HELP

Behaviors of crows, ravens, magpies, and jays

Finding food on lawns

Finding crows, ravens, magpies, and jays

What should I do if I find crows but haven't set up a study site yet?

Where can I study crows?

Crows Count methods

Practicing

Count each bird only once

Collecting data

Why your data are important

What if I don't see any birds?

CROW BEHAVIOR

Finding food on lawns:
Many crows and their relatives eat insects and worms they find in grassy areas. Even when it appears that the bird is just "walking around" it is probably searching for these juicy soil creatures. This is called foraging even if you never see it eat. Take a minute to watch a crow when it is walking on a lawn. Is it finding any food?

FINDING CROWS, RAVENS, MAGPIES, AND JAYS

What should I do if I notice a flock of crows and I want to study them immediately?
If you see a group of crows, ravens, magpies, or jays and decide that you will observe them immediately but you have not yet recorded any habitat information, follow these steps:

1. Make your observations, recording numbers and species of corvids, numbers of sentinels, and behaviors.
2. Take notes on the habitat characteristics (e.g. lawn, shrubs, traffic, pedestrians, etc.).
3. Fill out the habitat forms and tally sheets as soon as you are able to print them out.
4. Return to the study site to complete the habitat form if necessary.

For example, you are getting off the bus near a park and you notice a group of crows. You decide you'd like to take a few minutes to observe them. Write down the time (start and end), the amount of time you spent watching, your counts, and the corvids' behaviors. Also, take good notes about the study site. When you return to your computer, download and print the tally sheets and habitat forms and fill them in. If necessary, return to the study site to get more accurate habitat description. If you want to collect more count information then begin a new tally sheet each time your do a count at your study site.

Where can I study crows, ravens, magpies, and jays?
You can report Crows Count data for any location in any city at any time. You can even participate in a city while you are vacationing. First, learn what crows, ravens, magpies, and jays live in the city you plan to visit. Then, print out the habitat forms and tally sheets and take them with you. Conduct the project just as you would if you were at home.

"CROWS COUNT" METHODS

Practice identifying birds
If you already know how to identify crows, ravens, magpies, or jays, you can get started right away. If you don't know how, you can still participate. Start by learning about one species; click here for a list of birds in the crow family that are frequently seen in cities. Be sure to determine if the species you choose lives in your part of the country.

Try to count each bird only once
During your count, the birds may fly from one location to another. Record each bird only once. If a bird flies out of sight and later a bird flies into your study area, assume that it may be the same bird and don't count the second bird.

COLLECTING DATA

Why your data are important:
Your data will provide estimates of bird densities in urban areas. Densities are counts of birds in a specific area, such as a city block or an acre. Few projects provide bird densities because they fail to report the size of the observation area. Your data on bird density are valuable for scientific research on birds.

What to do if I don't see any birds
If you return to a study site but no birds show up, be sure to report the data anyway. It's just as important for scientists to know when birds are not there as when they are there. For example, you always take five minutes to look for crows or jays when you get off the bus in the afternoon. On days when you don't see any birds, you should report "no birds seen".