Fish Crows: Fast Food Junkies!

Last Updated on May 29, 2023 by Nancie

In our suburban Maryland yard, a pair of Fish Crows nested each spring/early summer for several years. Many of the other birds were not that crazy about the Fish Crows. I understand they sometimes will eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds. So I do understand the animosity.

But even so, I must admit that I really like Fish Crows. They are some of my favorite birds in the yard. They are smart and social and will sometimes interact with me (when food is involved) so I enjoy them and encourage them in the yard.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Fish Crows & Birdbaths

One of the quirkiest things that I see the Fish Crows do involves my birdbaths. I’ve currently got five of one type of another. Each year the Fish Crows pick one to be their special food soaking spot. In spring and early summer, you can never be quite sure what you will encounter in and around that birdbath, but the pair in my yard does seem to eat a lot of fast food!

There is a Burger King and a Dominoes Pizza about a quarter mile or so from our neighborhood. Other restaurants are just a little further off. I suspect the Fish Crows head over there to choose their food. Some items I’ve found floating include: bread, pizza, cheese, chicken meat and chicken bones and french fries.

(Note: Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy has a cool online class about crows called, Anything But Common; The Hidden Life of the American Crow. One section of the class that looks at the diet of suburban crows vs rural crows and how what they eat affects their young. Really interesting!)

They usually bring the food to the birdbath, typically picking the deepest birdbath available, dropping the food into the water. They’ll take a few sips of water and leave. A while later, they will come back and eat the food. Or they take it with them, heading to the back corner of the yard.

Sometimes they will only take some of it, coming back multiple times, apparently testing its doneness each time. Because this behavior happens during nesting season, my guess is that they are softening things up for their own nestlings.

Feeding Fish Crows

Fish Crows also like peanuts in the shell and suet. Fish Crows are too big to manage our feeders. But sometimes one will sit on top of the back yard shepherd’s hook pole where the suet feeders hang. It will make the nasal “Uh Uh” call. If I’m around, I will say “Uh Uh” back. Then, moving slowly, I put a few peanuts or a chunk of suet cake on the back step bench and retreat inside the house. 

The first few times I did this, the Fish Crow thought about it for a while, perched on a few different spots to scope things out from different angles. Then she swooped in to pick up the treat and flew back to the back corner of the yard. Over time, the Fish Crow(s) got more comfortable with my weird behavior and would usually fly over almost as soon as I shut the door. 

These Fish Crows are not greedy about it like Blue Jays, who will often amusingly try to stuff multiple peanuts into their beaks at a time. The Fish Crows, even with their bigger beaks, take one peanut or one chunk of suet. That usually satisfies them. I’ll leave a few more on the bench, but usually it’ll be the Blue Jays that finish them off.

One day I saw four Fish Crows up in the trees in the back yard which I suspect means that the pair’s young crows had fledged. So the birdbaths will probably now be a bit cleaner . . . until next spring’s Fish Crow nesting begins again.

Do you have crows in your yard? What do you see them doing?

Nancie

Learn More About Crows:

All About Birds’ Fish Crow Page

Anything But Common: The Hidden Life of The American Crow (A Cornell Bird Academy Online Course.)

Learn More About Maryland Birds

See my post on Maryland Backyard Birds.

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