We don't have Crows in the High Desert, but we do have Ravens, which are like Crows on steroids, being physically strong, with a loud "caw", more powerful than a Crow's. Sometimes our large dog Barbie will leave her Milk Bone dog biscuit out in the back yard instead of in the patio, and a dive-bombing raven will swoop down and grab it to take away for its enjoyment! They will also sometimes open the lids on our curbside trash cans and root around inside for more treats. These "Black Bombers" are protected by the State, so they can do as they please! I like 'em!
I have a hard time telling crows, blackbirds and ravens apart. It's a matter of relative size, so I would need to see them lined up rather than identify a lone individual. Crows are Federally regulated, but we can hunt them in Virginia in-season (August 15 through March 19 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.). I don't know about hunting ravens. The whole thing about hunting birds is very confusing.
Just looked it up: Crows weight 20 ounces. Ravens weight 40 ounces Crows have a 2 foot wingspan. Ravens have a 3-1/2 foot wingspan. CAW !
Yup. And if you saw one sitting on a fence all by itself, I would challenge you to tell me if it weighs 20 oz or 40 oz. Maybe you could. I couldn't. They would have to be side-by-side for me to judge relative size.
I wonder what drives crow's territories. When I moved here in 2010, there were so many crows on my property they were annoying. The noise was constant. Three or four years later they were just about all gone. Now I hardly ever see any. None of the adjoining properties had been farming (except for hay and livestock), so it's not as though an attractant went away. I've noticed that other critters (fox and turkey) have their cycles. But they always come back. The crows left and have not returned (not that I mind.) It's just strange.
I have a newfound respect for crows. I have feeders for the birds. The crows are so big that they can't perch on the feeders. But they have figured out that if they jump up and peck at it, they can get some of the suet to fall to the ground. Then they eat it off the ground. Some smart birds.
We have both crows and ravens here. It is easy to tell the difference in the full-grown ones. The babies can be harder to tell. I once battled with the crows as they are super pests driving away any nice birds. I once sprayed them using the high-pressure nose on the garden hose. Then a friend made me aware that crows have a 5-year memory and pass grudges on to their young. This was a battle I could not win. In light of this revelation, I made friends with the crows. This was 10 years ago and instead of yelling ugly insults at them, I complimented them. The crows seemed to leave me alone and quit bringing partial sandwiches discarded by the school kids and soaking them in my fountain. I thought things were improving and then in recent years the ravens moved in and chased the crows out. Now I have ravens that don't respond to kindness and sweet talk. They sass back with vulgar insults and mock me. To their surprise, I learned the language of the raven and now hurl back caws accusing them of abusing their mothers. They seem to enjoy good banter. A bit about crows in Oregon 100 DEAD CROWS alongside a highway in Oregon was investigated by the State Wildlife experts. They determined that the deaths were not from the bird flu or any virus, but vehicular. 98 crows were struck by TRUCKS and only 2 by cars. The experts concluded that the crows were able to avoid most cars, because of the car's low profile and aerodynamic windshields that carried the birds up and over the vehicle safely. Such was not the case with trucks. They concluded the birds, because of the busy highway, had to eat the roadkill until the last second before flying in order to get enough to eat. The growing number of crows, since federal protection, was creating a food shortage. Wildlife experts were concerned because crows are a protected bird and they requested a judge ban trucks from this busy Oregon highway. The judge ruled that a PETA scientist and activist would study the crows in this area for 7 days at a budget of $100,000 of tax payer’s money. The PETA expert’s conclusion would be heard and a ruling made at that time. THE PETA REPORT I observed several hundred crows over the last 7 days feasting on roadkill left on the Oregon highway. The crows, all 7 days, had a watch-out bird posted on the power line alongside the highway. As vehicles approached the watch out bird would call out … “caw … caw … caw” … whether it was a car or truck. The watch-out bird always called out on the trucks, but the feasting birds, never looking up didn’t differentiate. I would suggest as a solution, that bird language experts teach crows to say “tra … tra … tra.” THE JUDGES RULING Ignorance is NO excuse for violating the law. I find the watch out birds guilty of bird slaughter and order them all rounded up and imprisoned on a bird refuge where they will be fed, groomed daily, receive medical attention, as well as an unlimited education, until which time they can demonstrate satisfactory language skills to return to the wild.