Towheeblog

It’s Halloween so some media are looking around for scare stories…but crows?  Really?  In medieval Europe the raven got a lousy rep because they were smart enough to foresee fresh meat when guys in chain-mail got on their horses and rode out toward other guys in chain mail.  Ravens were always first scavengers onto the battlefield because they could project into the future, and watch the bloody show from an aerial balcony.  Thus humans, often unable to take responsibility, blamed ravens for being ill omens.  In fact, ravens were good observers and students of our species’ behavior.

Anyway, here’s an NPR story that begins by pretending fear of crows but necessarily morphs into admiration.  Sometimes facts are simply facts and, so far, there is no political propaganda system built to slander crows.  But if they and their cousin ravens start circling the White House in hopes of carrion thrown from the windows, you can expect crows to be attacked on Fox News.

CORVID FUN

No corpses herein.  Let’s enjoy crow being crows.  Click here for body sledding video.

Ravens are not to be out-funned. More snow sledding.

More corvid science from a TED talk by Dr. John Marzluff, one of the corvids’ best spokesperson, and long-tine researcher.