The short answer to that question is Yes. Crows do eat birds. They will kill and eat eggs, nestlings, and even adult birds if they can get their hands on one.
It is important to note that while this is possible, it isn’t a usual one.
Despite that, crows are one of the many predators eating young and adult of other bird species.
Now, let’s dive into this more.
Contents
What birds do crows eat?
There is no reliable support or proof that crows eat a particular type or kind of bird.
Crows are omnivores, and they have a wide range of options when it comes to their diet.
Thus, they can eat pretty much anything aside from birds.
Even so, a lot of witnesses can prove that crows have an eye for other birds.
Forums show that pigeons, sparrows, and swallows pop up when talking about crows.
While they usually end up in a crow’s diet list, let’s take a look at the birds according to their characteristics.
Baby Birds or Nestlings
Baby birds or nestlings left by their mothers are the most usual target of crows.
Without their mother, baby birds and nestlings are unable to protect themselves. Thus, they become an easy target for crows.
A lot of people in forum websites shows that crows tend to gather around trees or houses. It is where they find nestlings and even eggs.
Small Birds
Crows can also eat any type of bird with a body build that is smaller than theirs.
Crows are intelligent enough to know if a bird is dangerous to them or not.
While they can also attack bigger birds that are easy to kill, they prefer smaller birds.
Domestic birds
Domestic birds are the type of birds that are easy to find.
They live in open farms and backyards, which are easily located by crows.
Domestic birds such as chickens or pigeons are also easy to kill. Or, at the very least, weakened by small accidents.
For this reason, crows make up their usual diet by diving into these birds.
Chickens are the type of animals that tend to fight back if harassed, especially the adult ones.
Thus, if crows would attack chickens, they would more likely eat the chicks or the eggs.
Adult chickens are overprotective to their young.
Thus, it would probably end in a fight if they attack chicks and eggs in the mother’s sight.
When it comes to pigeons, they are pretty easy to kill, even for a crow.
A crow would attack a pigeon more likely if it’s alone rather than with a flock.
Dead Birds
The eating of carrion is an observed behavior for crows. Thus, crows would eat whatever type of bird it is, or even any other animal.
Crows are famous for being scavengers. They are always on the lookout for every food opportunity.
Once they see the roadkill or any dead body of a bird lying around, they dig into it.
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Do crows eat dead crows?
Yes, crows do kill other crows. They fight with each other a lot, both within their family groups and outside of them.
Still, when it’s with family, it’s usually not as serious.
With crows outside their family they may be fighting to defend mates, food, or territory boundaries.
If it’s a family member, crows do a completely different thing.
Once they see a dead family crow, they gather around.
Then, they hold a funeral.
Interesting, right?
The funeral of crows
Unlike other birds, crows do pay attention to their dead.
A lot of birds, and even other animals, usually don’t care about their dead fellow-creature.
Usually, if other animals see a dead fellow animal, they would ignore it.
However, it’s not the same for crows.
When crows see another dead crow, they let out their famous loud caw, which attracts fellow crows.
Afterward, they gather around their dead.
The purpose of the gathering is not to eat the dead crow.
The crow funeral is their way to learn the dangers surrounding them within the safety of the group.
They went on studying how their fellow crow died, and will also alarm other crows for safety.
By looking at the dead crow, they can understand the cause of death and even analyze who did it.
If it’s because of a particular animal or person, they will know it and never forget it.
Smart, right?
Now let’s get back to the dead.
Why do crows take the eyes of the dead first
Crows won’t have any problems preying on other birds, as they have a soft body to tear apart.
If you still didn’t know, crows would go for the eyes of the dead first when they are eating, and there’s a reason for this.
Eyes are one of the softest parts of a body. By getting the eyes, crows can afterward dig into the brain.
Many birds have a hard time cutting into a dead carcass. Thus, they rely on tearing the soft bits out and slowly working inside if it’s still intact.
If it’s roadkill, then the body will already be open. If such, crows would more likely skip the eyes or anus and directly munch the good stuff.
Can you protect baby birds from crows?
This question is hard as anything you could do to scare the crows away will also scare the nesting birds.
Keeping crows from stealing eggs and baby birds would be hard since it’s part of a crow’s natural behavior.
Even so, you can still put up some measures to protect your area from crows.
It would most likely scare nesting birds as well, but it should do well in protecting your plants and crops.
Place a flexible bird netting
If you found a nest in your backyard and want it protected from crows, you can use a flexible bird netting. A four-inch mesh will do the job of keeping crows out, and at the same time, it will allow smaller birds through.
Do some visual scare tactics
You can hang some shiny pie tins or CDs. You can also use some Mylar scare tape, balloons, scarecrows, and flags. An old-fashioned scarecrow should also work.
Change the positions of your scaring equipment
Crows are smart enough to realize that your equipment is not a threat. By changing the position of these items, you can confuse crows and keep them away.
Add some fishing line or any cord
Apply fishing lines or any type of cord in grid patterns above the garden. It can prevent crows from entering from the sky.
Summary
- Crows eat birds. They will feed on nestlings, small birds, and even adult birds if they get their hands on one.
- Crows eat all kinds of birds. Still, they would go for Baby birds or nestlings, Small birds, Domestic birds, and Dead birds.
- While they eat other birds, they can also eat their fellow crow. For family members that died, they gather around to study it rather than eating it.
- Crows would take on the eyes of the dead first. They do it if the body of the prey is hard to tear. It’s not a problem if they are eating birds as they are easy prey.
- It’s hard to protect nests from crows, as anything that will scare them will also scare the nesting birds.
- Still, you can keep the crows away from your area using some simple measures.
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