I have a family of crows that come to my office window, and they’ve learned that if they give a rattle call, I’ll feed them (this is actually because I’m often too focused on my computer to notice them unless they call). Yes, crows will certainly try to use sounds to get their feeder’s attention. This would let the person call the crows to them over long distances.ĭo crows try and get the attention of their human feeders with sounds? Might these sounds be just for them (like a specific name or greeting)? Crows are smart animals and they’ll quickly learn to associate “their” person’s call with imminent food. Should people give a signature sound when feeding “their” crows? I don’t know if crows see our vocalizations as an attempt at communication, but they might see it as step one in a series of steps that ends with them being fed- they are vocalizing back to the person because the last time they tried, the person fed them afterwards. If a person and a crow regularly interact (usually because the person reliably feeds the crows), then it’s fairly common for ritualistic behavior to develop, especially if the behavior is rewarded with food. Do you think crows notice when we vocalize at them and attempt to vocalize back? Many people describe situations where they feel they have experienced “conversations” with crows, meaning a back and forth exchange of sounds. Please feel free to leave any additional questions in the comments! I hope you find these answers helpful, or at least illuminating into all that is left to be discovered. For Part II, Loma answered follower-supplied questions on all things crow communication. In Part I of this series I overviewed a new study from my colleague, Loma Pendergraft, about why crows call after discovering food.
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