Crows have been considered bad omens related to the occult, evil, and death, particularly in Western-European beliefs: portrayed as familiars of witches (i.e., creatures or spirits summoned by a witch, usually to carry out tasks Murray, 2008), depicted as feasting on the corpses of the fallen at the battle and thus associated to the devastating loss of life (Marzluff & Angell, 2007), or simply linked to the forthcoming of unfortunate events in fictional texts (Soares et al., 2019), they earned the collective nouns of “murder” and “unkindness” for crows and ravens respectively. Because of the remarkable capacity of corvids to coexist within cities, suburbs, farmlands, landfills, and even industrial landscapes, they have also established themselves as a ubiquitous presence in our everyday lives (Marzluff & Angell, 2007).įrom ancient American civilizations to Asian folklore and European traditions, many corvid species – but particularly crows and ravens – have inspired myths and legends, becoming fascinating characters woven into the fabric of those cultural narratives (Król & Hernik, 2020). As many of these species are omnivorous, it is not uncommon that crows incorporate human-made foods into their regular diet, whether raiding overflowing trash cans (García-Arroyo et al., 2023), munching on roadkill (Schwartz et al., 2018), or stealing snacks from unsuspecting people and pets. ![]() Approximately 25% of the corvid species have demonstrated the ability to adapt to human-modified environments (Benmazouz, 2021), thriving on the resources offered by these habitats. Their cognitive abilities enable them to problem-solve, exhibiting complex social cognition, memory, and even tool use (Emery, 2004). The bond between people and corvids extends beyond the attention received for their curious behaviors. The Corvidae family is composed of 23 genera and 128 species spreading across most regions of the world, including the birds commonly known as crows, ravens, jays, and magpies (Winkler et al., 2020). Still, when it comes to intelligent and alluring birds, few can rival the captivating nature of corvids (Emery, 2006). There are thousands of avian species in the world, taxonomically classified into many groups. Because of their undeniable visual and acoustic beauty, remarkable abilities, and conspicuous presence in numerous different environments, these winged creatures often inspire and intrigue the human mind (Robinson, 2019). ![]() (Matsuo Bashō’s haiku, English interpretation by Dmitri Smirnov)īirds have been part of the human collective and incorporated as symbols in religion, art, science, and daily life across many cultures and time periods (Elphick, 2005). ![]() Gómez-Martínez 1 & Michelle García-Arroyo 2ġ Independent researcher, Lahti, Finland.
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