Carrion crows have an evil reputation

Crows, ravens and rooks have a bad public image, traditionally associated with corpses and the aftermath of battlefields and the like.
A carrion crowA carrion crow
A carrion crow

The name ‘carrion crow’ really sums it up.

There are actually two forms, the black ‘carrion crow’ and the part-grey ‘hooded crow’, or ‘hoodie’.

The latter tends to be found in northern and western British such as Scotland and Ireland, and also across northern Europe.

Prof Ian D RotherhamProf Ian D Rotherham
Prof Ian D Rotherham
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It is a rather stunning bird. However, of all our bird species, the carrion crow must rank among the most unloved, and they have been persecuted for centuries.

In urban areas today, alongside magpies and jays, they have made a significant recovery in both numbers and also in becoming less wary of people.

Crows are long-lived, adaptable, and highly intelligent too.

In the past, park-keepers or ‘parkies’ would shoot out the nests of all these birds, and gamekeepers and farmers also actively ‘controlled’ them. This was with some good reason, as crows are inveterate consumers of eggs of other bird species, if they get a chance.

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Hill farmers have always worried about crows attacking new-born lambs and what are known as ‘cast’ ewes, sheep rolled onto their backs and unable to rise.

Ravens and crows developed reputations for attacking such vulnerable livestock and pecking out their tongues and eyes.

Certainly, both these birds will be drawn to carrion such as a ewe’s after-birth, or a stillborn lamb, for example.

Furthermore, both are big birds armed with sharp intelligence and even sharper beaks; so who knows the real story - I have no doubt some gory events do happen.

Nature, often red in both tooth and claw, is not kind.

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However, it is likely the evil reputation is also acquired by association with carrion-eating habits and the worse activities are probably rare.

Historically, crows, ravens, rooks, and kites were valued as the scavengers of medieval towns and villages, freely cleaning up the debris of human waste.

Things changed with game preservation and more hygienic towns.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Prof Ian D Rotherham, of Sheffield Hallam University, is a researcher, writer and

broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues

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