CROW Crovus brachyrhynchos

The next time you see a crow splashing in a sprinkler puddle or sitting in a tree, stare at it. It will get nervous, fidget, flick its wings, bounce up and down a couple of times, jump into the air and make for a higher tree. From there, the brash black bird will stare back at you. Or, try stopping a few feet away from a crow but do not look straight at it. Out of the corner or your eye, you'll see that the crow will stay right where it is. Only if the crow thinks your eye is on it will it fly away.

Crows do not trust people and at the same time, they ignore people. These two things help the crow do well in the city. Crows do not trust people because a long time ago, crows were killed because they ate the food that people grew in their gardens and on their farms.

Then almost 30 years ago, in Southern California at least, many crows started to move into the city. Since people cannot hunt crows in the city, maybe the crows feel safer in the cities. Now crows are just a part of the neighborhoods.

Once the crows move into the city, they do quite well because they eat almost anything and they will live almost anywhere. They like to build their nests in very tall trees, and like parrots, they are very smart. Crows are very social. Being "very social" means that they like to stay close to each other. If a lot of crows stick together, there are more eyes to watch out for danger!

Carolee Caffrey, a student at UCLA, has been studying how crows act for five years. The crows that she studies live at Balboa Golf Course in Encino. Caffrey must be able to know one crow from another since they all look alike. She must catch them and put different marks on them. The crows did not like this. They remembered what she did and they would not let her get close enough to them so she could study them. Caffrey now wears wigs and fake eyeglasses and noses when she catches them. This way, the crows will not know that it is Caffrey!

Caffrey found out that the crows divided up the golf course into their own areas. Each area is used by one crow family. The crow "kids" act like human kids: some leave home a few months after they learn to fly but some stay at home for a year or more. They help their parents with their baby brothers and sisters!

Caffrey also found out that crows get along fine with the people who play golf. One of Caffrey's favorite crows who she named "Al" likes to beg for food from the people at the course. The people like him and they feed him.

"Sometimes Al just walks right up to the people who play golf and stands there," says Caffrey. "Soon, people get the hint and give him food. If they don't, and they leave food in their golf cart or car, Al jumps in and just takes it!"