Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Fascinating crows

Rasha-al-Raisi
Rasha-al-Raisi
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For the past two years, I’ve been observing an interesting phenomenon that had occurred in our neighbourhood: the sudden appearance of crows. When we heard crows caw for the first time, Mom and I were astonished. To us, crows are only found in farm areas such as Al Seeb and Al Rumais but what brings them to residential areas? The answer was: pigeons.


Months after they’d inaugurated the big mosque in our area, pigeons came and found shelter in the corners of the beautifully designed roof. Residents — including my dad — started to feed the new arrivals which increased their numbers fast. Every day, I see pigeons descending from the roof once they spot a car of one of their many devoted feeders. The only predator that these pigeons face here are cars. Being situated on a busy side road meant that many of them get run over almost daily. And that’s what invited crows — the opportunist scavengers — to this new nutrient-rich habitat.


Crows and minas are my favourite birds that I like to observe — and recently — reading about. In my childhood, we’d spent most of our summer holidays in my grandpa’s farm. Crows were harvest destroyers, always pecking the fruits of chikoo, dates and mango trees to my grandma’s dismay.


Our farmer at the time — a Pakistani man called Jawaid — decided to fool the birds by building a scarecrow. I remember sitting and watching him tie two poles of wood together, before throwing one of his old shirts on it. The cross-shaped scarecrow was a true disappointment to me (I’d never seen a headless scarecrow in cartoons before) and to the crows (they used it as a perch, even when Jawaid decided to throw a cap on this pathetic creation).


Years later, while walking on the beach I saw a seagull pulling a fish out of the sea. Two crows suddenly appeared with the sole purpose of stealing the fish. Being team players, one worked on distracting the seagull while the other pulled the fish away. Crows are mentioned in the Holy Quran through the story of Cain and Abel. When Cain kills Abel, God sends the crow to show him how to bury his brother — which intensified his remorse.


However, in the Arabic heritage crows are always foolish birds. Take for example the story of the crow who stole a piece of cheese and lost it to the fox — who’d asked him to sing for him. Or the other one who painted himself white to join the pigeons (he was rejected instantly by them and later beaten up by his own group after failing to recognise him).


However, animal behaviour studies prove otherwise. Like many primates, crows are problem solvers and tool users. They have the ability to imitate human and animals’ voices, just like parrots. In North America — though it’s illegal — many people rescue crows and keep them as pets. The owners of these tamed birds report being gifted objects such as clothespins and glass pebbles. They also co-exist with other pets — such as cats and dogs — and they play together. Crows have a strong memory and remember their assailants (humans and animals alike).


Revenge takes many forms — cawing at and occasional attacks — but soiling seems to be their favourite method! Fascinatingly enough, information about the assailant is passed to other crows- which means that revenge could last for years! For more amazing stories and information about those intelligent birds, I’d recommend a book called: The Gifts of the Crow by John Marzluff and Tony Angel. It’s an amazing read that changes the way birds are perceived. Ramadhan Kareem to all!


Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com


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