What Do Crows Like The Most?

Is It Food? Or Collecting Things?
What Do They Like To Do?

By Richard Worden

Crows, often regarded as pests, have been given a bad name. They can help the environment and, when welcomed, can provide a bit of entertainment for you. If you've decided to attract crows into your life, you'll need to know what do Crows like first.

Crows like to eat, build relationships with one person who can be dependable and stick to a routine, and collect things. Usually, crows hang out in the same area routinely and appreciate people who do the same.

These are just a few things that crows enjoy. This article will discuss what they like, what they like to collect, and what they like to eat in various regions. So, without further ado, let's get started! 

What Do Crows Like the Most?

Crows like food the most, as it’s the quickest way to their hearts. However, crows also enjoy social interaction and building relationships with each other and humanity. As with any animal, food is at the top of the priorities list.

Some of a crow’s favorite foods include the following:

• Nuts: Whether it’s peanuts, walnuts, almonds, or something else, there’s never a time they won’t be up for indulging in the rich fats that nuts provide. 
• Eggs: This is an easy find for crows in the wild, as birds often leave their eggs alone in nests. Crows, however, don't have preferences if they’re raw or cooked, as they'll eat them any way they're prepared.
• Meat scraps: These may come from chicken or fish. Crows are less likely to eat beef, but you never know when it comes to these creatures.
• Dog and cat food: Most of the time, these foods are made with many of the same ingredients that crows enjoy, such as fish, chicken, and other plants. 

Crows also enjoy the extra attention when they’re not eating, which is one of the reasons why they’re known to build relationships with humans. Perhaps they’re as fascinated by us as we are by them, but they might just want a new friend. 

When a crow is shown consistency and dependability from a human, they begin to want to be around them. You may find when you show up in a place over and over again, certain crows will begin to hang around as well. 

They stay around people they see as "nice," remember faces, behaviors, and so on. In many ways, they seem to behave like dogs and cats when you’re nice to them. You might even decide to have a crow as a pet…but then again, maybe not. 

Some Crows like to give gifts! Check out this YouTube video about just how generous they can be...

What Do Crows Like To Eat?

They say that food is the way to a man's heart, but as it turns out, it's also the way to a crow's heart. While many people believe that crows will eat anything and everything, and while this is sometimes true if they’re hungry enough, most of the time, they're a little pickier. 

Crows like to eat a mixture of plants and animals. Their favorite foods include seeds, nuts, berries, small rodents, snakes, eggs, and fish. However, the majority of their diet consists of plant-based foods.

They are omnivorous and will eat anything that smells or looks like food.

What Do Crows In Rural Areas Like To Eat?

In the wild, crows are seen eating nuts and seeds. Crows often look for various kinds of nuts, especially in cold winter months when berries are unavailable. Many nuts fall from their respective trees and will stay good for a couple of months past this event. 

Some of the most common nuts that crows enjoy include hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans, all of which can be seen littering the ground in various environments.

Another favorite of crows everywhere is corn. 

Corn is a crow delicacy and is one of the reasons they can often be found populating fields where corn grows in abundance. In addition to other grains, it provides the foundation for a wild crow's diet. Those that live in the city have a little bit different diet, as they don’t have access to the fruits and vegetables that are widely available in the country.

Another special crow treat is fruit, and during the spring and summer, crows love to eat the following: 

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Apples
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Other fruits
  
  

What Do Crows In Cities Like To Eat?

Crows often eat a lot of bread, fast food, and even trash in cities, but this isn't ideal for them, and it often wreaks havoc on their digestive systems. Because of the lack of wild foods, however, the crow often develops a dependency on humans. 

This leads to them having few other options available. 

City crows often pick through garbage cans from fast food restaurants. What they find here is typically grain-based, which isn’t a problem, but the few foods crows can find in the cities are also full of grease and additional fats that can cause the crow to become sick very quickly. 

Humans, in their sympathy for the crows, often step in at this point to feed them. When a human actively feeds them, they’ll typically end up eating bread more than anything else. However, sometimes they’ll get fed eggs, which is another special treat for crows. 

Eggs are packed full of various nutrients, and crows can get them with the shell or without them, making them an easy meal for humans and crows. Crows prefer their eggs to be hard-boiled. 

Even though city crows rely on humans for food, this can often result in consequences. 

When a crow is fed, they begin to build a relationship with the human feeding them. They become dependent on humans to continue to feed them, and they can sometimes lose their ability to find food independently. 

They begin to see the interaction with the human as an equal exchange where they give you their company, and you give them food. Simple enough, right? However, it’s important to remember that crows are wild birds, and this kind of relationship isn’t always healthy for the crow or for you. 

Crows can become a nuisance due to their droppings, and you might not want to keep feeding them. Much like Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds, you might have an infestation of crows if you’re not careful.

What Do Crows Like To Do?

Crows like to gather in large groups with other crows, a grouping also known as a “murder.” While this sounds sinister, it's simply the name for a collection of crows. They also enjoy befriending humans and will congregate around specific humans who have built a routine with them.

When crows socialize with one another, they will often be found communicating. Some researchers even believe that the crows discuss the humans they interact with in “crow talk.”

This gives a whole new perspective to watching crows gather together.

Crows are enormously social creatures and have been known to befriend humans and other animals. Over time, crows have found that building strong alliances with other animals and humans ensures their survival. 

In addition, it keeps them happier most of the time. 

They also prefer routine and dependency and don't want to spend time around people constantly changing their lives. But they're always happy to be around stable people and help them feel secure.

What Do Crows Like To Collect?

It's long been thought that crows, and other corvids, love to search for shiny objects. While sometimes this is true of crows, more often than not, crows enjoy searching for other things.

Crows like to collect twigs and grass straws. There is speculation surrounding why this is the case, but most researchers agree that it’s because they can fashion tools out of them. With their high intelligence levels, crows always look for tools to access better food. 

Crows have been known to create many tools. Some of the most common tools crows have created are hooks, which are excellent for reaching into crevices to obtain food that would ordinarily be unavailable with only their beaks or talons. 

They have also collected other materials to create more advanced tools. In some cases, they have even been known to create compound tools out of the materials they find. 

Crows may also collect foods that keep them full for long periods. Collecting food ensures that the crow is always prepared for harder times. They also collect other objects that they feel would be useful due to their planning and forward-thinking abilities. 

Sometimes this means that they collect shiny objects, but they aren’t drawn to them as much as the stories make them out to be.

What Do Crows Like?...Final Thoughts

Crows are extremely intelligent animals that have a lot to offer to the world. Knowing what crows like can benefit both you and these fascinating birds. 

If you want to make friends with a crow, you’ll need to take it slow and calm, as the slightest amount of assertiveness can frighten them. When feeding them, step back to allow them to eat before inching your way closer. 

With time, you may even find yourself with a new crow best friend. 

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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