Tool Use Sparks Friendship with a Young Crow

Here are the video highlights of my unusual experience of 3 sessions with the bird over 2 days. This friendly wild, yet somewhat tame, young crow has been making rounds in Pt. Richmond, CA. Does anyone know it’s backstory? Was it a rescue? An escaped pet? Or maybe just a smart bird that found a new method of tool use to get fed! It worked on me!
UPDATE: the bird turned out to be a rescue that was in the early stages of exploring its freedom. It would make its rounds in the neighborhood making friends with picnickers, hikers, cyclists, etc. After a few weeks it stopped coming around and probably found other crows more interesting than the humans! It seemed to be able to relate to other crows, just fine. I found out that the rescuer never took away the crow's freedom, and was always free to come and go. While growing up, the crow was able to hang out with the rescuers 2 golden retrievers.
I suspect that those who made friends with this crow will never forget the experience!

[@yomigonzalez9870]

I've heard if you are friends with a crow it will teach all its family that you are a friend. Maybe it's a family member of a crow you've been good to.

[@dreamsprayanimation]

They never forget a face.

[@rogerelzenga4465]

I think its the plums in the garden, and i bet this man would NEVER scare them away and encourage them to eat them ^^ that will make friends with crows real quick :p

[@carlcox7332]

My dad use to have a water heron that would ride around in his boat with him when he was fishing. It started out really young and my dad would always throw it bait he was catching so as it got older it would come out on his pier with him or ride in the boat. Eventually he got mature and disappeared for almost a year. Then one day my dad heard it out on the porch squeaking so he came outside and he had another bird with him. My guess it was his mate he was bringing to meet the family. But she wouldn't get close like the male would. He even named him chi chi lol he did stop coming around after bringing the other one over a couple times tho. I guess he had a family to take care of or something.

[@2to-tango]

@@carlcox7332 Nice story! Thank you for sharing. 💕

[@tommikaelsen9149]

Through peanuts, I've gotten the trust of generations of crow families and yes I believe they do teach friends and family who are the good guys and the bad guys. According to Dr. Marzloff they even teach their young ones before they are able to see you in the nest. They may even assign a specific "call" just for you to let everyone know you're around.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

Thank you for having enough faith in our attention spans to skip music.

[@fretnesbutke3233]

I worked at a zoo for 30 years and the animals changed me profoundly. We always underestimate their inner world, intellectually and emotionally. All I ask is to try to bring more gentleness into this beautiful,brutal world. Appreciate each one fully.🕯️

[@johnbryan2414]

I agree, they can change you, but only because you didn't understand they are more like us than we thought. They can't talk, but they certainly can speak, if you listen. I always imagine being in their shoes without being able to talk and I conclude that they do speak in the best way they know how. I mean if you had wings and couldn't talk, how would you try to convey something? It's not an easy task and they are better at it than most humans

[@SimAlex20000]

❤

[@Kingbimmy]

My mom worked as a docent at our local zoo for several years. She mostly hung out with the lions, elephants, lemurs, and apes. She was an animal lover long before then but that experience taught her SO much. I also was a docent, but for only a couple of months because I have such bad social anxiety. I’m really glad I did it though, I got to see a lot of animals behind the scenes and learn tons of stuff myself! It’s 100% life changing to work with animals

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

I had a crow as a child in the 70's named Big Bird. I've also befriended more crows than I can count. I've never seen a wild crow ever be so humanized. My guess is that he was human-raised and has been on his own for just a short time.

[@Furnus105]

Hey dude. How did you befriend them?

[@mbukay]

Yes, the bird turned out to be a rescue that was in the early stages of exploring its freedom. It would make its rounds in the neighborhood making friends with picnickers, hikers, cyclists, etc. After a few weeks it stopped coming around and probably found other crows more interesting than the humans!

[@harrymills2770]

@@mbukay I would guess it encountered someone or something that rewarded trust with harm, or you'd still see it on its rounds. But they are extremely social animals. It's rare to find one that's totally solo, which is why I think "released rescue bird" might be a pretty smart guess.

[@bajenbilly]

@@Furnus105 there are a couple good videos on how to do it, but you will basically just need food, time and patience.

[@jf5357]

@@bajenbilly and a crow :)

[@henchwench3815]

How wonderful! I have a crow that I started feeding during first lockdown. This year, 2023, she brought her mate and two kids for me to be introduced to. We 'do lunch' now daily with peanuts, ham, chicken and cat kibble. They let me know everything that happen in the neighbourhood. Better than a ring doorbell now. We all screech at strangers and the neighbourhood cats. The louder I screech the more they like it by appreciative croaks and much hopping. My Corvid Army grows...... I was the crazy cat lady but have diversified, just as my country wants me to..

[@putteslaintxtbks5166]

My brother found a young crow, that was still to young to fly and as there was no adults around to care for him, my brother brought him in and hand fed him and he became a member of our family. He learned to talk and liked to play ball (a small superball, he could hit it with his beak right to you and could do it better then us most of the time, getting it right to our hands), liked to tease the dogs (would save some meat and place were they would see it, either peck them on the nose when they tried to get it or pull it away so they couldn't get to it) and he was a clown, do things to make us laugh. We tried to get the crows around to take him in, but he wasn't interested in them. We were his family. Whe he was something like 4 years old, my father though he got into some anti-freeze and died. Very sad. We thought we would have him with us for the next 20, 40 years or however long they normally live. I still miss Sam like 40 years later.

[@loverainthunder]

💜really sweet. You had a crow as a family member.

[@ChrisHarmon1]

The good ones seem to go early. Hopefully there is a reason.

[@rovhalt6650]

I always make sure to leave no toxic stuff laying around. Dogs, cats and birds always seem to find it otherwise.

[@UberAV]

Only the good die young!

[@OnsideE]

RIP

[@copperbuttons7376]

I just purchased my 92 year old Dad a scraper for his birthday this week (he's very active) and I'm sending your video to him so he can watch while telling him this is the reason I gave him a scraper. It's not the real reason I gave him a scraper but I know he'll get a big kick out of this video as did it. Thank you for sharing this amazing encounter with a. very smart bird.

[@Zanthorr]

I'm getting my dad a scraper now

[@mbukay]

I would like to see your dad's face when he got the gift and saw the video!

[@bojnebojnebojne]

Yea these kind of rare interactions are very fascinating.

[@HeidiSue60]

One of the best things I ever saw, looking out the window while at a library one day...a crow came galloping along. And I mean galloping, with one step over exaggerated over the other. He stopped and picked up a something from the grass. A seed I think. Then he galloped along some more until he came to a small hole in the ground. He stuck the something in the hole, then covered the hole with a little beakful of grass and flew away. It was charming and made me smile.

[@mbukay]

Crows, like other corvids, like to hide food for future use. I often see this with jays.

[@teamoriel]

@@mbukay Squirrels also do the same thing.

[@skygh]

@@mbukay Well. They don't have pockets so

[@wizardsuth]

Many plants produce edible seeds that animals carry away, bury for later, and forget about. Both the animals and the plants benefit.

[@official_alphabet_inc]

If I ever see a corvid bury something, I'm gonna unbury whatever it is and fill the hole with seeds and nuts to give him a nice surprise :))

[@acrothdragon]

Pretty much anything shiny or curious sounds will peek a crows interest. They are very smart birds and able to recognize faces so as long as you toss them a peanut you'll have yourself a crow buddy for quite a while.

[@johnnyreb3542]

Yeah well, you better toss more than one! When they find out you’re the peanut man, they’re bringing everybody!

[@bobloerakker7010]

They are so cool!

[@buttersquids]

@@johnnyreb3542 I was sitting on a bench one time and I threw a peanut to a nearby crow (I actually have a bag of peanuts in my bag for this reason) and within minutes, there were about a dozen crows around the bench. That was a really cool experience!

[@tammyd.970]

I don't know if this is true, but I read that crows are actually frightened by shiny, reflective things (mirrors, CDs, etc), but are instead attracted to metal or metallic things. Sounds picky, but it does bear pointing out I think, as many birds are frightened off by highly reflective objects. I guess it depends on what we think of as 'shiny.'

[@scott6588]

I think he wanted the shiny stainless steel parts...so he was actually trying to figure out how to dismantle it. Fascinating birds.

[@technovikingfan]

What a lovely video! I have been trying to befriend the crows at my house for years, as they are simply amazing creatures. You have really received a wonderful gift and thank you for sharing it with us!

[@tammy5654]

Just keep tyring. Being nice and giving crows food will usually pay off and you'll have a friend for life. 👍👍☺☺

[@titicaca.]

@@tammy5654 I've always wanted to do this. Any tips? What do they prefer to eat?

[@CONEHEADDK]

Just get hold of a bunch of worms, and bring one with you, every time you go out. If you get the birds attention, and then obviously drop the worm for it to take, it will go very fast for it to become cool with you. Worms are "pure protein" and "all" animals love them.

[@tvdinner325]

We used to feed the crows daily. One, the smartest, would be there the earliest. He would eat his fill, hide some for later, and then fetch his friends to share what he "just" found.

[@alecedemama7480]

How buetiful

[@sethwarner644]

Imagine being a gentle old folk so kind you even befriend the birds, that's the future I want to live

[@tracypfau3896]

Thank you for having the love of crows or nature to STOP and experience this amazing moment in both of your lives. You are a special man and that crow knew it!

[@omnizen]

The calls of crows high up in the branches of trees in my neighborhood is like a soothing benediction. I wonder if anyone else noticed your young crow was almost exclusively interested and pecking at the orange parts of your scraper tool. Then he fetched a plum, which had almost the same color of orange flesh on the inside. I once rescued a fledgling crow that apparently had crashed against a wooden fence on its first flight out of the nest. I lifted it up out of the tall grass at the base of the fence and held it upright for a few minutes. I am quite sure that crow came back to visit occasionally for multiple years after that incident, even though I never fed it or held it again.

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

To each their own I suppose, but I'm not fond of the noise crows make, but I still feed them on occasion. I just wish they would SHUT UP. But I do like WATCHING crows and ravens though.

[@wizardsuth]

@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025 Perhaps you should leave the food some distance from your home. : )

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

@@wizardsuth I probably shouldn't be feeding wildlife, but I have observed RAVENS tend to make the crows "shut up".** The crows haven't made too much noise lately, but every once in awhile they make such a RACKET, I often wonder what EXACTLY they're saying to each other. (There are trees where I suspect a bunch of crows gather for some type of national or regional "convention". But like I said, I do like watching them....When they're quiet, or limit their "singing" or "oratory" to less than 5 minutes!😂😵😂😵) **I'm getting the impression ravens are some sort of "royalty" that the rest of covids seem to acknowledge. (They certainly have an air of nobility about them.) They make some noise, but their sounds are not as "obnoxious" to me as crows. The ravens are also a little bit more friendly and trusting towards me than the crows are...But then again crows are smart birds too--they probably know I'm not too fond of their "music", especially when I shout at them every once in awhile to "SHUT UP!!"

[@ashleys7631]

Just wow, the bird's curiosity is astounding!

[@Gledge9]

They are simply amazing. All the Corvids are. There's a lot to gain in life when you simply stop and take in the life around you. Spend some time in the woods and just observe and reflect, nothing more soothing to the mind.

[@midnightmosesuk]

Never mind the robots, it'll be the crows that'll take over.

[@zenos.5315]

I believe it was attracted to the sound and color of your scraping tool. You my friend have a friend for life.

[@_Coffee4Closers]

One thing to notice is that he keep pecking and pulling at the blade and that shiny chrome looking screw head on the base of the tool. Crows like shiny objects. It seems he was curious about the sound and then saw the shiny silver, and that interested him. It is pretty amazing that he is so unafraid of humans. Give him some peanuts and he will become your life long buddy. Crows are amazing birds, I just love them.

[@tammy5654]

Awww !!! ☺☺❤❤ What a wonderful video. Thank you for your kindness to this remarkable young crow. It's a privilege to be befriended by such an awesome bird. I can only wish to be as lucky as you to one day have a crow friend. I absolutely LOVE crows. I find them ingenious, loveable, and totally fascinating. Thank you so much for posting this lovely video. ☺☺❤❤👍👍

[@leahlemieux]

I'm glad you calm patience, kindness and open curiosity was so rewarded. :-)

[@AllenGlesser]

Fascinating! I hope it comes back often to visit you.

[@mbukay]

The crow did return 2 days after I posted the video. Was still interested in the scraper tool. This time it had some paint on its feathers, but not from my project.

[@imoldgreggboosh3467]

Thank you so much for not recording this in the estupido vertical phone format. I couldn't have watched that way, and this was so worth seeing.

[@Hotchpotchsoup]

The crow adopted the scraper and fed it some food 😊❤ Probably not tho

[@anyascelticcreations]

I'm with you that this guy looks as if he was raised by people. He's adorable.

[@rla1000]

His intense infatuation with that scraper is mind boggling.

[@mister9mm58]

I believe animals in general can see who is a good human, and so if they should be with them or not

[@ChristianPauchet]

Crows must wonder why their descendants didn't evolve hands, so much brains for such physiological limitations, kind of like the Orcas, both are able to perform complex tasks, planning, understanding of cause and effect, tool manufacturers and users, advance language, complex social structure, fascinating animals. Thank you for sharing this precious moment.

[@CONEHEADDK]

I think they wonder, why we don't fly

[@dreamsprayanimation]

Their ancestors had hands which they traded for wings and talons that work good enough for their needs.

[@giovanna8187]

@@CONEHEADDK Good question. 😁

[@uncomfortablynumb9800]

@@giovanna8187 Do you see a question mark? That person is sharing their thought. Not asking a question.

[@dexorne9753]

@@uncomfortablynumb9800 who got your panties in a bunch geez

[@Kayenne54]

Yes re: that beak. Glasses are a good idea too. They are known to pick out the eyes of other sick (much larger) animals...so keep those eyes protected. I wear glasses anyway, but would have to put sunglasses on when interacting with any bird that has a tendency to peck and is curious. The hat is good too 🙂 He's an absolute cutie.

[@NHisways]

What a fascinating video! Never knew crows could be so friendly.

[@Christ_Is_Life10-10]

You are very blessed to have a crow as a friend so easily! They normally stay away from humans unless their is repetitive positive contact over time.

[@joebuckhoff]

"Hahaha thanks for the water!" I'm planning on making friends with birds this spring in Plymouth MA. I did when I lived in W. MA building a bushcraft cabin. They went from seeing me as a threat to letting me know when bears were near. I tried to call some osprey at the lake across the street last summer when I gut hooked a few perch to give to them but they didn't get close to me. I would leave them on a branch sticking out of the water for them to have after I left. Hopefully this year they will remember me.

[@zerowhite2286]

Let us know if they do.

[@scottjosen2606]

My grandfather had a crow friend who would deposit neighborhood trinkets into the rear gutter on the house. Twice a year he'd collect and seek to return Zippo lighters, rings, beer tabs and such to owners. Beer tabs went mostly unclaimed. I had a young crow show up one day wanting to play. He was odd and persistent. At first i brain checked whether he might have rabies - no, birds don't get rabbies. We had fun for a bit with twigs and sweetgum balls until both remembering that we had something else to do. Smart buggers!

[@rubicon-oh9km]

Love the old school video and narration. It brought me back to the 70's as a kid watching an old 16mm movie on the projector.

[@MeatGawds]

He was a rescue no doubt. Great video. Crows are the greatest, and smartest birds. He AND his family will remain friends for life with you.

[@superbin6021]

the way you firmed the video is so professional

[@rosequeen49]

Adorable! Gonna have to start calling you the “bird whisperer”. 😉

[@mbukay]

Or maybe the "Frog Whisperer" kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKKwgXZviM-hrNE

[@rosequeen49]

@@mbukay You definitively have a gift that the animal kingdom is aware of!

[@cawdacity]

@@mbukay I don't know why that frog video made me laugh so hard but I was in tears

[@llcooksey]

That's amazing! Thanks for the video about a fascinating relationship!

[@MissEAG]

Loved this video, and got a good laugh when Alfie appeared looking like he just woke up from one of those naps when you can't even remember what day of the week it is or year lol!

[@paranuts7693]

An evolved ape helping another species evolve. I couldn’t think of anything more beautiful.

[@CaliforniaTravelVideos]

BEST EVER Mike!!! Kudos to the animal whisperer :)

[@Genetherapy3232]

Love his narration. Thanks for sharing

[@billyandrew]

A friend for life.

[@katherinereichelt879]

Thank you fot this!I am fascinated by crows and their intellegence. I try to win their trust with peanuts. Alfie is looking definately unpleased by fhe turn of events.

[@LeviathanoftheDanube]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZeloICXp55sotE

[@helencalnan.30]

A Brilliant Video.

[@steveo89]

I think he wanted to use the scraper to rip open the plum so he could eat it. I know they use tools to open hard nuts and they sometimes drop them in the path of a car so the tires crack it open. Smart birds.

[@lorriecarrel9962]

I learned that the orange circle shape of a baby birds mouth open stimulates the parent to feed it,that scraper I see has a orange part with a hole in it,that is why he was trying to put food in the hole on it,very cool to see that action of parenting being instinct driven

[@mobiusstripper7279]

I love your narration of this wonderful beginning to a beautiful friendship 💞

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

Finally! Finally, I found a video made by an intellegent person, a wise human being who does not drown out the natural sounds and his own voice in a chaos of unnecessarily annoying music! And it doesn’t stop there! He also deserves a big thank you for speaking so slowly, that we millions who don’t have English as a first language can understand most things.

[@ellenbrooks8061]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, it really was a joy to watch 💛

[@AlexxGamboa]

alfie was like 👁👄👁

[@mbukay]

Wondering, "What's going on here?"

[@Cdot2]

This is the kind of content I live for.

[@justjosh1400]

Thanks for the smiles

[@rachelcosgrove2048]

This video was ABSOLUTELY thrilling to watch. What a wonderful experience to have. Thank you for posting this, it has made my day.

[@Konabish]

That's great. Remember their curiosity for shiny things... as in eyeglasses. I've had a raven (I raised) peck at my glasses, but hitting my eye. Luckily it was a gentle peck. Lesson learned.

[@natethenub6595]

He's like the best narrator ever! Great video, love crows!

[@sanjayahlawat2826]

Thank you for your great video. Your observations and deductions were spot on. Hope you'll make more.

[@mbukay]

I think you will enjoy some of the other wild animal videos on my channel!

[@geoffreycartmill7717]

Crows absolutely love shiny stuff. They are amazed by nuts bolts anything silvery.

[@monicalange9709]

Oh lucky you! Thank you for sharing this. Fascinating!

[@angelamolnarpemberton5145]

Ok this entire video made me smile and feel so much love for an entire 7mins and 45 seconds. In fact I am still with my smile and feelings as I write this message right now. My favorite video. Thank you so much for sharing your new friend. 🙏🙏🙏🥰.

[@TroglodyteTim]

This is such a cool video! Thank you for posting it. :)

[@lisamitchell390]

Thank you for sharing your encounter with this curious crow.

[@sharonlaughingwater7809]

Thanks for sharing this lovely video

[@cobannie]

Corvids love finding, collecting, and keeping shiny things (coins, pop can tabs, screws / bolts, etc. Notice he was pecking a lot at the sheet metal and the screw. I think he wanted those.

[@fosterkennel649]

Wonderful video young man. What a wonderful experience you're having with the Crow. Blessings to you coming acha from the mountains of Southern Oregon

[@brownmoney27]

Lovely video. Really enjoyed your narration too!

[@victoriabaker4400]

Thank you for sharing this thoughtful expression of your experience. I really appreciate learning that he was being rehabbed. All best wishes.

[@mbukay]

You are so welcome!

[@julieprior3126]

What lovely encounter! And very relaxing narration to a superb video. Any update?

[@ianmclaughlin8987]

Wow, that was a great video and story, thanks for sharing this. Crows sure are amazing. I loved your dogs face expression, little videos like this make you-tube so amazing, thanks.

[@Watchmewatch5752]

love your story telling style

[@BrennanYoung]

What a sweetie. I must assume that this individual has had experience being close to humans, as they tend to be quite wary of strangers, taking some time to build up enough trust to approach so closely, even with those who feed them regularly. As you suggest, it may have been a bird that was rescued or nursed back to health after an injury. But it's fascinating to observe the peculiar interest in that tool. One thing that occurs to me is that a blade (clearly the focus of attention) has some similarities to a beak, and maybe the crow is hoping to learn from careful study how to tackle harder materials that its own beak may struggle with. (Or maybe it just likes the shiny steel).

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

Maybe he associated the scrapping sound with burrowing insects? Or, maybe he flew skull first into a window, at some point? Only the crow knows.

[@shereeroth191]

I love young crows, they are so silly and inquisitive! I live in the middle of Amsterdam, I have started to feed the crows from my 3rd-storey apartment on the windowsill. Every morning I awake the scout is waiting for me, I let out a kauw, my interpretation of crow language to say good morning! I open the window and replenish the cache of nuts, in no time at all one is collecting the treasure. What is funny is that in over 2 days of feeding, the pigeons are seen less often as the crows have claimed me as territory, but today I saw a cheeky magpie, it will be interesting to see how this goes with the crows!

[@WeRNthisToGetHer]

That is adorable. He likes you a lot. He was a rescue I bet. What a sweet friend to make.

[@benaiahandbaruch]

😲 This is extraordinary and beyond endearing! 😍 💕 Thank you so much for sharing!

[@alisonhilaryco1898]

Wow! How cool! I love crows. They are such characters. Your crow friend is awesome!

[@gregoryemmanuel9168]

What a wonderful experience, thank you for sharing!

[@cailin9633]

Thanks for sharing this with us! I hope he brings you shiny things

[@Sobieski1]

”Thanks for the water” Man this video was such a delight, thank you!

[@Thetruepianoman]

I watch lots of videos of animals because they bring me lots of joy but it's rare a person does too. Thank you for sharing your footage and yourself

[@barrywestfall6935]

I just love this sir! Amazing

[@elfchick2264]

That’s a really special thing to happen to you. Congrats! 🎈

[@coffeediction]

HAHAHAHAHA that ending.. "a true gentleman and a scholar"

[@lenwenzel7440]

Crows love their toys and playmates.

[@sabush50]

Thanks for sharing this video❤️

[@MrColtnutz]

This is pure gold for the heart!!!!

[@rooroo8767]

Amazing video. You’re blessed

[@xGUNxBUNNYx]

I have a large gentle Doberman. He loves sunbathing and murders gather around him as they’ve learned he won’t bother them. It took me a while to to figure out why his large kibbles were in his water bowl. It was the crows. They dipped them to soften them up to be easier to eat.

[@carolomeara6607]

Is this crow telling you you are a story teller? Beautiful - thank you for sharing

[@DeniseLaFranceCDNpainter]

I started my day watching this video after randomly finding it. Thank you so much you really brighten my day. Love your Crow and love how you speak of the beautiful encounters. The bird loves that scraper! Maybe he thinks it's his beloved one and only. 😆

[@djosbun]

This is such a beautiful video!!!

[@hi-dores4111]

Thank you

[@Paulsofsteel]

This is my spirit animal. Now you see why.

[@freddynorris6927]

Amazing! Incredible life experience. Thank you for the share. 🙂

[@blohmtreezy407]

“Thanks for the water”: poops right on her spout 😂

[@stavrosk.2868]

Me and my brother raised several crows, back in the seventies and eighties. Wonderful, playful and intelligent creatures. Lovely video. Great stuff.

[@karinaperek7993]

this video genuinely made me feel happier i love crows

[@moggridge1]

What a lovely story! 😊

[@Kingbimmy]

Can’t tell you how many time I gasped and was like “omg! Lookit himmm! :D” 😂 This video is so precious. I love that he was studying the tool so much, used it for a completely different purpose, and then shat on the water can 🤣 Corvids are the *BEST*

[@thelizabeth909]

I really am enjoying this video. You did a very good job. Thank you v

[@thisissoeasy]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing...