They didn’t pass over in organized flocks like geese in a V formation. Or fly in tight clusters like pigeons. Or giant murmurations like starlings, although the numbers could support it. And they were all headed to the same place - to roost in downtown Springfield for the night.
The crows are back in town
No one is quite sure why they showed up in Springfield in the early 2000s, but they did. It could be information passed along in crow communications that we don’t fully understand. It could be that one just followed the other, looking for warmth and companionship. But the result is that they showed up by the thousands — estimates of up to 50,000 birds in some years. They can cover building rooftops and make winter trees appear as if in full summer foliage. That’s a lot of bird brain power — and everything else that comes with them — in one place.
A member of the corvid family of birds, which includes jays, magpies and ravens, crows are among the smartest, if not the smartest, wild things outside. They rival primates in many respects and if they had thumbs, who knows what they might accomplish. They can already do a lot.
Crows can mimic sounds. From dogs barking to whistles to words to random mechanical noises, crows can reproduce sounds they have heard. They also don’t need a human to “split their tongue” to talk - it comes naturally to them. Amongst their own kind, they have a robust language that they use to communicate with other crows while roosted and in flight. Other animals listen in as well for signs of danger.
Crows can recognize faces and danger and pass that knowledge on to neighbors and offspring. A famous in the crow-study world experiment found that not only did crows recognize a mask worn by humans associated with robbing their nests, but passed that information to neighbors and future generations to be alert and communicate when the mask appeared. I’ve seen similar things in my yard. With several really tall trees, walking out in the yard with the dog, minding my own business, would be of no concern to the crows. If I walked outside with anything long that might resemble a gun (rake, shovel) and start looking up, alarms would go off and they’d skedaddle.
Crows can use tools and solve puzzles. From sticks to strings to stones, they can use different tools to get what they want. They have even been known to save the “good ones” to use again later. One captive bird was able to solve an eight-step puzzle that required multiple tools.
Crows have parties. In between the feeding fields and nighttime roosts, they often get together in smaller non-family groups for a social happy hour before turning in. The gatherings apparently serve no purpose other than to socialize.
Crows bring presents. Whether for people who regularly leave out food for them, have saved from an entanglement, or for a never-quite-deciphered reason, crows have been known to bring and leave presents for each other and their favorite humans. It borders on a thought process that nears reciprocity or payments
One study states they’re capable of recursion, a thought process previously believed to be a distinctly human trait. I’m going to say there are a lot of humans who have a tenuous grasp on that subject at best if they had to explain it, myself included.
Just here for the party
With the relative warmth of the downtown, close proximity to fields and thousands of their family, friends and new acquaintances’ eyes looking out for them and to talk to, crows enjoy the winter months in Springfield. While there are a variety of methods deployed to keep the roosts moving in town, they have a knack for determining a real threat from something that isn’t. That shouldn’t come as a surprise.
In the spring, they’ll depart to raise their young somewhere else in small family groups. They’ll spend the summer and fall together, then meet up again in Clark County next winter. It’s a learned crow family tradition now, passed down from generations.
You can see American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) year-round in Southwest Ohio, but seeing the big roost is something different. Starting just after sunrise (I guess they have things to talk about first), they fly off to surrounding fields and wood lots. Some of these groups can be very large and cover even large fields. After dusk, look for them in areas downtown from the Global Impact STEM Academy to the Heritage Center of Clark County to Snyder Park. Several local shops have embraced the seasonal visitors and offer merchandise that celebrates the temporary seasonal visitors.
Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.
MORE ONLINE
ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/birds/american-crow
Recursion
scientificamerican.com/article/crows-perform-yet-another-skill-once-thought-distinctively-human/
Crows Bring Gifts
bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
Crow Puzzles
cnet.com/tech/watch-a-wild-crow-tackle-a-complex-eight-step-puzzle/
facebook.com/clarkcountyhistory/videos/750962162965021
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