What Crows, Birds of the Corvidae Family in the Passeriformes Order, Eat and Why They Are Considered an Omen of Bad Luck

The crow is the common name for several species of black birds in the Corvidae family of the Passeriformes order. Also called the old crow, it has a large beak and likes to call out, with a fierce temperament. So what food do crows eat? Why are crows a symbol of bad luck?

Crows are the largest individuals among Passeriformes birds, with a body length of 400-490 mm. The feathers are mostly black or black and white, with a long bill; some have a distinct white neck ring, and the black feathers have a purple-blue metallic sheen; the wings are far longer than the tail; the bill, legs and feet are pure black. There are 36 species of crows in total, distributed almost worldwide. China has 7 species, most of which are resident birds.

Crow Habits

Crows roost at forest edges or on mountain cliffs, mainly inhabiting various forest types such as low mountains, plains and montane broad-leaved forests, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, secondary mixed woods, and plantations, and are especially common in open woodlands and forest edge zones. They like to be active along forest roadsides, river valleys, coasts, farmland, marshes and grasslands, and sometimes even appear in summit scrub and alpine tundra zones.

What Food Crows Eat

They are omnivorous; many species like to eat carrion and do some harm to seedlings and grain. However, during the breeding period they mainly feed on small vertebrates, locusts, mole crickets, scarab beetles and moth larvae, which benefits agriculture. In addition, because they like to eat carrion and peck at agricultural waste, they can eliminate pollution of the environment by animal carcasses and play a role in purifying the environment. They generally have a fierce and aggressive nature, and often prey on the eggs and nestlings of waterfowl and wading birds.

Why do crows appear in flocks in the evening and early morning?

Unlike wild geese, crows do not fly away in winter; they stay in the city to overwinter. Generally, in September, crows begin to grow a full coat of feathers, and by mid-October they start gathering toward the city to prepare for winter. At dawn each day and around five or six in the evening, these two periods are when crows go out to look for food.

There is little food in winter, and crows move back and forth between various garbage dumps; it is relatively easy to find food in people's household waste, which is why this concentrated gathering of crows occurs in winter. In March of the following year they disperse into small groups and fly back to the rural mountains.

Why are crows a symbol of bad luck?

In ancient books of witchcraft, crows, like black cats, were often synonymous with death, fear and misfortune. The crowing of crows was called an evil omen, a sign of ill fortune; people believed that the call of a crow would take away a person's life and draw out their soul, so crows were disliked and regarded as highly inauspicious birds. Because crows have a keen sense of smell and can detect the odor of decay and death, they are considered birds of ill omen.

As for whether crows really bring bad luck, there is truly no way to verify it. However, autumn weather changes greatly, and there is a folk saying: when the old crow calls, a gale is coming. Large flocks of crows circling and calling, gathering together, may foretell a change in the weather.

The Crow Is an Auspicious Bird

Today we use “crow's mouth” to describe someone who predicts bad things, but in ancient China the crow was also once an auspicious bird; in ancient times the divine bird representing the sun, the “golden crow”, was a three-legged crow image. In the eyes of many ethnic minorities in China, as well as people in Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka, the crow is also regarded as a sacred bird. Only after the Tang Dynasty, as the influence of farming culture grew deeper, the crow, which loves carrion and has an unappealing appearance, became increasingly disliked, and its cultural image plummeted.

In European and American culture, crows are generally regarded as birds of ill omen, accompanied by disaster and death. But their cousin —— the raven is different. The raven is larger than other crows, with a more imposing and powerful appearance. In Norse mythology, the chief god Odin had two ravens as his eyes and ears, flying to the human world every day to gather information and return to report to him.

For this reason, the raven is regarded in Europe and America as a bird of wisdom. In Harry · Potter, one of the four houses of Hogwarts, Ravenclaw, which admits only clever students, has a name meaning “raven's claw” (Ravenclaw). In another great fantasy work, A Song of Ice and Fire, people even entrust the task of delivering messages to ravens rather than pigeons: ravens are not only strong and agile and unafraid of eagles, but also intelligent and reliable, delivering every message without fail.

Crows Are Also Very Clever

There are two famous Aesop's fables, one is “The Crow and the Fox”, and the other is “The Crow and the Pitcher”. In the first story the crow is a fool, tricked by the fox; in the latter story the crow is very clever, knowing how to use tools.

In reality, crows are far cleverer than people imagine. They have the largest brain of all birds (relative to body weight), with intelligence higher than many mammals, and they are not only quick to learn but also have especially good memories. In scientists' experiments, the arithmetic ability, adaptability and even simple reasoning ability shown by crows are all quite outstanding.

Trying to keep a crow in an ordinary birdcage is almost impossible. Whether it is a sliding door or a bolt lock, a crow can easily manage it. And once it succeeds, it will generalize and apply the trick elsewhere. And if someone hits a crow or takes its eggs, and happens to be seen in the face by them during the act, then they are in big trouble. They will firmly remember the culprit's features and tell each other. After that, as soon as this person shows up, the crows will fly over to make a racket, drop droppings and take revenge, and can even remember this face several years later. Those with face blindness should be ashamed.

In the past people thought that making tools and using tools were special abilities of humans and chimpanzees, but later scientists discovered that crows perform just as well in this regard, even no worse than chimpanzees. Wild crows can process forked branches into hooks and reach them into rock crevices or other gaps to forage. If they have several tools at hand, they will also make a plan and use them step by step, finally enjoying a big meal.