LogFAQs > #947627154

I have a particular appreciation for crows, somewhere between envy and admiration. Bright, social, vigilant, very close families, pragmatic, and even somewhat chivalrous at times.

No interest in the mythology, actual reports are much more interesting. A few standouts in stories I've read...
A crow was hunting bugs in the grass amid a flock of smaller blackbirds. The blackbirds were getting anything before the crow could, so instead of bugs, so the crow grabbed one of the blackbirds and took off.

A hawk, often not on friendly terms with crows, was attacking a juvenile of its own species, when the local crows not only drove off the aggressive hawk, but protected the younger hawk (again, normally an enemy!) until it could recover.

Another story involving a hawk, this one must have really pissed those crows off. The crows swooped down on the hawk, driving it into an enclosure at a zoo, and continued to pressure it to keep it from flying away. The hawk was soon after eaten by lions.

An average passer-by was walking close by a prison and came in contact with a group of thugs, which approached him with apparent intent to do harm. When they started to get rough with the man, the local crows attacked the aggressors, giving the man the chance to flee to safety.

An individual who had been leaving peanuts out for the crows, once found that in a case of confused reciprocation, the crows had returned the favor by bringing him a collection of animal dung. Apparently, the crows had witnessed him cleaning up after his dog, and came to the conclusion that droppings were a thing of value to him.

An injured crow in the road, being dragged to safety by another. As the motorist's car approached, a large number of crows filled the street, gambling with their lives on the humanity of the person behind the wheel for the safety of their fellow. The driver stopped, and when the crows had evacuated the injured to safety, they dispersed. This report is directly at odds with the myth about how a flock of crows (a murder) got its name, in which ill or injured crows are killed by their brethren.

My own story involves the crows living around the campus during my college years. I had been dropping a few peanuts whenever I saw crows, following advice to avoid direct eye contact. It took a while, but eventually I did catch the interest of a pair. It almost seemed like they were stalking me, as it became much more common to see a crow perched low in a tree near whatever building I was on my way to, at which point kept my distance, though still making the peanut drops. Apparently tired of me avoiding them, while walking to the nearby taco bell for lunch, a crow flew along the path I was walking, level with my head, flying right toward my face.

"What the hell!? Am I under attack!? Should I run? Defend myself?" I just stood there, wide eyed, and let the crow make its move. When it got around 4 feet from smashing into my face at high speed, it veered into a tree lining the path and looked at me with casual expectation. I dropped a few peanuts and continued on, barely able to contain my excitement from the encounter. From then on, the two crows frequently shadowed me as I went from class to class, and I continued to offer them peanuts, and occasionally a dead mouse.

Some while later, one of their young took an interest in me, often joining me for lunch (though never particularly interested in what I was eating), and continually tried to talk to me, with varied vocalizations far outside the typical cawing. I was reminded of instances where toddlers try to converse with pets, only in this analogy, the stupid animal was me.


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Fail, and we all face a tyrannical age of pizza the likes of which sentient life has never known. - Sun'barac, Xenoblade Chronicles X