This month’s quarry species: carrion crow
Charles Smith-Jones looks at the dark arts of this most intelligent of birds
The carrion crow is generally an unwelcome resident of any farm or shoot as its presence is never a benign one. An opportunistic and highly efficient omnivore, it will scavenge carcases and take any food item ranging from seeds to small mammals. They are considered to be especially a threat at lambing time when they attack the newly born, almost inevitably targeting the eyes and tongue first. Even adult animals are not safe; a struggling ewe or wire-caught deer are likely to be attacked, even while alive. Efficient
Crows are also exceptionally efficient thieves. They will watch other birds build their nests, inspecting them regularly until they are ready to be robbed of eggs or nestlings. A pair of crows working methodically can devastate local populations of ground-nesting birds and even the nests of raptors as big as buzzards or eagles are not safe from their depredations. Fortunately, they can be controlled throughout the year under general licences issued for the conservation of wild birds and flora and fauna, the preservation of public health and safety, or the prevention of serious damage to livestock or crops.
Carrion crows are very shy of people where they are persecuted and quickly learn when they are safe. They are regular visitors to city centres and urban gardens, where they behave fearlessly even near humans. They compete aggressively with other birds for scraps thrown in public parks and gardens. And woe betide any lakeside duckling left unattended by a parent for too long.
In parts of Scotland, most of Ireland, and on the Isle of Man, the closely related hooded crow, Corvus cornix, prevails. Once considered a subspecies of the carrion crow, the “hoodie” is now described as a species in its own right, though where geographic ranges overlap the two are capable of interbreeding. The habits of both are very similar, though the hooded crow is rather more inclined to gather in social groups. Whereas the carrion crow is completely black, the hooded is grey with a black head and chest, wings and tail. Intelligent
The crow family is considered to contain some of the most intelligent of all the birds, second only to parrots. Their brain is, comparative to the size of its body, around the same size as that of a chimpanzee. Scientific studies suggest that they “think” about their social and physical environment and are able to solve basic problems, such as using sticks to reach food that would otherwise be out of reach. In Japan, crows have been seen deliberately placing nuts on roads where they can be cracked by car tyres. They have excellent memories and will cache food and return to it many weeks later. Owners of pet crows have reported that birds use a unique sound to express recognition of their human companion.
Given this level of intelligence, controlling crows can be a challenge. Flighting, intercepting them as they fly between two points, or baiting with eggs or a dead rabbit all work, but Guns must be sure to conceal themselves against the exceptional eyesight of their quarry. An ambush in the vicinity of
“Research has shown that carrion crows are able to solve basic problems”
a nest is often effective, but a hide will be avoided if the shooter is seen entering it. One option is for two or three people to approach it and then walk away, leaving one inside.
Folklore
The collective noun for a group of carrion crows is a “murder”, which seems to have its origins in a belief that they hold trials to judge their own kind; if the verdict goes against the accused, it is said that it is then torn apart by the others. Crows have certainly been considered to bring bad luck, and an old Sussex belief was that to hear a crow call three times foretold death. Just like magpies, the number seen also had an effect on future fortunes. One old country saying went: “One’s unlucky, two’s lucky, three is health, four is wealth, five is sickness, and six is death.
Crows can be responsible for considerable crop damage and in times past, children were employed to scare them off the fields by whatever means, hence the expression “stone the crows”. The going rate for this work in 1856 was around a shilling for a seven-day week taking in all the daylight hours.
Crow flesh is considered to taste bitter, and the expression “to eat crow” means having to accept an unpalatable fact. Crow parts were often used in folk medicine, though, and one remedy for aches and pains was to mix the ashes of a whole bird with lard and apply the mixture to the affected parts.