Crows or the Corvus are a member of a widely distributed genus of birds. There are around 40 different types of Crows found all across the world. Right from the small pigeon sized Eurasian and Daurian crows, to the Thick-billed Ravens found in the Ethiopian highlands and the Common Raven of the Holartic region, Crows are found in all temperate regions of the globe, except South America.

While in Northern parts of America, Northwestern Crows or the American Crows are found in abundance, in Europe the most common Crows are the Hooded Crow or the Carrion Crows.

Here are a few notable facts that are interesting to hear and learn about Crows:

• The collective name of a group of Crows is known as ‘œflock’ or ‘œmurder’.

• Crows has an exceptionally bigger brain to body ratio among all other species of birds. As crows does have a highly developed forebrain, crows are considered to be highly intelligent with an encephalization quotient that resembles some of the apes.

• Among all the species of crows the Dwarf Jay crows are the smallest and is about 21.5 cm long. They weigh approximately 40 grams.

• The Corvus corax or the Common Raven and the Corvus crassirostris or the Thick-billed Crow are the largest birds found in this family. They generally weigh around 1500 grams and are 65 cm in length.

• Crow meat, although not eaten is various places across the world, is considered to be edible and can be found in selected restaurants in Western parts of the world. In fact it has been noted, Crow meat is even much healthier than Pork as it contains less toxins than pork meat.

• Crows are considered very social in their attitude with the human beings, and they are extremely helpful to the society as they forage on foods disposed by the humans, and also prove beneficial when it comes to controlling pests that often destroys crops in the field.

• Crows are also named as ‘œFeathered apes’ as it was recorded in 2004 by scientists that crows are even cleverer than the Bonobo Chimpanzees.

• Although the voice of the Crows are never a melodic thrill, but it has been observed that Crows does have an extensive repertoire and so they can communicate with a plethora of surprising number of messages with their fellow crows. These messages includes feeding calls, rallying calls, courtship calls, alarm announcements, comeback and also fight calls.

• Though it has been seen that crows sometimes just avoid breeding until later in the life of the crows, but crows reach sexual maturity within two years of their age.

• Crows are one of the few species of birds that exhibit CBB or ‘œcooperative-breeding-behaviors’. For an example, male crows feed their fledglings and the nestlings, keep watch over the members of their family, defend their nest and even feed the incubating female crows. Crows generally mate for their life unless one is incapacitated or killed among the two.

• Being omnivorous, Crows eat anything, right from seeds, fruits and nuts, to insects, worms, eggs, frogs, mice, garbage and carrions. However Crows are extremely fond of eating melons and corns.