Late this morning, an American crow landed in our large catalpa tree. Despite the warm, sunny weather, he seemed to be in a foul mood, delivering a long series of raucous calls. Since there was no hawk or owl nearby to scold, I eventually assumed he was either calling his partner or just venting his frustration.
Ten minutes later, another crow landed in a nearby tree, returning his calls. This appeared to calm the first crow, who began to bow repeatedly, clicking his bill with each maneuver. This pattern of loud calls followed by bows and clicks continued for at least twenty minutes while his love interest stuck to more typical crow rants, interspersed with her suitor's performance. Eventually, he flew over to join her and the two soon left our property.
Often despised for their aggressive and noisy behavior, their omnivorous diet (including nestlings and bird eggs) and their large congregations at winter roosts, crows are highly intelligent birds that play an important role in a wide variety of ecosystems. The opportunity to observe such intimate behavior this morning certainly softened my image of these large, hardy corvids.
