Today I stood outside in the cold for a while watching this crow forage in the trash behind a Wendy’s fast food restaurant. I like the way it is puffing up its feathers. Another one flew over and then both left when I got too close, making dramatic silhouettes as they went. They are so […]
Tag: Crow
6 Fascinating Facts About the Misunderstood Magpie
Magpies are often maligned as pests, but they’re actually quite interesting birds that are usually overlooked for both their beauty and their intelligence. Here are six interesting facts about magpies. 1. Magpies Don’t Like Shiny Things — They’re Scared of Them Magpies have a reputation as thieves out to steal your shiny jewelry or take […]
Small guests at the Giant’s Castle table
The vulture’s hide at Giant’s Castle is a raptor hide first and foremost. The setting on the edge of a middleberg ridge is spectacular. Placing the bones for the raptors, mainly for the Bearded Vultures, supplements their natural food sources which is diminishing due to loss of habitat and is the main purpose of the […]
South Africa: Rich in National Parks
During my (relatively short, I might add) lifetime I have had the privilege of visiting the majority of South Africa’s national parks and game reserves. What a wealth of natural heritage we possess! When people from abroad look at some of the work in my photographic portfolio, they are amazed at the diversity of wildlife […]
Hawaiian crow could help us learn about evolutionary origins of tool-using behavior
There are only a handful of bird species known to use tools for foraging in the wild, and now the ‘Alalā, or Hawaiian crow, can be counted as one of them. According to a study published in the journal Nature this week, the New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides), which inhabits only the main island of the […]
Crow Tries to Fight Eagle, Gets Free Ride Instead
In another instance of one animal riding on another, photos from California-based photographer Phoo Chan show a crow nestled on a flying eagle’s back. But the crow was likely looking to do more than catch a lift. When close enough to land, the crow was probably mid-attack, explains Kevin McGowan, a biologist who specializes in […]
Study shows one reason why pigeons so rarely crash
A pair of researchers with Harvard University has uncovered one of the secrets behind pigeons’ impressive flight abilities. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, David Williams and Andrew Biewener describe how they videotaped some of the birds flying through an obstacle course they made, and what they found when […]
Fish Crows: Egg Thieves
Crows are smart, and because of this I’m somewhat fascinated with them. They’re not particularly attractive birds, but they have a lot of ingenuity. I’ve read stories of crows working together to steal food from gulls. One crow comes up behind the gull and pulls a tail feather, distracting the gull. When the gull looks […]