r/crowbro May 08 '20

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

3.0k 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

1.9k 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 14h ago

Video Love it when they floof up

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431 Upvotes

r/crowbro 19h ago

Image There was a murder in my front yard this morning. In the snow.

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1.0k Upvotes

r/crowbro 11h ago

Video Interrupted Spa day

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150 Upvotes

r/crowbro 3h ago

Video Me hanging with some ravens

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20 Upvotes

These birds are so beautiful.


r/crowbro 4h ago

Image Plotting his next move

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15 Upvotes

r/crowbro 11h ago

Video gangstalked

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47 Upvotes

Kip, Jip, Pip and Baby Mip now follow me, even when I’m out of peanuts


r/crowbro 1d ago

Video day 165 on my journey 2 become a crow chef👨🏽‍🍳

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1.3k Upvotes

r/crowbro 18h ago

Image “Don’t touch my snacks”

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126 Upvotes

r/crowbro 20h ago

Image Big boy Kip looking chunky and ready for battle

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185 Upvotes

r/crowbro 7h ago

Personal Story None of my magpies showed up today

13 Upvotes

I put out peanuts at my regular time in the morning but the peanuts are still there when the sun went down. This is the first time this has happened. I thought I heard them but when I looked there were no birds. It wasn’t unusually cold and there was just a light dusting of snow but it was basically gone after a few hours. Is this common?


r/crowbro 13h ago

Video My buddy

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26 Upvotes

Only reason I love to go to work.


r/crowbro 1d ago

Video It Finally Happened :3

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689 Upvotes

r/crowbro 18h ago

Image My first photo!

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42 Upvotes

I've been trying to befriend the murder in my area for a month or so now and hubby got me a trail cam for Christmas. We finally set it up today and I wanted to share this cool shot!


r/crowbro 1d ago

Image During the rain, rooks really do look serious

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430 Upvotes

r/crowbro 20h ago

Question What are your crows favourite food?

29 Upvotes

I started feeding a crow couple with a sickly chick last summer. They were interested in the treats I threw for my dogs while training and I gave them some. Now it’s about 7 months later and the chick is grown up and they follow me around when I walk my dogs, sometimes bringing other crows or ravens. They go absolutely nuts for one of my dogs’ allergy kibble, so much that they fight for it. They really like fish flavoured cat food, sunflower seeds and boiled eggs, freaked out a bit (in a good way) when they got dried rabbit meat but they’ll leave egg shells, whole meal bread and one kind of kibble. They didn’t touch dried worms that my friend bought (she also feeds them, lives in the house nextdoor) despite multiple attempts.

These crows have trained me so well (they absolutely demand food if they see me and if I pretend I didn’t see them, the biggest male will fly in front of my face and caw) so I’ve found myself carrying a bag of crow treats whenever I go out now. We have snow and the ground is frozen so they’re extra hungry and I want to give them something fun!


r/crowbro 1d ago

Video Puzzle buddies (oc)

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47 Upvotes

I've been befriending a pair of Australian Ravens, Pumpkin and Glory, for 2 years. For the past year I've used puzzle feeders. I have several puzzles around the activity area and a bird bath. It's amazing how quickly they teach themselves to master the puzzles. This is 10 days after introducing the flower tower. I'm going to need to find more complex puzzles 😭

I would love to show more of them if folks are interested.


r/crowbro 1d ago

Image Look Phil! I'm an eagle.

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54 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Video I did it! I think. Is dog kibble even good for them?

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359 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Personal Story Corvid population growing in San Antonio, TX?

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21 Upvotes

Hey! I’ve been a long time lover of all sorts of creatures and nature in general and I’m very avidly aware of the flora and fauna around me. I was born in and have lived in San Antonio my entire life. Lately, starting 6 months to a year ago, I’ve had about half a dozen encounters with corvids (not enough first-hand experience to really differentiate ravens and crows, but I’m assuming ravens) in the area. Sounds like very little, but before then, zero sightings before in my entire life.

It’s really amazing honestly. I’m assuming there is a population starting to settle here. I’m excited to encounter more and get to know them.

I filmed one, and he was part of a pair hanging around a bakery. Very curious looking


r/crowbro 1d ago

Image Just chilling

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81 Upvotes

Seen this jackdaw on my way home


r/crowbro 1d ago

Personal Story The moment I fell in love with crows. The most majestic thing I have ever seen right outside my window. 🥹

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178 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Image Fluffy, shiny and deep in thoughts. 🖤💜

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260 Upvotes

r/crowbro 1d ago

Image They are very patient

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25 Upvotes

r/crowbro 2d ago

Personal Story The was in my FB memories from a couple of years ago haha

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1.2k Upvotes

I mean, how am I supposed to take my rightful place as the crow queen without my laundry list of grudges?


r/crowbro 1d ago

Video After jogging and casually dropping some peanuts

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18 Upvotes