A fledgling crow sits in place while Amy Roby snaps its picture.
A few days ago, I went out to cut some flowers in my yard. I was a few steps across the grass with clippers in hand before I saw a crow perched on a rock at the top of the backyard berm. Its back was to me, but it turned it’s head in my direction when I called out a good morning greeting and didn’t fly away.
To my surprise the crow stayed put, even as I climbed the steps up the berm and walked toward it in my quest for blooms. As I got closer, I noticed that its tail feathers weren’t fully developed and realized that this crow was probably a fledgling.
Fledglings are fully feathered young birds that have left the nest and are learning to forage. They can hop, flap, and walk but not yet fly. A fledgling’s parents typically nearby keeping watch to provide protection, food, and support while their baby is in this important stage of growth and development.
Crows belong to the corvidae family of birds, which includes jays, ravens, rooks and magpies. All corvids go through a fledging period, as do certain other species of birds including robins, sparrows, and flickers.
I kept a respectful distance and crouched down to get a better look. Crows are highly intelligent and have the ability to recognize and remember faces, so I wanted to be sure that this interaction was a positive one. I spoke in a gentle tone and delighted in the crow’s slow blinks and head tilts as I talked.
Before long, a loud cawing came from an adjacent yard. An adult crow soon landed on top of a nearby tree and squawked its disapproval of my proximity to the baby. More cawing came from farther away and within seconds, the first agitated adult crow was joined by another.
These two crows were likely the fledgling’s parents, and their loud calls were as much an admonishment to me as they were an alarm to the rest of the gang. Soon, eight more crows circled over the yard and chorused stern warnings for me to keep away.
I continued to speak in a measured tone and cut a wide berth around the baby crow as I resumed my search for flowers. The murder of crows quieted as soon as I moved to a different part of the yard, and I steered clear the rest of the time I was outside. I headed back indoors and when I looked out about an hour later, the baby crow had moved on.
I haven’t seen the fledgling since, but the adult crows are ever-present, and I make sure to greet them every time I go outside.
Should you encounter a fledgling bird, wildlife experts advise to keep your distance and make sure pets are secure and kept away from the bird. Cornell Lab’s All About Birds website offers more information at allaboutbirds.org/news/i-found-a-baby-bird-what-do-i-do/. If you suspect the bird is injured, you can contact a wildlife rehabilitation center for help and advice.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife has a great page dedicated to the American Crow at ndow.org/species/american-crow/. Another informative article about observing crows across different seasons can be found on the All About Birds website at allaboutbirds.org/news/the-young-and-the-restless-watching-neighborhood-crows/.