For Halloween, we’d thought we’d write about a bird who really gets into the spirit of the season. Their silvery grey waistcoats match the dreary autumn skies, and their rough caws are synonymous with eerie places and foreboding feelings. October’s bird is the hooded crow (Corvus cornix), known here at home as Caróg liath.
You may ask, why this crow and not the traditional, all-black, carrion crow? Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the carrion crow is extremely common in the UK and western Europe, they are an incredibly rare accidental visitor to Ireland. BirdWatch Ireland tells us there’s a small breeding population established in parts of coastal Co. Down, so maybe sometime next year we’ll take a trip and see if we can find them. If we do, I’ll make sure we talk about them next Halloween.
But for now, let’s talk about the most stylish and mysterious corvid.
Crows have a reputation for being tied to the occult, of being omens and harbingers. Hooded crows are no exception, and they feature several times in Irish mythology. The most notable instance is probably the war goddess Badb, who was said to have taken the form of a hooded crow, and was sometimes known as Badb Catha (battle crow) because of it.
Badb would sway battles in the favour of her preferred side by sowing fear and uncertainty amongst the opposing soldiers, causing discord that would cost them the fight. She’d also appear before battles that would end in a large amount of bloodshed, as an omen of the carnage to come, or to foreshadow the death of a notable figure. It’s no wonder that these birds developed a reputation for being heralds of doom and destruction.
Badb is one of the three Morrígna, a trio of war goddesses. The other two members are her sisters, Macha and the Morrígan. The Morrígan appears in another myth that involves a hooded crow: the death of the famous warrior Cú Chulainn.
Cú Chulainn is said to have tied himself to a standing stone, so he could die on his feet, meeting the eyes of his enemies. Due to his ferocity in battle, his enemies don’t believe he’s dead until they see a hooded crow land on his shoulder. It is thought that the bird is a manifestation of the Morrígan, but might also be the wife of Tethra or a divine hag named the Cailleach.
Personally, I really like the grim association of hooded crows and dark omens. There’s nothing quite like walking through an area full of them and hearing their harsh cries to send a terrific chill down your spine, which is the exact experience we had when we visited North Bull Island some time ago.
We had initially gone to look for other birds, but after some time we noticed that there was quite a few hooded crows and they all seemed to be perched on the highest pole or sign they could find, like sentries guarding their territory. When we walked past, the ones nearest to us would all start cawing until we left the area. Hooded crows are part of the Corvid family, so it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they were smart enough to have figured out this surveillance tactic.
One particularly clever crow absolutely captivated us with its intelligence and creativity. We noticed that one was perched on a bike rack, and were about to start making fun of it for not being on higher ground like the rest of its friends, when it dipped its head down and started to sip on the condensed water droplets on the underside of the bar.
We were floored. We stood there gasping and cooing at the crow until it drank its fill and flew off. Dog-walkers and joggers gave us some very odd looks for it, and I wish they could have understood how brilliant it was. Not only did this bird learn that this water was drinkable, it figured out that the water would be there in the morning when the sun had begun to melt the frost. Truly a pioneer of bird brainpower.
That’s not the only way that crows have gotten smart about the things they consume. Hooded crows are omnivores, so their diet includes seeds, insects, carrion, and even eggs and young birds. They are adaptable and learn from their surroundings, for example, hooded crows who occupy coastal areas have learned to drop mollusc and crab shells from a height to break them after observing this behaviour from carrion crows. An old Scottish name for empty sea urchin shells was “crow’s cups”, after this phenomenon!
Hooded crows also hide food often to eat later, especially meat, nuts, and any insects that may unfortunately find themselves to be present on the meat and nuts. They’ll stash their food in places like rain gutters, flower pots, and the ground under bushes. Hooded crows also have the capacity to steal. Other crows will often watch a crow that hides food and then search the hiding place later when the first crow has left.
Hooded crows come from the most intelligent and charismatic family of birds, and possess their own unique charm. They serve a really important function, in that they dispose of carrion for us, and more importantly they look very stylish while they do it. I hope you have a Halloween as magical and fabulous as these bright little birds.
The Irish Bird Blog 