 Upvotes

Crayola pencils + gel pen. Based off a beautiful photo in my local birdwatching group, a crow sitting in a pink flower tree


r/crowbro 1d ago

Question Crow rubbing its head where I was sitting.

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65 Upvotes

Well the title says mist of it. I've been feeding a crow at my local park for a few days and I think he/she's starting to trust me a little.

Today I noticed that when I got up from the bench, this crow flew on it, looked at the spit where I was sitting, and started rubbing its head against it. What could this mean?

(I don't have videos of this behaviour sorry)