Count me in the corvid camp

For years, corvids -- usually American Crows -- have held my attention. I've heard the complaints about how noisy they are (Yes, Mom, they are rather loud.) but prefer not to focus on their volume. Instead, I admire their intelligence and dapper appearance.


When I learned in 2002 about Betty (above), the New Caledonian Crow at Oxford University, and her ability to make tools -- not just use tools but make them (video) -- I felt thrilled. While driving through the desert to and from Las Vegas, I might get distracted by the huge, shaggy Common Ravens.

Luckily, a murder of crows likes to hang out next to the office. While at my desk, I can look through the window and watch their antics. Let's call it an effort to reduce eye strain by not looking at the computer monitor for a couple minutes.

Even though it's early February, I'm thinking about what the crows will be up to in the next couple months -- and Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a great primer called "Watching your neighborhood crows."