# Baby corvid in trouble?



## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Today, walking through some woodland, a baby corvid ran out from the undergrowth and followed my dog and me begging for food - it was squawking, gaping (what an enormous mouth!) and waggling it's wings. I picked it up and popped it back where it had come from, thinking that it's parents would be around somewhere and would be feeding it.

Now I'm wondering if it was in fact being fed? Why would it have run out after me? I thought their instinct was stay under cover? Do you think it was starving and came out in desperation? It's keel was quite sharp but, as I've never held anything other than a duck or pigeon I'm uncertain what a corvid should feel like. 

Should I go back, see if I can find it and bring it in?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

That is not normal behavior for a young crow that has been raised by its parents in the wild. S/he should have been trying to avoid you at all costs. My guess would be that someone was raising this little one and either released it or it escaped accidentally. Since it was begging you to feed it, I would definitely go and retrieve the little one.

Hard to say if the little one is too thin or not. If you are able to retrieve it perhaps you can post a picture and the weight of the bird ??

Terry


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I agree with Terry. Definately bring it in, this baby seems to be starving.

Reti


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks Terry, 
I wish I'd gone with my first instinct to bring it home now.  It's dropping dark here now and would be by the time I drove to the woods but, I'll be there first thing in the morning to search for it.


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Sadly the little fella is nowhere to be found. I took my dog again and she's pretty good at searching. 

I wanted to bring him home when I first found him but, so often one reads to leave fledglings alone, that the parents feed them when they are on the ground. I thought it best to leave him. It was only when I got home, and began to think how unusual it was, that I thought to ask here. I feel really bad

I have never looked at this thread before as I've only concerned myself with the pigeons - I've found another interesting thread. I also discovered a corvid rehab in the North of England should anyone ever need their help.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hopefully we are/were both wrong and this young crow is doing just fine. Thank you so much for going back to have a look for the little one!

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I wanted to bring him home when I first found him but, so often one reads to leave fledglings alone, that the parents feed them when they are on the ground. I thought it best to leave him.


It is so difficult to decide what to do, sometimes whatever you do can be wrong. I had the same experience some years ago, it was May and while walking the dog I saw a distraught young magpie running along the path and then found a squaking young crow (he wasn't seeking food from me) at the foot of the tree. Concious of having to leave fledgings where they are I went home, and as I was due to work I asked a friend to take a look 2 hours later. Sadly she found the magpie was dead on the path, the crow was still there and was taken to a rehabber who said he had a deformed leg.

At that time I resolved to learn more about the birds that I see in the woods. I found out that magpies live on the ground for a few days after they leave the nest and that the best thing would have been to put it under cover to wait for its parents, but nothing explained why he was running along the path screaming. Even now, having thought about what I should or could have done for several years, I don't know what the right course of action would have been.

Cynthia


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks Cynth and Terry, you have made me feel a little less guilty over my decision. I can't get the little baby out of my head.

I've done a lot of researching on the net since and found this:

*"Is that bird begging or yelling at you?* 
Crows younger than 26 days old will beg at anything that moves. If you pick up a youngster before that age it will imprint on you and beg incessantly. Crows older than this age become wary and only beg at those things recognized as "parents." 

It's quite an interesting article if anyone's interested: 

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/babycrow.htm#nestling

Sue


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

I asked a rehabber who had a crow in a large cage if she could ever release it. She said no. Once the crow has imprinted on a human, you canNOT release it back to a group. They will kill it.

Shi


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3937510


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