The African Pied Crow (Corvus
Albus)
Is that a penguin? A
question heard almost daily as I unload my animals.
Believe it or not, he's a crow. Not just any crow, but one of
those fabulous African Pied Crows.
You see, for the past 15
years I've been using animals for education-7 years giving guided
tours at the beautiful Soco Gardens Zoo in Maggie Valley, NC and the
last 8 years traveling to the schools in the Southeast, doing
educational programs with live animals.
My love for those fabulous
corvids started when I was just a boy growing up in the small town of
Maribel, Wisconsin. I raised an orphaned American Crow, which
flew freely around my parent's farm. And when I moved to Mobile,
Alabama, I couldn't leave him behind. The change of climate and
scenery didn't suit him. Each day when I came in from work, I'd
have to call longer for my pal to come to me. I knew he was
venturing out, and I was afraid of what someone might to do to him.
So I trimmed his wings, about two inches off each wing. This
will keep him close now (I thought), he won't be able to wander far
and he can still fly enough to escape dogs and children. (Wrong).
One week later, only two weeks after arriving in Alabama, he was gone.
I searched high and low, talking to every crow I would see.
Two weeks he was missing, then the phone rang. My father said,
"Did you lose that crazy bird?" "Yes, of course,
how did you know?" I replied. "He's here,"
Dad said, "He flew home." "Couldn't be, I
clipped his wings!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, he looks bad, rough trip, but he's here," Dad went on
to say. Yes, my crow had flown home from Mobile, Alabama
to Maribel, Wisconsin in two weeks with his wings clipped.
Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.
Well, I've been working
with animals all my life. Until recently, however, my fantasies
about crows were just that. Even though I have acquired a
special purpose possession permit from the U.S. Department of the
Interior to keep non-releasable migratory birds for education, I
wanted to raise crows.
I was able to obtain some
African Pied Crows about 4 years ago. To me, they have truly
been a gift from God. These big handsome crows are the true
representatives of the common Raven (Corvus Corax) in Africa, their
gestures, behavior and courtship being very similar. Their size
is between that of an American Crow and that of a common Raven.
They are gloss black on snow white with a huge raven-like bill.
They really must be seen to be appreciated.
I have kept one of my
babies from 3 years ago to use in my educational programs in schools.
He was an instant success. He quickly learned to put aluminum
cans in a recycle bin. The children truly love to see him
show off. He is an excellent mimic. He calls my name
so often and so clearly, that my wife no longer gets a response from
me. His first police siren imitation nearly pulled me over (he
was riding in the back of my van). His name is Houdini (for his
ability to open sky kennels) He is really a joy to be around.
Because crows and ravens
are among the most intelligent birds in the world, and people have
been keeping them throughout history, most people know of a great pet
crow story.
But today, although most
states allow you to shoot them, Federal laws strictly prohibit the
keeping of American crows and ravens for pets. No permits are
issued for that purpose. This makes these beautiful Africans a
great alternative.