What are they saying? Crows--babies?

[pintopiaffe]

I really like my crows. They heckle me when I ride... cursing me for invading their domain. They have interesting conversations I listen in on...

The last couple of days I have heard what I *thought* were baby crows. At least, it's what my Dad used to point out. It sounds exactly like a baby crow should: a higher pitched, softer voiced 'caw'. Soft and repetitive, like a baby bird asking for food...

Only, today I finally SEE them... three smaller crows and one larger one, in the side pasture. (if you want 'natural' pasture maintenence, feed whole oats and BOSS. :lol: I haven't dragged in several years--no need. :lol: ) Walking around doing the baby-talk thing. They don't look like 'babies' (never actually SEEN a baby crow??) though they are definitely smaller. Crows up here are GINORMOUS and I'm not sure how you tell the difference between a crow or a raven, but it is not unusual at all to drive down the road and see HUGE black birds on each lamp-post or fence post ala The Langoliers. (seriously, that's where Steven Gets his ideas. He lives HERE! :eek: :lol: )

So, anyway. Now I'm intrigued. Are these juveniles? Or is the talking they are doing specific to a task or communication?

Bird lovers? Anyone?

[danceronice]

Ravens are bigger and when you're close enough to see the bill and claws, it's pretty clear ravens are primarily carrion-eaters while crows, not as much. Ravens have massive, heavy bills and are just bulkier-looking birds. Crows stay in family groups for a long time (usually a parent pair, last year's juveniles, and this year's brood.)

My favorite baby-crow observation was one juvenile and one adult sitting next to each other the ridgepole of a maintenence building. The baby was just babbling away, until finally the adult turned and just squawked in its face for a good ten seconds. The baby was very quiet for a minute. I imagine that was the crow version of "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" and "IF YOU ASK ME IF WE'RE THERE YET ONE MORE TIME...."

[Vesper Sparrow]

My guess is that the babies were probably begging for food. Saw a bunch doing the same this morning while I was walking my dog.

Other ways to tell the species apart are their voice (Ravens have an unmistakeable croak and a host of other wierd calls), flying habits (Ravens soar and glide a lot more than crows and don't have the "rowing" wingbeat of a crow; Ravens will often do roll-overs in the air and other neat flying tricks), and shape of the tail (Ravens have long wedge-shaped tails; crows' tails are rounded on the end).

[RainyDayRide]

Some tips on distinguishing between crows and ravens - including samples of their calls -
at http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/difs.html

Scrub jays...another member of the corvidae family.... have the sweetest, soft purr that they sometimes use to "talk" to their mates and babies. It's quite different from their usual raucous calls and squawks. I first heard it when one was sitting on a low branch over my head, politely asking for more peanuts.

[Guin]

About 4 or 5 years ago, West Nile virus came along and wiped out the entire family of crows that lived in my pine trees. It was awful. I literally picked up the dead ones off the street. This year, the population has rebounded, or else they've gotten immune to the virus somehow. I love listening to them make their plans in the early morning. They definitely "talk" to each other - very different than the loud cawing when they're scolding.