Gabi Mann’s story might make you reconsider your view of crows as you stand here at Crow Beach. These aren’t just any birds. They’re complex, intelligent creatures.
Crow Beach is a place where you can observe these fascinating animals. American crows form long-term pair bonds. They display complex social systems. Related families often form larger flocks outside of breeding season. They are incredibly smart. Crows can learn to recognize individual people. They even respond to them.
Imagine a pair of American crows walking along the shoreline. They seem only partially interested in feeding. They have something else on their minds. One crow approaches the other. It begins to preen the other’s feathers. A few minutes later the other returns the favor. This behavior is called allopreening. Among crows it solidifies pair bonds.
One crow seems slightly larger than the other. It is probably the male. Males are generally larger than females. Watch them work along the shoreline. They stop occasionally to pick things from the ground. At one point the male holds food in its bill. The female takes it by twisting its neck almost upside down. She softly picks the food. This pair will likely nest in a tree nearby.
Seattle is a crow mecca. The city’s geography is key to the large crow population. Forests aren’t ideal for crows. But humans carved open areas for suburbs. This provides a constant food source such as abundant edible trash. Urban crows are virtually unafraid of humans. They cue into our daily rhythms and feel safe among us.
Crows recognize human faces. They hold grudges for human misdeeds. They teach other crows to recognize those mugs. Crows also show appreciation for humans who treat them well. They leave gifts like candy, keys, and coins.
Crows commute to work like us. Crows roost in a restored wetland in Bothell. An estimated 12000 crows wing into the Bothell wetland at dusk. The treetop planet comes to life at first light. This mass of shrieking marauders lifts up. It atomizes again into x-shaped silhouettes. They soar to their daily hangouts. They go all over the region.
Kaeli Swift a PhD candidate studied crows. She discovered that crows attend to their dead. The flock attends to the fallen bird en masse with loud shrieking. They will mob any predator they think is responsible. That includes a human in a Dick Cheney mask.
The Mann family of Seattle started feeding the crows. The birds gifted Gabi dozens of trinkets. These included shirt buttons, paper clips, an earring, and a blue Lego piece. The neighbors were furious. They complained of rodents and bird droppings. The neighbors even filed a lawsuit. The case was settled out of court. The Manns promised to limit the bird feedings for eight years.
Next time you see a crow remember their complex behaviors. Remember that they are quite fascinating socially. As you leave Crow Beach think about the secret life of urban crows.