What Do Crows Eat? Interesting Food Habits You Need To Know!
Do you like crows? The answer would probably be No. Crows are usually regarded as noisy unattractive beings. But they are much more resourceful than you think. Crows are one of the most intelligent birds in the animal kingdom. They belong to the Corvus genus consisting of 45 exotic species. Being extremely clever birds, they have mastered the art of hunting down a variety of foods. Interestingly, they are known for hiding their food and have the ability to recall where they stored it over long periods of time.
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Crows And Their Extensive Food Habits
Crows are extremely adaptable and have a lifespan of almost 20 to 30 years. They are highly diligent and can survive under any circumstances at any cost. There is no place for ethics or morals when it comes to crows. They are well known for their cunning and quick-witted genes. This article is particularly aimed to delve into some interesting food habits of crows.
Food category of crows
Crows are omnivorous and eat a wide range of foods available. They even feed on rubbish, leftovers, and sewage. They are not downright omnivorous like vultures, eagles, or hawks and mostly feast on dead or killed animals and birds.
In general, crows eat anything including dead fish, fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains, and even garbage. They are also infamous for their looting habits as they steal food and eggs from people and bird nests.
What kind of foods do crows eat?
While considering the food habits of crows, it would be easier to take into account what they don’t eat. In short, crows are comfortable with eating anything their eyes fall upon. This can range from seeds, nuts, fruits, lizards, mice, fish, snakes, and food plundered from houses. They will happily thrive on any food they come across, although there are some that they particularly enjoy. Here, I have listed some foods that you can feed a random crow in your yard or keep in mind in case a need arises.
⚫Nuts
Crows love eating a variety of unsalted nuts like almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, and many more. They are clever enough to drop shelled nuts on roads so a passing vehicle can hit and deshell it.
⚫Seeds
Watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds are a few among crows’ favorite seeds.
⚫Grains
Crows eat different grains like wheat, millet, corn, oats, rice, barley, etc. Scattering a few grains in your backyard can attract crows to come and feed.
⚫Eggs
Eggs are of their much-loved foods. They mainly feed on chicken and duck eggs and do not miss any chance to steal them from nests.
⚫Insects
Insects can sometimes be a nuisance in our yards. Thanks to crows, they can help get rid of them by eating. Some of these are crickets, caterpillars, spiders, worms, beetles, and locusts, to name a few.
⚫Junk food
Like humans, crows crave junk foods like pasta, chips, cookies, popcorn, etc.
⚫Meat
Although crows are omnivorous, they mostly feed on dead and discarded meat of animals and birds. You can find crows crowding around meat and fat waste from houses.
⚫Seafood
If they get the chance, crows would love to eat any kind of sea treat like varieties of fish, sea urchins, clams, oysters, and whatever they can afford.
⚫Small animals
Crows are not known for hunting down animals, but they do kill and feast on tiny ones like mice, frogs, lizards, shrews, small birds, snakes, and reptiles.
⚫Vegetables and fruits
Crows eat various fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, bananas, cherries, figs, potatoes, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, beans, and more.
⚫Water
If you keep a bowl of water in your yard, you can find crows and other birds drinking and bathing. Crows drink a lot of water like many other birds and animals.
⚫Human foods
Crows are comfortable with eating man-made foods like bread. They eat anything without salt and sugar.
⚫Dog food
Crows are likely to rob your dog’s food if you leave it open. If you want to feed crows, dog or cat food is best to be soaked in water to avoid choking.
Summary:
Crows are highly intelligent and are known for hunting in groups. They work together in unbelievable ways to find and capture food sources. The food habits of crows may vary in different species. The techniques and tools used by crows to hunt down food make them some of the most interesting birds around.
