In the clash of the corvids, it’s the crow who reigns supreme.
That’s according to a new study from UBC, which found that not only do crows and ravens dislike each other, the smaller bird usually comes out on top when there’s conflict.
Crows already have a reputation as crafty pack animals, something easy to spot in Metro Vancouver as they flock en masse to their Burnaby roosts every evening.
But postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre and lead study author Ben Freeman said research has now confirmed their gang affiliations.
“Individuals are what grab our attention. So your average person in Vancouver knows about Canuck, this amazing crow that has escapades and shows up at crime scenes,” said Freeman.
“But what we’ve shown is that if there’s a raven around and Canuck wants to chase the raven away, he’ll get together with some other crow buddies to do that.”
Yes, crows really do form gangs, and they fight to win: UBC research
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