i was walking along some bushes when a bird flew out from a bush in front of my path into a grass clearing. it was a very small crow. it made two quiet, short, high-pitched peeps in rapid succession, hopping in circles. i tried to walk around it, but it kept blocking my path and making the exact same peeps at me.

i got back on the stone path, and it hopped up right next to me, and starting ripping up grass and throwing it over my feet. i chuckled, and it stopped, looked up at me, and… peeped again, before continuing to bury my feet in grass.

i continued walking and it followed right next to me till the end of the path before watching me walk away and then returning to its bush.

i didn’t recognise this bird, or seen a bird do this to me or anyone else before. i’m on especially friendly terms with the corvids in my neighbourhood, but they don’t normally approach me.

any ideas? have you seen something similar?

  • Teknikal@lemm.eeEnglish
    36·
    5 months ago

    Crows are a lot smarter than you would think my guess is it was trying to get you to help one of its friends or something.

    I’d have had a good search around the area befriending crows can actually bring you some benifit like shiny gifts, or in some cases crow bodyguards as they actually recognise individuals as friends etc.

    • onoira [they/them]@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      12·
      5 months ago

      my guess is it was trying to get you to help one of its friends or something.

      that was my first guess, but it didn’t seem like it was leading me anywhere.

      i’m a little worried now.

      I’d have had a good search around the area befriending crows can actually bring you some benifit like shiny gifts

      when i was homeless, i shared my food with a crow. i got them to bring me coins by feeding them double portions when they brought monies.

      or in some cases crow bodyguards as they actually recognise individuals as friends etc.

      that’s my current relationship to the corvids in town. a long time ago i rescued a magpie from two seagulls, and since then all the corvids no longer fly away when i come near them. the magpies even defended me from a seagull one day!

      but they otherwise don’t approach me, and we don’t ‘communicate’.

    • Notyou
      5·
      5 months ago

      They also make fierce enemies, so watch out OP. The crow might hold a grudge if their friend died and they blame you.

      Mostly /s

      From the article:

      Five years later, the same groups went out into the same park. The group that had trapped crows previously got mobbed by an angry flock, while the group that did not interact with the birds was left alone.

      https://birdfact.com/articles/do-crows-remember-faces