# What are the crows saying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978 "2016-03-23T20:24:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/21 "2016-03-24T19:26:35Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I fancy you are only using the expression “orders of magnitude” as some vague sort of emphatic device as using it in the [correct manner](http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/orders.html) would indicate that all the other birds weigh mere fractions of an ounce assuming even a large crow. I will be sure to “avoid the expression altogether”. “Thank you.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/22 "2016-03-24T19:34:03Z")
Well, as a great American thinker once said; [QUOTE=Jack Handey] The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/23 "2016-03-24T22:34:58Z")
I suppose the right phrase is “orders of biggitude.” ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/24 "2016-03-24T23:33:06Z")
One reason crows are skittish is because even though they are large for birds, they neither large nor powerful compared to the non-birds they see around them – humans, for instance – that are orders of magnitude larger and stronger than they are. A human could kill a crow with one hand in a second or two. They are also extremely intelligent. If you do some reading about crows, and all the corvids, for that matter, you will come away impressed. Crows make tools, for one thing, and figure out all kinds of clever ways to get at food. They are alert and more engaged with their environment than the dogs and cats we live with. They recognize and remember human faces. What we humans hear as undifferentiated caws are actually communicating all kinds of things to their fellow crows. Underestimate them at your peril. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/25 "2016-03-25T01:20:01Z")
**What are the crows saying?** “Why aren’t we like writing desks?” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/26 "2016-03-25T02:54:13Z")
I was driving on a highway yesterday at a good speed. I didn’t know there was roadkill around the curve ahead of me & I really didn’t know a crow was picking at it in the middle of my lane. The crow started to fly up as I rounded the curve, but there was a Really hard bird-strike against the top of my windshield / car roof. The glass didn’t break, but it almost did. I was stunned & thought the bird was dead. I looked in the rear view mirror though, and while it was fluttering around on the ground for a few seconds, it flew off when the next car approached. It was flying kind of funny though. I’m not sure what crows say, but that one was probably saying, “Fucking Speeders…!” _Mr. Crow, you really shouldn’t talk with your mouth full anyway…_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/27 "2016-03-25T03:10:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > (And yes, I’m familiar with the crows that are being killed in Boston.) In case anyone isn’t familiar. > [@](#): > > Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone’s relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts. > > However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird’s beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car. > > MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills. > > The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger. > > The conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say “Cah,” none could say "Truck.”. Actually, since they make that ‘roooook’ sound, I’ll bet they could say ‘truck’. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/28 "2016-03-25T05:16:15Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > One reason crows are skittish is because even though they are large for birds, they neither large nor powerful compared to the non-birds they see around them – humans, for instance – that are orders of magnitude larger and stronger than they are. A human could kill a crow with one hand in a second or two. Absolutely, but why don’t other birds react like that? The crows we get will see the tiniest movement inside the house (us walking down the inside front stairs, say – no one is outside) and fly away in a panic. The doves just stick around eating, as do most of the others. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/29 "2016-03-25T05:31:15Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Absolutely, but why don’t other birds react like that? The crows we get will see the tiniest movement inside the house (us walking down the inside front stairs, say – no one is outside) and fly away in a panic. The doves just stick around eating, as do most of the others. Probably _because_ they are so intelligent and aware of cause and effect. I’ve seen a pigeon get run over by a garbage truck moving at like 2 mph because it was just so focused on pecking, even as its flock (?) all flew off. They’re dumb little shits. Crows are the polar opposite of that. If you ever stand near/under one, see how their behavior changes as you move depending on HOW you move. If you lurch at one, they’ll fly away. If you walk slowly by one, they’ll eye you cautiously but probably not fly away. If you make eye contact with it, it’ll get into that defensive “I’m ready to take off RIGHT NOW” crouch. And when you’re not around, they’ll talk to each other, hide food and pretend to hide food to psyche their peers, ski together in the snow, etc. They’re skittish because they know you’re there and are afraid of you. Crows can be trained to be afraid of (or not afraid of) individual humans. They know that we are both a potential food source and a potential killer, and are loathe to risk their lives on a stranger. Trusting the wrong human means instant injury or death. Crows have _culture_ too, with distinct language groups in different geographical areas. They will pass on knowledge to their offspring and their flock. Crows that didn’t evolve to be suspicious of humans probably didn’t live very long and didn’t stick around to teach their offspring. If you’re interested in corvids, read Mind of the Raven and Gift of the Crow (two different books) sometime. They are not passive observers. Anything and everything they do is carefully schemed. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/30 "2016-03-25T05:43:17Z")
Cool, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/31 "2016-03-25T06:09:17Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Cool, thanks! You’re welcome. If you don’t want to read a whole book, here’s a nice summary: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/who-ya-callin-bird-brain/2015/06/22/ebd1db84-e9c1-11e4-aae1-d642717d8afa\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/who-ya-callin-bird-brain/2015/06/22/ebd1db84-e9c1-11e4-aae1-d642717d8afa_story.html) They are really, really intelligent. Very few animals we’ve studied exhibit the holistic combination of social connections, tool use, language use, and awareness of causation and the interplay of all of the above. If they had opposable thumbs they’d certainly be tweeting each other. They literally can scheme into the future… for example if it wants to stash food somewhere but thinks other crows are watching, it’ll pretend to dig holes all over and pretend to hide food in some of the holes, while remembering (somewhat) where the real stash is. Or, young corvids can spread out in search of food, and when they found a stash, return to a predetermined roosting spot, inform others of their catch, and fly off together to the found food in order to secure their eating rights by collaboratively scaring off unrelated birds or older adults (who can be more solitary). Through trial and error they will experiment with water displacement, metal tool creation, vending machines, “fishing” up meat by coiling the string multiple times around a branch, etc. These behaviors are too complex and novel to attribute to instinct alone, especially the ability to learn on the fly and adapt to mistakes they make during a process to get at some food stash. Their [brain to body mass ratio](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/group/birds/crow/) (a very rough metric of possible intelligence) is very high in the animal world, and astronomical in the bird world. They’re much smarter than dogs, perhaps as smart as dolphins or primates, and usually ignored as dumb pests. They’re anything but… ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/33 "2016-03-25T13:50:30Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Absolutely, but why don’t other birds react like that? The crows we get will see the tiniest movement inside the house (us walking down the inside front stairs, say – no one is outside) and fly away in a panic. The doves just stick around eating, as do most of the others. Crows are big but not fast, and need more time to escape danger than the smaller, quicker birds. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/34 "2016-03-25T16:33:56Z")
Could they, possibly, be asking the fox what HE’s saying? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/35 "2016-03-25T16:41:39Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I will be sure to “avoid the expression altogether”. “Thank you.” For the record, **don’t ask’s** post may have been rather pedantic, but his use of quotes, unlike yours, was absolutely correct. Yes, my post is also pedantic. It’s what I live for. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/36 "2016-03-25T16:55:58Z")
_“I been done seen about everything, when I see an elephant fly!”_ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/37 "2016-03-26T18:44:10Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > For the record, **don’t ask’s** post may have been rather pedantic, but his use of quotes, unlike yours, was absolutely correct. > > Yes, my post is also pedantic. It’s what I live for. It’s correct if I didn’t really mean “thank you”. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/38 "2016-03-27T21:49:18Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > If you make eye contact with it, it’ll get into that defensive “I’m ready to take off RIGHT NOW” crouch. That’s not just crows, that’s lots of birds and animals. Prey animals look out both sides of their heads to see danger. Carnivores have binocular vision to target prey. If you don’t want to scare the birds, look at them sideways with only one eye. –I just had a look for the book my grandmother had about communicating with crows, and couldn’t find it’s name. But I found 14 other popular books (!) [Non-Fiction: Crows & Ravens (20 books)](http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17840.Non_Fiction_Crows_Ravens) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/39 "2016-03-27T22:57:12Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > They’re _Caw-cusing_, of course. Or maybe caw-cussing. That’s my collective noun for crows. Everyone likes to point out that a group of crows is called a _Murder_. It’s cute, but impractical. I like to refer to them as a _Caucus of Crows_. One morning outside I could hear a particularly noisy crow-fest going on, and I was told that a hawk had just nailed one of their members. They were all screaming bloody murder, outraged over this horrific attack. Over an hour later, a mile away at the park I took my dog to, they were still screaming at each other. Won’t someone think of the crow children? I thought that was my invention. I guess great minds think alike. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/40 "2016-03-28T01:48:14Z")
I figure they’re saying what every animal is saying: “You gonna finish that?” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978/41 "2016-03-28T02:14:26Z")
Reminds me of that [_Far Side_ cartoon about the canine decoder](https://michaelscomments.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/dog-bark-translator/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-crows-saying/749978.md?page=3)