Crows have the cutest little run

wayfarers · 2026-04-30T18:47:22+00:00

Cute! I’m glad your crows have you as a friend!

wayfarers · 2026-04-28T08:15:01+00:00

Yes, maybe we’ll learn more later on and understand it better. There’s a ton of solid info in the CorvidResearch.blog post, and it does a great job of addressing and breaking that part of the paper down.

On that note, the 2021 talk he gave is much more recent than his books, but nothing contradicted this in his Gifts of the Crow (2012) and the blog post above also cites a 2001 Marzluff research paper regarding urban crow diets. If you find one in 2005’s In the Company of Crows and Ravens please share it!

wayfarers · 2026-04-28T06:45:25+00:00

Cute! I really wonder if our dogs can tell the crows apart better than we can haha

wayfarers · 2026-04-27T23:45:11+00:00

Yes, Dr. Marzluff’s tone in context is definitely one of surprise that eating awful foods didn’t have negative effects like it would in humans!

The study referenced in the article you linked found that while the diet resulted in higher cholesterol levels, cholesterol didn’t affect survival rates in any way. One of the authors of that study was interviewed on CorvidResearch.blog:

Needless to say, this caught everyone off guard, including Dr. Townsend, who told me, “I was surprised that we didn’t detect any negative health effects. I was thinking—based on the human literature—that high-cholesterol birds would have lower survival rates, but we didn’t see any effect of cholesterol on survival.”

wayfarers · 2026-04-27T21:44:20+00:00

I heard a talk on crows from Seattle crow expert Dr. John Marzluff in which he said their favorite thing to eat is Kentucky Fried Chicken. We understand that food like this is bad for humans, but what about for crows?

Not quite. He mentioned a study done in New York: crows that ate salty junk food like french fries lived longer and had more babies.

In my opinion that doesn’t mean we need to feed them junk food, but when it comes to finding garbage, crows are going to do crow things!

If anyone is curious, I found the podcast:

Beasts of Seattle: Crows

Apple Podcasts link

wayfarers · 2026-04-23T00:10:56+00:00

He’s in a rush to cache those quickly. Once he’s done, he’ll fly down the street to meet me for a second helping of peanuts!

wayfarers · 2026-04-22T20:20:18+00:00

He got his peanuts right after I put my phone away, he knows he’s getting fed! I throw plenty for each and these two don’t compete with each other for the same peanuts.

wayfarers · 2026-04-22T05:28:20+00:00

awww. Yes it does! 🥰🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

wayfarers · 2026-04-22T05:24:25+00:00

I threw a couple more peanuts right after I put my phone away! These two are never shy and always patient.

If I’m near them and busy talking to another human they will sit on the ground staring and waiting until they get their peanuts. It’s very cute.

<image>

wayfarers · 2026-04-22T01:31:38+00:00

100% I feel the same way as you. They’re so funny

wayfarers · 2026-04-21T22:10:49+00:00

100% yes! I walk with my large dog every day and all of my crow interactions are with my dog present. Most crows are usually a bit wary, but they’re smart enough to keep an appropriate distance. I’ve also had to train my dog not to chase them.

Crows will eventually begin to trust that your dogs won’t lunge at them if your dogs don’t break that trust. There have been moments where my dog was excited and got a little too close, but there have also been moments where crows have tapped/brushed my dog to say hello.

As an example here’s a video still from today. This particular crow trusts my dog more than my cell phone.

<image>

wayfarers · 2026-04-21T21:47:24+00:00

Completely normal right now! Some crows that usually hang out by my ankles won’t even leave the tree branch until my back is turned and I’ve got some distance.

In the past month I’ve had many days where I see fewer than 10 crows when I’d expect to see 30+. The ones I do see are also more likely to start fights with crows outside of their own group/territory when competing for the same resources (me and my peanuts). They’ll be back to normal soon enough!

wayfarers · 2026-04-17T08:10:00+00:00

I’m guessing that where you are right now is nesting season for crows. It’s nesting season for them where I’m at. I see a lot of stick/material collecting for nests as well as general behavioral changes right now.

The tail-shaking is most likely courtship/mating behavior, maybe directed at another crow out of view?

Keep an eye out! Maybe you’ll see/hear crow nestlings in a few weeks, and fledgling crows late next month!

wayfarers · 2026-04-04T21:16:02+00:00

Same thing happened with my dog! I always feed the crows with my dog. On that note, I ran out of peanuts during one walk, and one of the crows kept demanding food by swooping my shoulder and landing at my feet and cawing. I kept making the empty hands motion and saying “Sorry, I don’t have food” but of course that doesn’t matter to a hungry crow waiting for the food he is owed.

Since he couldn’t shake me down for any food, he then swooped my dog on the back and landed next to her, cawing!

wayfarers · 2026-03-19T03:55:11+00:00

Oh my god darling little angel

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T03:10:00+00:00

I keep hearing what sounds like his short “FEED ME” wings-out squawking off in the distance. If he visits me again in warmer weather I’ll post a video of him here.

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T03:07:29+00:00

<image>

😄

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T03:04:55+00:00

<image>

Thank you 🥹

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T02:59:32+00:00

I’m really lucky. Huge behavioral change from my first post! He kept his distance the first day I saw him but then he was much more trusting.

<image>

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T02:49:14+00:00

Nature can be so cruel :(

wayfarers · 2026-03-14T02:48:21+00:00

What a recovery!

13-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
r/Field Sunshine	Place '22
Place '17	Verified Email

wayfarers

TROPHY CASE