Tough old birds: Resourceful crows are true survivors

Intelligent, resourceful and attractive creatures, crows are splendid exemplars of how wild creatures can survive in an often hostile world

Crows are part of Halloween folklore, being linked to battlefields, the spirit world and as harbingers of death. Picture: iStock

Crows are having a bumper autumn eating a variety of nuts, some of which they drop from high buildings onto hard surfaces so as to crack the shells. Then, they quickly swoop for a meal on the contents.

That’s what several people have been reporting to us in recent weeks, testimony again to how smart these birds are. Nature-lovers out and about during Halloween should keep an eye on them.

Over the years, I’ve seen crows snatch food from unzipped golf bags, after lurking for a while waiting for a chance to steal a hapless golfer’s snack. Last week, I observed crow activity and saw them let nuts fall from an industrial building before descending for a little repast.

Crows are omnivores as they eat everything, from roadkill, to food scraps, to fruit and berries. They are known to store nuts for the winter.

Living in an area with many tall trees, I have hundreds of crows as neighbours and regular visitors to the back garden and rooftop.

There’s some research to show they recognise and become familiar with human faces. After a while, they get to know people. Some of my ‘neighbours’ don’t immediately just fly away at my approach: they look and stare fearlessly at me, and it’s possible to get quite close to them.

In Birdwatch Ireland’s Crow Guide, Niall Hatch describes them as incredibly intelligent, resourceful and attractive creatures. “And we still have much to learn about them,’’ he adds.

In a BBC television programme, some years ago, Sir David Attenborough observed behaviour of crows in a Japanese city. Using footage to illustrate his point, he said they dropped nuts at pedestrian crossings for cars to drive over and crush.

When the red lights came on and traffic stopped, the crows moved in to collect the cracked nuts in safety, he convincingly observed, with similar experiences reported here by a reader.

However, a study in an American city by the University of Florida, in 2024, while acknowledging that crows are extremely resourceful, challenged Attenborough’s view.

“Their exploitation of cars as nutcrackers is not adequately documented and should not be cited as an example of avian intelligence and adaptability,’’ concluded the university’s researchers.

Meanwhile, at this time of year in woodlands you will see crows, jackdaws and other corvids foraging for acorns and nuts in general. They also frequent stubble fields looking for cereal grains and root crops.

Crows are part of Halloween folklore, being linked to battlefields, the spirit world and as harbingers of death. All that aside, they are splendid exemplars of how wild creatures can survive in an often hostile world.