That Bird Blog – Bird Care and History for Pet Birds
Uploaded to Wikipedia Commons by Snowmanradio
My fascination with Corvids (crows, ravens, jays and their relatives) began in childhood, when I cared for injured American Crows and Blue Jays. In time, I was able to work with their exotic relatives at the Bronx Zoo, and was thrilled to observe the antics of Japan’s famous tool-using Carrion Crows (please see article below) in the wild. Possessed of keen intelligence, insatiable curiosity and voice-mimicking abilities, hand-raised crows have few equals as avian pets. Native Corvids are protected in the USA, but foreign species may be kept, and several are regularly bred by hobbyists. Among these is the spectacular African Pied Crow, Corvus alba, which makes as responsive a pet as can be imagined.
Description
Although not common in the US pet trade, the Pied Crows that appeared in recent Windex TV ads have now made the species somewhat recognizable. Once seen, this 20-inch tall bird will not be forgotten. The Pied Crow sports an impressively-thick black beak that is midway in size between that of the American Crow and the White-Necked Raven (please see photo). A brilliant white collar and breast contrasts sharply with the glossy, jet-black plumage.
Range and Habitat
Africa’s widest ranging Corvid, the Pied Crow occurs south of the Sahara and inhabits most of the eastern and southern portions of the continent. They are also found on Aldabra, Madagascar, the Comoros and other nearby islands.
Pied Crows favor open forests and wooded scrub, but are often most common near towns, cities and farms. They do not occur in the rainforests or deserts.
African Pied Crows as Pets
Even casual observation reveals crows to be unusually intelligent…and not “just” by bird standards! Recent studies have shown that their tool-making and problem-solving abilities are on par with those of some great apes (please see articles linked below). Both ornithologists and those who have worked with crows generally consider them to be the most intelligent of all birds…apologies to parrot fanciers!
All are excellent mimics, and need little if any encouragement to copy sounds and words. Naturally social, crows quickly bond to their owners and may even learn to respond to simple commands. Their great intelligence is accompanied by a sensitive nature…despite being quite bold, Pied Crows are easily stressed by unthinking behavior on the part of their owners. They will not forget actions they perceive as threatening, so be careful not to make any mistakes…please post below for further information.
Another aspect of their brilliant minds is the capacity for mischief, and the need to manipulate, and if possible destroy, anything they can get their massive beaks on. This is an outgrowth of their natural behavior, and cannot be “trained” away. Pied Crows should never be left at large in a room that is not completely “crow-proofed”. Before allowing your bird access to a room, go through it as if you were about to release a gang of toddlers, and then check again!
Uploaded to Wikipedia Commons by Richard001
Housing
Pied Crows are large and very active, and need ample flight space. They will not adapt to commercial bird cages…even those designed for the largest macaws are far too small. A custom-built or commercial outdoor aviary, or a properly-outfitted indoor room, is the only option for a pet Pied Crow.
Crows kept outdoors tend to be very active and vigorous. Although they can be acclimated to cold weather, heated shelters are a must in temperate regions. Indoors, Pied Crows are best located where they can observe people…they also take an interest in televisions and phone conversations. Please post below for further information on aviary location and set-up.
Even if provided adequate space, Pied Crows will languish if not stimulated by toys, behavioral enrichment, and out-of-cage time. Daily interaction with people is essential if they are to remain handle-able. Concerning handling, it must be understood that the beak is a formidable weapon, and that even accidental injuries can be severe. Please post below for further information on handling.
Diet
Although they take an incredibly wide range of foods, Pied Crows have distinct carnivorous leanings. Rodents, carrion, eggs and insects form a large part of the natural diet.
Uploaded to Wikipedia Commons by Greg Hume
Crow owners have had success with diets based on cat and dog foods, but I prefer a diet similar to that I’ve used for many Corvid species in zoos. Commercial bird-of-prey diet, into which I mix pigeon pellets and softbill food, provides the bulk of their food intake. I believe that whole mice (or chicks) and insects are essential in assuring proper calcium intake and general good health. Tossing a handful of crickets or other insects into your crow’s aviary is a wonderful way to keep the bird occupied, especially if the insects are able to hide. Canned grasshoppers, snails and other invertebrates can be used to provide critical dietary variety. A wide range of vegetables, chopped nuts, and fruits (in moderate amounts) should also be provided. Hard-boiled eggs are an especially favored treat.
The Pied Crow’s natural diet contains a good number of whole animals, and is likely calcium-rich. In addition to pink or adult mice, pets should receive calcium and vitamin/mineral supplements. Natural sunlight and full spectrum bulbs will help assure adequate Vitamin D levels.
Further Reading
Do Tool-Using Crows Surpass Parrots and Apes in Intelligence?
hello,
Just read your page. Great info.
Just wanted to let you know the last photo is not a Pied crow, it is a White necked raven.
I dont know if you were aware of that or not, but I believe when you attempt to teach or inform people, they need to have the right info. A picture of a White necked raven on a Pied crow info page would lead one to believe that it IS a Pied crow. The beak structure are very different.
That ravens beak is the biggest distinguishing factor, if some one sees that beak and associates it with a pied crow, they will be misinformed.
I just worry that poor kid will be on a field trip to the zoo with his class, they come to the White necked raven cage. The kid “recognizes” the black and white bird with the huge beak. He decides hes gonna show off to the cutest girl in the class. He leans in to her and tells her its a Pied crow. She smiles, looks at the sign on the cage and says, “It’s a White necked raven, dumb ass!”, and walks away. LOL! J/k….could happen….
anyway that’s my .02. I hope I havent offended you in any way, it was not my intention.
Take care,
Joe
Hello Joe,
Thanks for your interest; I’ll look into it…I don’t always get to see photos before they go in.
As a kid, I dreamed of meeting a girl who would be impressed by my animal-smarts; to no avail, unfortunately…but then again, I did grow up in the Bronx!
Best, Frank
Hi I’ve recently given a home to a carrion crow and an African pied crow. They came from a rescue centre and the pied crow has really bad gout in her feet due to her only wanting to eat meat. I’ve been advised to just try to get her to eat other things and this should improve. I’m making mixtures of fruit, veg, bread, nuts and mixing in a third of meat in a blender in order to get her to eat other things. Also been giving her natures diet dog food low in protein. She would still prefer just meat but is eating and can now stand on her feet but the still very swollen. I’ve had her a month is there any advice you could offer re diet that may help her condition? Thanks janine
Hello Janine,
The steps you’re taking are ideal…crows won’t starve themselves (smarter than that!) and will adapt in time.
Even if gout was accurately diagnosed (many conditions show similar symptoms), other problems can arise from that….the bird begins to favor one leg or the other, perches differently etc and strains the feet; also, other nutritional problems may be associated with the bad diet. Improper perching could be a factor, esp as owner did not have a good handle on proper care, etc. Difficult to make suggestions without having a full picture of all that is going on, health-wise; A work-up by an experienced avian vet is advisable. Pl keep me posted, best, Frank
Thanks for your quick response. She has seen a vet at the centre and I’ve been told to give her a couple of months to see how she goes on before taking her to another vet as there is nothing they can really do. I’ve been told she was living with a group of crows and had a mate for 8 years but he rejected her, she got depressed and they had to take her out as the other crows began to bully her. After that she went down hill, lost condition and began the fussy eating. I wouldn’t say she is depressed now but she doesn’t bath or preen, I’m bathing her a couple of times a week. She doesn’t like it but looks and smells much better. She seems to like the company of the carrion crow who is next to her. She sits watching him he’s very lively n vocal. I was told they could go in together but he has a few problems and in the past has had two broken legs and someone has badly clipped his wings. He is very friendly but then will suddenly bite for no apparent reason especially when changing his food and water dishes. So don’t want to put them together in case he becomes aggressive with her. He is also very greedy and I wouldn’t be able to tell what she is eating so for now they will have to stay separate.
Thanks for the update, Janine. Like parrots and some others, crows are very intelligent, socially complex…this makes them quite interesting, but also complicates captive care. Please keep me posted, I hope all goes well, Frank
Hi Joe
Thanks for a wonderful informative site.
Thought you might be interested in my African Pied Crow, Mortimer. I live in a country where these amazing birds are indigenous. We found Mort as a 3-week-old baby who we presume had fallen out of his nest. We couldn’t find a nest in any of the large trees nearby, so we took him home. We discussed outside aviaries for when he was older, and by the time we had decided on where to put it, Mort had taken to roosting on the top of our bedroom door at night …. and the rest is history.
He doesn’t have an aviary, has free range of the house and garden, and despite how scary that sounds, it actually works. We have a very large house and garden. When we go to bed at night, we find bundles of sticks, stones, etc that he is squirreled away. I think he sort of sees our bed as his nest, as he will patrol up and down it, and not even let my kids on it sometimes. I spent a lot of time with him when he was still a baby, keeping him in my shirt and taking and singing to him, so he has imprinted on me completely.
What is interesting is how the wild pieds interact with him, we have thousands flying around here. Mort will parade around on the verandah, cawing and immediately there will be a few wild pieds who are interested. They come and sit in the big trees in front of Mort or right onto the roof and look at him and Mort clacks his beak at them. He then starts to show off, and actually brings some of his toys outside and nonchalantly plays with them. The wild crows come closer and closer, until our dogs come out and they move off.
He is, without doubt, the most intelligent animal I have ever seen. Surprisingly, he is great friends with our cats and they often all hang out together.
He is now 20 months old and literally, does rule the roost. It’s a great way to get my kids to pick their toys up “or Mort will get it”. He responds to his name, you can call him from anywhere in the house and garden and he will come jumping to find you.
I am not sure if he knows he is a bird.
Many thanks again for your great site.
Kind regards
Claire
South Africa
So nice of you to write in with thus , Claire..thanks very much! Many of my readers are in the USA, and so are fascinated by first-hand accounts with these birds,. Please keep me posted, Best, Frank
Frank:
I have a question but first…
I grew up on the Farm many years ago. At that time it was well known that Crows were very intelligent. Then you could keep them as Pets.
I remember a young Raccoon, a small lively rat terrier and a pair of “Clipped Wing” crows “Going at it in the neighbors front yard.
Frank:
My finger slipped. Anyway.. call it Tormenting each other or just having a good time, they would go at for a while get all exhausted and lay down and rest..until one of the crows would tweek the tail of either the Raccoon or the Terrier.
Now my Question..When young pigeons are raised in a “cote” they, when when grown, will always return to their “cote” each evening.
Will young African Crows act the same way ?
Thank you
dh
Hi Dale,
Amazing how some animals interact in captivity…I have seen similar, especially with raccoons and skunks, thanks!
Crows establish territories in the wild, but young ones move away from their parents’ range (usually)…captivity changes all that, however, so it’s not really possible to predict. I know people who have released hand-reared American crows..most returned for meals etc for a time, then moved off. Best, Frank
Thank You
Frank:
I’ve been obsessed with crows these days. If I click on a website I always search for more, and at the end I have more than ten different windows that talk about crows. I’ve been wondering if I can get a pure black crow as a pet. I saw those pied crows, and they are awesome, I swear. But I also am obsessed with the color black…and I’m not sure about those hybrids of pied crow, brown necked raven, etc. And I know I’m going to get in a LOT of trouble if I take a baby from the nest (that is cruel and I might just go to prison) so I need something that’s…legal. So. Any ideas? Hope you reply! Thanks.
PS, I am going to get a pet crow exactly three years later because I can’t get one earlier for a few reasons, so feel free to take as much time as you need, but at least reply? Thanks again.
Hello Skye,
Crows are protected in the USA and may not be kept as pets. However, you can work with them if you become licensed as a wildlife rehabilitator…many injured and unreleasable crows are turned over to rehabbers each year. Please see this article for more info.
African and other exotic crows and ravens may be legally kept in the USA…tend to be extremely expensive, and need a great deal of room, however.
Please let me know if you need more info, happy new year, frank
Frank,
I’m glad I found your website, there are a lot of interesting points here that I appreciate very much. I am in the process of obtaining a Pied Crow this year and I am converting half of a spare bedroom into an aviary.
The problem I have is the windows. How can I properly barrier my window, making it accessible for ventilation yet crow proof? The space otherwise is an L shape with ample room for perching and flight. I also have a weathering yard he will be able to use for plenty of out-of-cage time.
If there is any advice you can give me on my window, I’d really appreciate it! Thanks!
( ´ ▽ ` ) Navera
Hi Navera,
Thanks for the kind words., much appreciated.
Good that you’ve considered this…if there’s a way out, a crow will find (or create!) it.
I would say the best option would be to have security/burgler grating installed by a professional. I have seen security window grills that are small enough keep the bird in while allowing for ventilation. Enjoy, Frank
Hello I’m also from South Africa and I have a baby pied crow. He’s 40 days old now and very healthy. I was told to only feed him raw chicken and beef/mince (no fat). I saw on an earlier comment that a crow had gout in his feet because of only eating meat.
What is the correct food to be feeding my baby crow? When can I start giving him a more balanced diet?
I’ve only had him for a few days but what an amazing little bird. He already gets along with my cats and has such a personality!
I’d really appreciate any tips and advice regarding diets for young crows. Thanks!
Hi there,
In the wild, baby crows would be fed the pre-digested diet of their mothers. Being omnivores that could consist of many different things. As the person in the comment which you are referring to stated, I would reccomend feed a blended mix of bits of meat, plants, seeds, fruit, insects, etc.
I have always wanted to get a pet pied crow, so this page was very helpful. I was wondering if I raised a pied crow from a hatchling, would I be able to let it wander around my home, if it’s an area with a decent amount of forestation? I’d like to have one as a pet, but I’d want it to be able to feel free. Would it return to my home and its enclosure? Or would I be able to train it to do that before the sun sets? I know they’re incredibly smart birds, so I didn’t know if that’d be possible or not.
Frank no longer is in charge of the blogs, but I did find something that may be right up your alley; http://foxloft.com/exotics/zen I would suggest reaching out to them, as they have hands on experience.