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HELP??!!! Dangerous World, Crows & Cags?


Leia

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Early this morning just after sunrise i decided to take my cag for a walk and ended up on a football field near my house. she was calling out to some ducks that were playing out on the field so i decided to go closer. The ducks all started quaking and flying off and then came the crows who were flying above me and giving off a kinda prey call acting as if they were trying to hunt my cag. It was very frightening as there were over a hundred of them circling my head flying about 8 feet above me. My cag being innocent and sheltered and young assumed they were being freindly and refused to stsy protected and cuddled up underneath my top and arms. she decided she wanted to push herself on to the top of my head to be as close as possible to them. I felt it was unsafe to stand out with her as they followed me all the way home and would not go away. I did not know how far they would go, if they would eventually attack me to get to her. I was also afraid to go into my house because i wondered if they would remember that she lived here and possibly try to attack her at home when we werent aware. her cage is by the window facing the inside garden. Should i be worried for her safety or will the crows simply forget about her and move on?

 

I'm really concerned...... :(

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Crows are predators to other birds - they kill sparrows, blackbirds and even red tailed hawks. They will have been circling ready to attack - in these circumstances - get out of the way into safety!

 

I presume that your doors and windows are closed - they couldn't get into your house?

 

We have magpies and they have become vermin - I have to watch out when we are in the garden for these - they attack and have no fear either.

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It was because your CAG is new to their territory. I experienced that a few times when I brought my Grey out to the nearby play ground. After a couple of times, they seemed to acknowledge the arrival of the new kid on the block and decided to ignored my grey.

 

It was scary to see the crows circling us. I would leave asap if I were you.

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Thanks for your advice guys. My husband thought i was being dramtic and said that crows are scavengers, they dont hunt other birds. He finds it surprising that they dont bother with the smaller flinches and other birds flying arround, and said why would they bother with leia. But i told him he wasnt there and i really think they would have attacked given the opportunity.

But they dont seem to be hanging arround anymore, i just hope they arent clever enough to remember where we live. the doors and windows are usually closed but i get annoyed sometimes when someone in the house forgets it open. like today theres a painter here and he leaves the door open every time he comes in and out.

 

I'm sure its a territorial thing as well, they've probably never seen many parrots so they a little curious as well.

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Crows are very smart birds and are very protective of other crows. I think there are two possibilities here. One is that they mistook your GAG for a predator. Parrots beaks resemble those of hawks. The other which I favour is they saw you as a predator with a captive bird and were trying to rescue it !

Crows can remember individual humans as friend or foe. Have you been back there on your own and did the crows react to you?

Crows are every bit as smart as parrots and have a complex social life. They are also capable of problem solving and tool making ! They can even learn to copy human speech.

 

Here is an interesting web site about crows http://www.zeebyrd.com/corvi29/

 

 

Steve n Misty

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The others are spot on regarding Crow behaviour. Their intelligence is well known and documented. They exhibit a cooperative defense behavior where they will often gang-up on or “mob” an enemy until it leaves the area. It is possible your Grey appears very much as a Red Tailed Hawk to them and thus, the "Mobbing" you experienced.

 

You may want to check before you take your Grey out for crows in the area. They can call one another and amass a mob very quickly.

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It is not just crows that will mob predators. When I was a boy (just after the stone age) I remember watching in amazement as an owl flew through my garden being chased by a mob of all kinds of small birds. There were thrushes,sparrows, bluetits etc all making a terrible ruckus as they mobbed the owl. It was also unusual because it was daytime and owls usually only venture out at night. I guess if that is the reception they got it's no surprize:lol:

 

Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2009/09/05 19:36

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Wow, I had no idea crows were so intelligent, territorial and united. Since I've had Leia I've learnt so many wonderful & interesting things about birds, as well as scary things. : )

I wouldn't like to keep leia house bound, she loves to go out so I really hope the crows have forgotten. But reading up on crows and reading your responses It is said that they never forget a face. Hope they don't keep persisting on driving us away coz that would be scary. But since the incident, it's been 24 hours, I haven't been out since but the area seems pretty clear arround the house. I wonder how they communicate so effectively to be able to collect a mob within seconds literally. It's amazing. First there was 1, then 2 or 3 and then hundreds!!!! :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

 

Post edited by: Leia, at: 2009/09/06 08:52<br><br>Post edited by: Leia, at: 2009/09/06 08:57

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It's the old Aesop's Fable that Cambridge University recently demonstrated - I think personally it's all training - the rook was in a cage and the "trainer" gave the bird the stones to the rook to get the water level up so the it could get the worm. I really think it was "paper talk" that they were the smartest birds in the world.

 

Watch this link and see what you think - but this wasn't any wild bird - it's clearly trained!

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6753086.ece

 

Anyway - how can they work out a bird's IQ - have you seen those Mensa tests - how do they hold the pen? ;)

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My take on weighing intelligence in any critter is always gauged against human IQ test and capabilities.

 

If any critters were capable if giving humans IQ tests written by critters, we would probably be listed as low and severely lacking any living and survival skills and of course no perceptable communications other than body language. Those are the skills, intelligence, communicative and intuitive skills that keep them all living and healthy.

 

Some critters have better "Tool" usage skills than others, some have hunting skills, all have apparent "Plant Knowledge" to know what is safe and what is poisonous and some have the most advanced navigation systems on the planet, including fish and sea mammals.

 

I personally believe all creatures are sentient beings, know hurt, love (of some type), fear, pain and social skills.

 

The thing that sets Parrots and some birds apart, is when they have speech ability, we humans can actually some what communicate them and thus the "Light" goes on that critters a lot more than many humans believed or didn't want to believe.

 

I think trying to rate one critters over anothers is highly suspect and just guessing at best.

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