Are crows getting a bum rap?
Farmers aren’t the only folks who complain about crows. Suburbanites who see crows as nuisances sense their numbers are growing. To get the scoop on crows, the Tribune quizzed Carl Strang, naturalist at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.
Q. Where do crows live?
A. All over the world, except Antarctica, New Zealand and South America. Specifically, they build large nests of twigs high up in trees; they need a fairly substantial fork in a tree for support. That’s probably why a ship’s lookout station is called the crow’s-nest.
Q. Are their numbers increasing in DuPage County?
A. Not that I’ve noticed, and I’ve been with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for almost 17 years. The crow is a fairly common bird, but we don’t keep records of their numbers. The female lays three to five eggs per year. It’s a bird that lives several years, not just one or two.
Q. What do crows eat?
A. Their diet varies with the time of year and the food available; it includes young birds and rabbits, eggs and orts (meal scraps).
Q. Is their eyesight superior to that of other birds?
A. Most daytime birds have good eyesight because their eyes account for a large part of their head. Crows have more flexible intelligence than most birds. They rank right up there with parrots, which is the reason they can be taught to imitate spoken words.
Q. Are crows of any value?
A. Yes. They help keep the insect population under control, and they’re great scavengers. They’re one of the few animals that can effectively clean up disease-harboring, foul-smelling carrion.
