The clever crow and credulous canine
A MAN FOUND a crow sitting by the side of the road. It didn’t fly away when approached— the first clue that something was wrong. He wrapped a coat around the bird, picked it up, put it in a box, and brought it to me.
When I looked inside, there was fresh blood inside the box. Turns out the crow’s feet were bleeding. At first I thought he must have been injured, but then I realized the blood was coming from cracks in the skin on his toes. Ouch! He needed medicated cream, and then to sit and let those feet heal.
Now, crows are way too smart to just sit in a cage all day. They get bored. First he ate all his food, played in the water, and tore up all the newspapers. OK, now what? Second day he hit on making soup. Put each bite of food in the water to soak for a while, then fish it out and eat it. I began to put the food dish in one corner and the water in the opposite. Then he had to pick up each piece, waddle to the other side, drop it in the water, waddle back again, load up with more, pace back, add to the soup. Maybe eat a soggy bite.
Much better. This kills a lot more time.
Somehow, a piece of meat landed on the floor outside his enclosure. My little dog Lucille can hear the whisper of a single bite of something landing on carpet when she is asleep outside. Whap! went the dog door, and here comes Lucille trotting in with her nose to the ground. This startled Crow, who let loose a loud “CAAWWW” of alarm. That scared Lucille, who skidded to a stop and then tore off to a safe distance to start barking.
You could see Crow’s amazement at how that one little “CAWW” had worked on the dog. Hmmm.
From that point on, once or twice a day when things got dull, Crow would drop a piece of food and wait. Lucille’s food-seeking sensors interrupt all other activity in her doggy brain. So Crow had only to sit quietly until the little dog was right underneath his cage, and then let loose a “CAWWW!” at top volume to send her skittering away like a shot. Worked every single time!
I’m certain that crows don’t have much respect for dogs.
Mikal Deese runs the Corrales-based On a Wing and a Prayer, which cares for orphaned, injured, and sick wild birds. The nonprofit group depends on donations, as no funding exists at the federal, state, or local level for wildlife rehabilitation. All donations go directly to animal care. To help or learn more, call 897- 0439 or mikaldeese@aol.com.
