Birding/Hawks n Crows

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Expert: - 6/6/2007


Question
Why do crows gang up on hawks, and why doesn't the hawk fight back! I see it about once a month where I live. I thought hawks are more evolved winged animals.

Answer
Crows are chasing th ehawk out of their area - just to keep predators away from them. The hawk preys on crows and their young when it can. But hawks are not as agile in the air as crows so crows have an aerial advantage. But a sitting crow can easily be picked off by a hawk. And actually, Crows are more evolved and the smartest of birds on the bird IQ scale. Roger Lederer at Ornithology.com

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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