As I pass through the cemetery on my dog walk there’s a couple of crows who often hang around in a certain corner.
In an attempt to befriend them, for the past year or so I’ve been making loud sort of crow noises and leaving a dog treat or two on the top of the same gravestone in the hope of them associating the strange human skwawks with a gift. A few days ago I nearly gave up bothering as it’d never worked but didn’t want to risk it
The crows were not around as is fairly common.
I put a couple of treaty crumbs in the usual spot and when I was about 20 metres further on I checked back and there it was, a gorgeous beautiful crow
Yesterday was the same. No sign of the crows, skwawk, leave treat, skwawk, give Dolly a treat cos she’s cottoned onto it by now. Check back and there’s the splendid beastie again!
I was buzzing all the way home. I’m going to go again soon
They’re super smart. Depending on which crow and your dog, they might be smarter ;)
I tried figuring out the bylaws for keeping them as pets. They aren’t migratory, so it appears the regulations largely depend on your local jurisdiction.
In America it is illegal to keep a wild crow or raven as a pet as they do fall under the migratory bird act. You can get a permit to care for one that needs rehabilitation for 6 months, like injured or chicks, but that comes with it some requirements that you will not easily meet. To indefinitely own a crow or raven means a special permit that is also very hard to get.
You can legally own a non-native crow or raven, but they are loud and messy. Also they cost thousands of dollars to buy and need all the space you came give them. Their social needs are arguably more than a parrot, so you basically have to have someone home all the time. If you are thinking “I’ll get two! Twice the crow friends!”, not ideal because they will favor the other bird over you and there may be other issues caused by having multiple crows.
Heartbreaking, I know, I wish I could have a pet raven too. The reality is that, legality aside, it is best to make a wild crow/raven friend if you want to experience them up close. They are pets that demand a lot of you in multiple ways that you almost certainly can’t provide. To love them means you want to provide them with the best life and that means letting them be wild and visit with you when they feel inclined.
Make a crow friend, don’t buy a crow pet.
I’m in Canada, if that makes a difference. Ravens, in particular, are year long residents and stick around for the winter even in extreme subarctic regions. I had a colleague at the Canadian Wildlife Service who write regs on migratory birds check into the federal level regs for me and it would be fine.
It’s the city regs that don’t work. Apparently there are vestigial laws regarding keeping pigeons though, dating to messenger pigeon eras…