January 9 An "Amazing Bunch" of Crows

Crows (Corvus brachychyncos), like other darkly colored animals, have a bad reputation. Poets once referred to a group of these incredible birds as a "Murder of Crows," noting an imagined propensity to do evil. On the contrary, crows are unbelievably intelligent, finding anything and everything that is edible in our cities. I watched this group - which totaled at least 30 - flying back and forth over downtown Madison during sunset. They typically roost in large groups of 100 or more (and up to 2 million!) at night, which they do for any of several reasons: strength against predators, because they all go to the "best spot," or because they can find food easier in large groups. I'm glad we have some crows to keep us company in winter.