Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and other corvines as pets
Why are birds at the top of the evolutionary chain banned from pet ownership and allowed to be killed by farmers? Laws around our country allow farmers to kill crows, ravens, magpies, and other corvines, yet at the same time we are banned from keeping these intelligent(1) creatures as pets.
Recently PBS's NOVA showed Australian farmers smashing Rose Breasted Cockatoos. I and many of my bird friends were horrified at this sight. Are Rose Breasted Cockatoos intelligent? Do they deserve protection from Australian farmers? Certainly. Or when Dr. Irene Pepperberg releases intriguing conclusions about her work with African Grey Alex, many of us cheer.(2) Are African Greys intelligent? Certainly. Do they deserve protection? Yes, indeed. Do we value these birds as pets because of their intelligence? You bet. But what about our native corvines?
"From the Ancient Norse, who considered the raven to be a messenger of the gods, to the Native Americans, who respected him as an all-knowing trickster and a god, to Konrad Lorenz, the common raven has been credited with being the most intelligent bird in the world."(3) "The crows may be the group which among birds have reached the furthest state of evolution..."(4)
Who would want to keep such "common" birds as pets? Perhaps more importantly, why are such common birds banned from pet ownership? One reason may be that the agriculture interests of this country don't want millions of Americas being advocates for birds which may be killed with nothing larger than a 10 gauge shotgun fired from the shoulder.(5) Another are attitudes among federal agencies and "animal rights" groups alike which states that "ANY BIRD WHICH CAN NOT BE RELEASED BACK TO THE WILD HAS NO PURPOSE AND SHOULD BE KILLED."(6)
With the passage of the Migratory Bird Act crows and other native corvines became banned as pets. Yet people continue to keep them "underground" - they continue to benefit from the companionship of these intelligent enlightening creatures. But what about the recent past when crows were not banned as pets? What sort of people have had pet crows? How did owning a crow benefit them? How did owning a crow benefit crows?
Here is an example from The American Crow and the Common Raven by Lawrence Kilhan(7) describing the benefits of a crow given to him when he was eight:
"Crows are something special. I discovered this when I was eight years old. I had loved animals since I was five, but all that I could get hold of as pets were rabbits and white mice. We lived in Brookline, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston. School was out in 1918 when, walking around the corner of the road where we lived, I met a policeman holding a well-feathered nestling crow. He had picked it up on the sidewalk and, not knowing what to do with it, was happy to give it to me. Nothing could have been more exciting than that crow. The family was about to move to our summer place in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When we went there, I liberated Joe the crow. Our house was surrounded by woods and fields, and Joe was free to come and go. He chose mostly to stay close to us and became very much one of the family. He followed me on walks and was a wonderful companion until he flew off early in September, to join his own kind, I hoped. In a life devoted to natural history and keeping animals, I have always remembered Joe as an outstanding experience. I have met others who have had crows when they were young. They all glow with enthusiasm at the memory. Crows, and with them I include ravens, seem as though by convergent evolution to have something in their psyches corresponding to something in our own."
What was Mr. Kilhan experience? Did getting a crow when
he was eight help galvanize and lead to his life work in natural history and science?
Clearly Mr. Kilhan was enlightened by his crow, and his experience with it apparently
inspired him to pursue a career helping the animals he grew to love as a child. Mr. Kilhan
is not alone in this. The fact is that keeping and interacting with an intelligent
creature such as a crow prompts you to help protect the life you have found to be so
precious. 
Not everyone who gets a crow or an African Grey will become a scientist, but most will at least become their advocate. Other intrinsic benefits come from interaction with intelligent creatures such as crows. Here is an example from (8), Wonders of Crows page 9:
One September morning in Anna Maria, Florida, students in the small island school were disturbed by a loud knocking on the window. Everyone turned to look. "Why," said one girl, "it's it's a crow!"
From the other side of the room Stuart and Jim Anderson said at the same time, "That's Johnny, our crow! What are you doing here, Johnny?"
Mrs. Clyde Phelps, the teacher and an ardent bird lover, had already heard about Johnny. "Is that your pet crow, Stuart?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Well, let it in," Mrs. Phelps said.
Stuart opened the window. "Come in, Johnny."
Johnny stepped in, flew across the room one time to size up the situation, then flew back to Jim Anderson's desk. He cocked his head to one side, black eyes aglitter. Then, as if to test the situation, he flew to the teacher's desk, picked up a sheet of paper in his bill, walked across the desk and dropped the paper in a wastebasket. Turning, Johnny cocked his head to one side again and eyed Mrs. Phelps.
"Crows," Mrs. Phelps told the class, "are highly intelligent birds. They have a great deal of curiosity. In this way they are almost like raccoons." And she went on to give the class a lesson about birds in general and crows in particular.
Recent and historical accounts show that crows and their relatives have been valued by humans for their intelligent attributes. The corvine owners I've described thus far come from our time, but there is evidence that even the Romans kept crows(9). However, the argument that native corvines should be legal as pets not only rests on past history, but also on how we understand our place in this universe.
Back when our numbers were small the idea that we have dominion over all the earth was popular and not all that damaging. Now that our numbers have increased, we can see how we have damaged the earth and ourselves by believing "we can do what we please because we have an inherent right to do so." A natural reaction to all this environmental damage is conservation, but what kind? The kind that prohibits all interactions of humans with other animals? The kind that doesn't recognize the full scope of a situation, the nature of each animal, and how to best save them here and abroad?
Recent scientific evidence indicates we are children of the stars.(10) It apparently took millions of years for us to biologically diverge from our fellow earthlings, and billions of years for us to evolve from our fellow super novas. Our own DNA is more than 99% the same as chimpanzees, and we also share many DNA sequences with other animals and plants. What does all this mean?
It means we are more closely related to the other creatures of this little planet than some would have us believe. It means that we are in fact a part of the universe that has become complex enough to ask(11) "why am I here, and what is all this stuff anyway?" Being supposedly the most intelligent creatures of this earth and a product of this universe, I believe it is our desire and duty to learn all we can and help ourselves develop. Such developments not only depend on interactions with creatures like ourselves, but also on interaction with other creatures, which evidence shows brings enlightenment and joy to us and protection to them. Clearly the more rare life on this planet deserves protection, but for the most part we should not be banned from interacting with other animals on a first-hand basis.
Western Europeans realize this in part. Their native birds are protected, but their citizens can still keep them as pets with a permit. Why are we being so restrictive? Clearly our native birds do need protection, but a blanket law banning all pet related interaction is not helpful. If a species is endangered, I don't mind obtaining a permit to get a wild-caught specimen to add to my breeding stock; but a blanket ban is unacceptable, not only within the scope of our young country supposedly based on freedom, but also within the scope of our vast universe of which we are a very small part and product, and within the scope of a biosphere in which we do not have inherent dominion, but where we are merely a member of the family.
I hope that we as a group can work toward the following goals:
I. Making it so that native corvines (including crows, ravens, magpies, and jays) are legal to be kept as pets. If a permit, such as for M.A.P. certification(12), is required, especially for endangered birds, I could live with that - but a complete ban is unacceptable.
II. Making it so that other non-endangered native birds can also be kept as pets. Again if they want to require a permit like Western Europe does, fine.
III. Making it so that corvines can no longer be killed with "nothing less than a 10 gauge shotgun fired from the shoulder."
We can make a difference. We know the value that living with other animals brings, and we know how our appreciation of the value of other animals grows with such living. If we believe that we are defeated before we begin by agriculture or HSUS(13) or USFWS, then a self- fulfilling prophecy will be our lot. I hope we can find a way to legalize our interaction with native birds at the top of the bird-evolution-chain, and those "further down" as well.
Jonathan
References:
1. Facklam, Margery, What does a crow know?, San
Francisco : Sierra Club Books for Young Children, describes the intelligent nature of
crows and other birds. This book is currently out of print but is available at many
libraries. However you can click here
to buy a related book called Bird Brains -- a must-have for anyone interested in
crow family bird intelligence.
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2. Numerous articles. Here are two: Pepperberg,
Irene M., "Vocal Learning in Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus): Effects of Social
Interaction, Reference, and Context," The Auk 111(2):300-313, April 1994; Kaufman,
Kenn, "The Subject Is Alex," Audubon 93:52-58 Sep/Oct 1991. Click here
to buy a related book called Animal Minds, or here for the
hardcover version. Animal Minds is another must-have for anyone interested in
general fellow-animal intelligence. Dr. Pepperberg's work is shown of course.
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3. Heinrich, Bernd, Ravens in Winter, New York:
Summit Books, page 111. Related article by same author: "A Birdbrain Nevermore / When
put to the test, ravens display insight," Natural History 10/93, p. 50-56. Describes
tests on hand-reared and wild-caught American crows and ravens. click here to
buy the book now. Another excellent book for crow lovers.
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4. Coombs, Franklin, The Crows, London: B.T.
Batsford Ltd, 1978, page 17. Available from various libraries, or you can order an out of
print copy by clicking
here.
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5. From proposed changes to R657-3-7, 1,ii,b by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 1994. (BACK)
6. From: Franklin, Judy, "Will Legislation
ban the keeping of companion parrots," Pet Bird Report, vol. 1994 : 3(17), p. 18-19:
"During negotiations, FSW's [United States Fish and Wildlife Service] stated position
was that 'ANY BIRD WHICH COULD NOT BE RELEASED BACK TO THE WILD HAD NO PURPOSE AND SHOULD
BE KILLED.'" [Click here to go to a
provocative magazine the author publishes]
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7. Kilham, Lawrence, The American Crow and the Common Raven, Texas A & M University Press, 1989, page 3. Click here to buy the book.
Also: Page 168-9: Crows exhibit thinking and intelligence by singing, playing, dancing, and provoking larger animals.
Page 180-2: Comparisons of crows with primate societies. "Crows are sometimes referred to as being the most intelligent of all birds."
Book introduction: "How many of us have ever got to know a wild animal? I do not mean merely to meet with one once or twice, . . . but to really know it for a long time . . . and to get an insight into life and history," by Ernest Thompson Seton. (BACK)
8. Blassingame, Wyatt, Wonders of Crows, 1979, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, page 3. Click here to buy this book now.
Also, page 17: "Obviously the crow family has impressed the human beings around whom it lives. And the more we know about crows, the easier this is to understand. For crows are extremely intelligent, remarkable, interesting birds well worth knowing about."
Page 24: Pet crow shown untying a shoelace.
Page 73: Picture: Andy [the pet crow] liked to play the piano and sing.
Page 74: A book by Rev. Whitney Dough is pictured, Fowl Play / Twenty
hilarious years with a talking crow. Note: This book has been newly reprinted. Click here to
order it. A most humorous book.
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9. Coombs, Franklin, The Crows, London: B.T.
Batsford Ltd., 1978, page 12. Click here to
order this book.
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10. Sagan, Carl, COSMOS, an excellent PBS TV
series & book about life & the universe. See other books as well such as Shadows
of Forgotten Ancestors. Click here
to order COSMOS the book, or click here
for the cheaper small paperback, or click here
to order Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.
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11. Hawking, Steven, A Brief History of time,
an excellent book discussing the big bang theory and it's implications. An excellent
documentary movie is able available by the same title. Click here
to buy the book, or click here
to buy the video, or click here
to buy the CDROM software.
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12. Model Avicultural Program (M.A.P.). An
independent organization which certifies that aviculturists meet a set of standards for
quality bird husbandry. Founded by Laurella Desborough, current president of the American
Federation of Aviculture. For more information write to: M.A.P., P.O. Box 1657, Martinez,
California 94553. Click here to go to
their home page.
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13. For additional information about the
Humane Society of the United States examine: Oliver, Daniel T., Animal Rights: The
Inhumane Crusade, Capital Research Center, 1993, ISSN 0887-641X. Click here to go to a page for a group that sells this
book.
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post script:
This article was originally written for publication in the newsletter of the Utah Alternative Livestock and Pet Association - a group in Utah created to fight proposed rules about the keeping of hedgehogs and certain deer. They have never come out with another newsletter and are largely disbanded probably until the next Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Wildlife Board meeting occurs (in a few years). They did not seem particularly interested in my article, and never acknowledged the reception of it. Thankfully the Internet World Wide Web has allowed me to publish this item, and the response has been 99% positive so far from those people who have written me expressing interest. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PET CROWS AND HOW TO GET ONE CLICK HERE.
page owner: Jonathan -
To return to the main corvine advocacy page, click here, or to visit my main home page click here.
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