Crows often get a bad rap. In many Western cultures, they've historically been associated with death, disease, and bad omens; reviled as crop-stealers by farmers, and condemned as nuisances by city dwellers. But the birds are fascinating creatures, adaptable and brainy to an extent that's almost scary.
The sight of a dead crow tends to attract a mob of a hundred or more live ones. During this ritual, the live crows almost never touch the dead one, which rules scavenging out as a motive.
During the breeding season, it is seen in pairs, but it usually lives in groups of up to 50 birds. It may become aggressive against raptors.
Courtship displays consist of mutual preening and bill-rubbing, occasionally followed by rapid copulation. This behaviour occurs in trees.
