ML553672301
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Unknown age, Female - X
- Behaviors
- Courtship, display, or copulation
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback not used
Media notes
see discussion in species text
Observation details
Along Asilomar Avenue, I followed a begging crow giving begging cries almost constantly. At first the begging bird was on a phone wire, and another crow appeared and seemed to copulate with it, and then flew off. The begging crow continued to give begging cries for a long period, first perched in an oak and then on the ground, as which point a pair of (presumed) adults joined it on the ground, but did not appear to feed it (except, maybe, something small left on the ground?). I audio-taped this interaction, in which the begging crow was continually calling but gave a gurgle when one crow dropped something (and the begger ate it?). The begging crow looked a bit smaller and decidedly browner than the two, presumably-paired, adults. Today's date is a full month prior to the earliest date of adults feeding young in Monterey County (i.e., 4 May) and even earlier than full fledglings. This crow could fly -- and easily did so to cross the street and to come back. After research in our Breeding Bird Atlas, and in Cornell's on-line BoW, I'm inclined to think the call was this one, as described by BoW: "Food-Begging Call. A drawn-out, loud, monotonous caa, given at intervals by female only, on the nest or away from it, prior to egg-laying, and during incubation, and audible at ≥300 m; closely resembles begging call of older nestlings and fledglings." This may serve as a solicitation call by a female prior to egg-laying (details for the "Northwestern Crow"" set out this more explicitly). I think my initial reaction -- solicitation and copulation -- was correct, and not may later thought as a first-of-season begging fledgling. I did not see a gular flange as a fledgling would have had.
Additional species
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 1.41 MB