The family Corvidae

Hokkaido, Japan

Many birds live alone, but crows live in a group called a murder.

Most people would call it a Flock of Crows and one could think of a murder of Crows to be a "poetic term". The word for this grouping appears in the title "Murders in the Rue Morgue" a well-known short story by Edgar Allan Poe. There are several different explanations for the origin of this term, mostly based on old folk tales and superstitions. For instance, there is a folktale that crows will gather and decide the capital fate of another crow. But the term “murder of crows” mostly reflects a time when groupings of many animals had colorful and poetic names. Other fun examples of “group” names include: an ostentation of peacocks, a parliament of owls, a knot frogs, and a skulk of foxes.

Many view the appearance of crows as an omen of death because ravens and crows are scavengers and are generally associated with dead bodies, battlefields, and cemeteries, and they’re thought to circle in large numbers above sites where animals or people are expected to soon die.

The photos featured here are from various locations - at dawn on the drift ice off the coast of Hokkaido in sub zero temperatures, in the shadows of the dense tropical rainforests of Thailand with hot and humid conditions and the dry, dusty deciduous forests of the north Deccan Plateau in India - prime tiger habitat.

The photo above was an interesting story taken on our first day out on the drift Ice. We’d started from the homestay before dawn in the biting cold to get to the docks. After loading all our gear on the icebreaker we set sail for the ice. The wind chill was numbing and any exposed skin became senseless very quickly. But all said and done, as dawn broke, all the lack of sleep and the biting cold was forgotten. The gorgeous light, the stark beauty of the surroundings and the innumerable crows, gulls and eagles made every minute worth its weight in gold.

The following photos are from my phone over the three mornings we spent on and near the ice. On Day 1 the ice was still some distance away from the shore but by Day 3 it was so close and so thick that the icebreakers couldn’t head out any more.

Crows are members of the Corvidae family, from the Corvus genus including the common American crow, ravens, rooks, and other variations, and the wider family (Corvidae) includes jays, magpies, nutcrackers, and other birds. Loud, rambunctious, and very intelligent, crows are most often associated with a long history of fear and loathing. They are considered pests by farmers trying to protect their crops and seedlings. Many people fear them simply because of their black feathers, which are often associating them with death. But research has demonstrated that crows are actually very social and caring creatures, and also among the smartest animals on the planet.

Corvids display remarkable intelligence for animals of their size and are among the most intelligent birds thus far studied. Specifically, members of the family have demonstrated self-awareness in mirror tests (European magpies) and tool-making ability (e.g. crows and rooks), skills which until recently were thought to be possessed only by humans and a few other higher mammals. Their total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to that of non-human great apes and cetaceans, and only slightly lower than that of humans. Corvid ingenuity is represented through their feeding skills, memorization abilities, use of tools, and group behaviour. Living in large social groups has long been connected with high cognitive ability. To live in a large group, a member must be able to recognize individuals and track the social position and foraging of other members over time. Members must also be able to distinguish between sex, age, reproductive status, and dominance, and to update this information constantly. It might be that social complexity corresponds to their high cognition.

Members of the corvid family have been known to watch other birds, remember where they hide their food, then return once the owner leaves. Corvids also move their food around between hiding places to avoid thievery, but only if they have previously been thieves themselves (that is, they remember previous relevant social contexts, use their own experience of having been a thief to predict the behavior of a pilferer, and can determine the safest course to protect their caches from being pilfered).

Carrion Crows, Akan International Crane Center, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan.

Crows live all over the world, except for Antarctica. Crows are predators and scavengers, which means that they will eat practically anything. Their diet consists of various road-kill, insects, frogs, snakes, mice, corn, human fast food, even eggs and nestlings of other birds. An adult crow needs about 11 ounces of food daily. There are about 40 or so species in the Corvus genus including jays, magpies, nutcrackers, and other birds ranging from pigeon-sized birds to ravens, which can be as much as 24-27 inches long.

Crows are very social and have a tight-knit family. They roost in huge numbers (in the thousands) to protect themselves from enemies like red-tailed hawks, horned-owls, and raccoons. Crows also use at least 250 different calls. The distress call brings other crows to their aid, as crows will defend unrelated crows. Crows mate for life.

Carrion Crows, Akan International Crane Center, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan.

In Folklore

Folklore often represents corvids as clever, and even mystical, animals. The history of ravens as mythical birds can be traced as far as the 1000-year-old Norse mythology and they are perhaps the most common bird symbol in the mythologies and religions of ancient cultures. They assume a variety of roles, ranging from messengers of deities and sages to oracles and tricksters. They play a central part in many creation myths and are typically associated with the supernatural realms lying beyond the ordinary experience. What is so lurid about these black-feathered creatures and why does the sight of them send a wave of shivers down one’s spine? Studying the folklore of different cultures may unravel the motives underlying the superstitious beliefs and religious faiths.

The omniscient god Odin, one of the chief gods in Norse mythology, had a pair ravens called Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Mind) perching on his shoulders. Each daybreak they were sent out into the world to observe what was happening and question everybody, even the dead. By sunrise they would come back to whisper their master what they had seen and learnt. Since they embodied Odin’s mind and thoughts, they symbolized his ability to see into the future. The book also makes a mention of an early Norse poem HRAFNAGALDUR ODINS (Odin’s Raven Chant), in which Odin sends the ravens to the Underworld to investigate the disappearance of the lost goddess Idunn. Sometimes Odin himself would turn into a raven.

Celtic and Irish goddesses were believed to appear in the form of a crow or a raven, gathering over the battlefields, where they would feed on the flesh of the fallen warriors. Also, seeing a raven or a crow before going into a battle gave a sense of foreboding and meant that the army would be defeated.

When the giant Bran, king of Britain in Welsh mythology, was mortally wounded while warring against the Irish, he commanded his followers to behead him and carry his head to the Tower of London for his burial and as a sign of protection of Britain. A popular superstition arose declaring that if the ravens ever fled the Tower of London, the monarchy would fall. As long as they nested there, Britain would never be successfully invaded. In medieval times these pagan legends resulted in demonization of crows and ravens, which were consequently depicted as familiars of witches.

In North American folklore ravens are the creators of the world. Details of the creation tale differ, but essentially “the Raven” — a creature with human body and raven’s beak — is believed to have made the world. He gave light to people, taught them to take care of themselves, make clothes, canoes and houses. He also brought vegetation, animals, and other benefits for the human kind.

Large-billed Crow on drift ice at dawn - Sea of Okhotsk, off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.

Unlike many other bird families, corvid fitness and reproduction, especially with many crows, has increased due to human development. The survival and reproductive success of certain crows and ravens is assisted by their close relationship with humans. Despite the fact that most corvids are not threatened (many even increasing due to human activity) a few species are in danger. For example, the destruction of the Southeast Asian rainforest is endangering mixed-species feeding flocks with members from the family Corvidae. Also, since its semi arid scrub land habitat is an endangered ecosystem, the Florida scrub jay has a small and declining population. A number of island species, which are more vulnerable to introduced species and habitat loss, have been driven to extinction, such as the New Zealand raven, or are threatened, like the Mariana crow.

The American crow population of the United States has grown over the years. It is possible that the American crow, due to humans increasing suitable habitat, will cause Northwestern crows and fish crows to decline.

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