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Crow Friendship
a page devoted to enhancing the level of friendship
& appreciation between humans & birds in the crow family
(birds such as crows, ravens, magpies, jays)
The relationship between humans and birds in the crow family has been long & complex. Today some people hate crows & want to kill them. Yet crows have traditionally been worshiped by our aboriginal cultures. They have been considered gods!
The purpose of this page is to provide to you a list of resources which are intended to improve the level of understanding & friendship that exists & that can exist between humans and birds in the crow family.
Elements:
Humans have kept and interacted with crow family birds on a first hand basis for all of our recorded history. For over five years I have operated pages on the web advocating the value of crows as pets. I have received many emails from people who keep pet crows, and who derive great enjoyment from being around such wonderful birds.
Please select one:
Native US Crows:
All crows which are native
to the US may not legally be kept as friends or pets, but some of them may be legally shot
(the American Crow & the Black Billed Magpie). Lovers of crows find the killing
abhorrent, and lovers of crows would like more opportunities to learn from and to be with
crows.
The level of risk for keeping a native crow as a pet depends on which part of the country you live in. Some game wardens could care less about people keeping crows, because they realize that it is legal to shoot them. In spite of the legal situation, people do keep crows. People do help crows. People have what amounts to a forbidden friendship with crows.
For over five years I have sought to legalize crows as pets. I started in 1995 by writing the article which can be shown by clicking here.
My latest efforts are taking place with the help of the crows mailing list. Click here to join. Here are some goals I have proposed to members of the list who agree with my views: That we should:
1. To pursue the responsible & well thought out legalization of native US corvidae family birds into private aviculture.
2. To encourage enhanced education about the availability of non-native crow family birds, and their value & nature.
3. To advocate ways to stop the killing. We shall recognize that item 1 above can help, and we shall also ponder about other options, & educating the recipients of our work about other worthy efforts to stop the killing of all birds in the crow family.
Note that aviculture is defined as the keeping or breeding of birds.
Exotic Crows
There are wonderful & intriguing non-native crow family birds available as friends & pets. Some of these exotic crows are very similar to the native US crows. People are finding such birds to be wonderful companions.
Mailing lists dealing with exotic crow family birds:
The crows mailing list previously mentioned does encompass the keeping & breeding of exotic crows. To join click here, or send email to: crows-subscribe@egroups.com .
Relevant web sites:
The only site I am aware of that deals with such birds is at: http://www.softbills.com
If you are aware of other sites please let me know at:
Partial list of breeders:
In addition to the list of corvid (crow family) breeders at http://www.softbills.com/breeders.htm
here is a list of additional breeders I am aware of:The Corvid Ranch
Dark Continent Aviary - Darkcont@aol.com or Troyscrows@aol.comNote that if you want a very tame bird you must be sure to ask whichever breeder you choose whether they hand raise / hand feed the babies, and how much human interaction & play they provide to the babies.
If you are interested in breeding these types of birds yourself, I strongly encourage you to first join the crows mailing list. Click here for more info. And really you should do your homework before getting any bird, a pet or a breeder. There are so many different types of birds available. In the crow family alone there are at least 10 different types of available species. All have their own wonderful attributes & characteristics. A few are endangered & really do need our help to survive.
If you are aware of other breeders please let me know.
Stop the Killing
The mass killing of crows in the US and around the world is very abhorrent to me! As I view crow hunting books with photos showing he piles of dead bodies, I am convinced more than ever that we must find a way to stop this evil impulse of ours to kill a bird our ancestors considered gods!
Members of my crows mailing list agree we should stop the killing. Join with them to help find ways to we can do so.
There are other groups working to stop the killing of our most intelligent types of birds. One can be found at: http://www.savethecrows.org/ - if you are aware of others please let me know.
Rehabilitation resources
If you have found a baby crow or magpie or jay or rook or jackdaw, you can get help from various sources.
One is from the crows mailing list. To join click here, or send email to: crows-subscribe@egroups.com .
More resources & info can be found at the following web sites:
http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/birdpet.html -- has good info & various relevant links
http://wildliferehab.virtualave.net/contact.htm -- a rehabber directory - has a few four outside the US as well
As a last resort call your state or local wildlife agency or game warden. They may be able to refer you to a licensed rehabilitator who can help you.You can become a licensed rehabilitator yourself. To do so often you will need to apprentice under another rehabber for a while, and show you can do the work. Contact your state or local wildlife people for information on organized rehab groups who may have classes, or who can refer you to individuals who can teach & help you get up to speed.
more to come...
Feeding & watching:
Feeding neibhorhood crow family birds - a page I wrote while in Utah - should work for anywhere...
Cornell info - various bird counting programs & feeding info
Reciprocal webring links:
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