by Mara Evans
Do you know what a corvid is?
“Corvid” is the term used to describe members of the family Corvidae, which is a classification that contains over a hundred different species of birds. They are particularly clever, and many have been observed to problem-solve and use tools. Species like blue jays and magpies are corvids, but perhaps the best-known members of this family are crows and ravens. Jet-black birds with loud calls and impressive intelligence, the American crow and common raven live in almost all 50 states, so finding them isn’t usually the hard part — but telling them apart can be!
In North Carolina, we’ve generally got it easy. Ravens aren’t often found as far east as we are here in Apex instead preferring to settle in Western North Carolina along the Appalachian Mountains, which means whatever medium-sized black bird you’re seeing is more likely to be a crow than a raven. However, ravens can’t be counted out entirely! They’ve been spotted as far east as the coast every once in a while, so if you’re not sure which black bird you’re looking at, here are some pointers:
Size: Crows tend to be much smaller than ravens. Though this tidbit might not seem useful unless you’re looking at the two side-by-side, if you find yourself thinking, “Wow, that’s a really big crow!” you may, in fact, be seeing a raven.
Sounds: You’re probably familiar with crows’ incessant “caw, caw.” Ravens, on the other hand, have a more guttural call, often described as croaking. Both are capable of remarkable mimicry, but ravens are more skilled in that regard.
Flight: If you look up to see one of these birds overhead and they’re being suspiciously quiet, another good way to figure out which one you’re seeing is by checking the shape of the tail. Ravens’ tails form a point at the end, while crows’ tails are a more rounded fan-like shape.
Speaking of the sounds they make, have you ever come across a group of crows making an absolute ruckus for seemingly no reason? Well, there’s always a reason. Crows, being flock animals, have a warning system for their flock mates that they put to use when they spot something that they think is a potential threat. Sometimes that’s just a neighbor walking their dog, but it could also be a stray cat or hawk getting too close for comfort. Crows and hawks are mortal enemies and it’s not uncommon for crows to gang up on birds of prey, dive-bombing them until they leave the area. This behavior is known as “mobbing,” and despite hawks having sharper beaks and talons, they can be convinced to give up the hunt because crows are simply that good at being annoying. Crows also usually have a numbers advantage, and a hawk often won’t find it worth the trouble to get past them.
Predators aren’t the only reason crows congregate and vocalize. If you see them gathered around a fallen friend, they are having what researchers are calling a crow “funeral.” When a crow comes across a dead crow, it may raise an alarm, calling a flock to its location for reasons that are still being studied. The prevalent theory for this behavior is that they are exchanging information in order to identify potential threats, and if they deem the area dangerous, they may avoid it indefinitely — even if there is plenty of food and other resources to be had there.
Ravens also form flocks, but they often prefer to travel in bonded pairs after reaching adulthood. While a group of crows is termed a “murder,” a group of ravens is known as an “unkindness.” Despite being so similar, or perhaps because they’re similar, ravens and crows often do not get along. Both are notorious egg thieves and can’t be trusted around unattended nests, which is why ravens will usually chase off crows in their territory, and vice-versa. In fact, it’s been found that crows are overwhelmingly the instigators when it comes to conflict between the two, and they once again use their numbers to their advantage. The more solitary ravens are almost always outnumbered, so despite their size advantage, they tend to be on the defensive.
These corvids aren’t just common in your backyard — they’re also everywhere in popular media. Both birds are common choices for animal sidekicks of the winged variety: Their dark plumage helps them to fit right in with a gothic aesthetic, while their intelligence allows their escapades to seem almost plausible. Some of their fictional accomplishments have even made the crossover to actual scientific studies!
If you read Aesop’s Fables growing up, you may remember one story about a crow who dropped pebbles into a pitcher of water to raise the water level so that he could drink. In 2014, a study conducted on crows in New Caledonia (a French territory in the Pacific) proved Aesop right, thousands of years after the story was penned. They found that crows understood displacement enough to behave like Aesop’s crow after being taught to drop stones. The study even found that they could differentiate between concepts like solid and hollow to more efficiently raise the water level! A later study conducted by researchers from the University of Cambridge tested young children on the same tasks the crows had been asked to perform and found that the crows’ abilities were comparable to those of the children aged five to seven years old.
Crows and ravens have demonstrated many other hallmarks of intelligence as well, like complex social lives and tool use. They not only use tools but also create them. They have good memories, too. Research has found they’re capable of remembering specific human faces for years, and they can and do hold grudges! Their cognitive abilities rival those of chimpanzees and young children. The stories about their smarts are countless, from the way crows figured out they can drop nuts in traffic and wait for cars to crack them open, to how ravens have formed symbiotic relationships with wolves in order to survive. With so much adaptability and reasoning power, they’ve thrived in modern times, yet because they are everywhere, they’re easy to overlook. Crows and ravens live side by side with us humans, using our tools for their benefit, and it’s a closer relationship than you might guess!
The next time you come across a crow or a raven in your daily routine, keep in mind that even if you don’t recognize them, it’s possible that they recognize you. Take a closer look, and maybe you’ll start recognizing them, too!
