A Crow That Sounded Like a Turkey

BA_Colt

BA_Colt

Don't make me slap you the kielbasa.
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I was outside yesterday and I thought I heard turkey calling. I have never seen a turkey where I was so I was amazed. I looked around and all I saw was a big crow. Well that crow opened it's beak and let out a turkey call. I was dumbfounded. Has anyone else heard of this?
 
Crows are clever birds. I'm not surprised to hear this.

On the other hand ... we had a small mob that used to gather in the back every morning and really annoyed my neighbor with their noise. One afternoon, I saw the leader on his tall branch, beginning his call. I imitated it, loudly, and he stopped. When he started again, so did I. He flew off.

The next time I saw him nearby, when he began his call, I did too, and he flew off and he and his friends never returned to the neighborhood.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Crows are clever birds. I'm not surprised to hear this.

On the other hand ... we had a small mob that used to gather in the back every morning and really annoyed my neighbor with their noise. One afternoon, I saw the leader on his tall branch, beginning his call. I imitated it, loudly, and he stopped. When he started again, so did I. He flew off.

The next time I saw him nearby, when he began his call, I did too, and he flew off and he and his friends never returned to the neighborhood.
Click to expand...

Esav is the biggest baddest guy on the block!
 
I was sorry they left. I like crows and I was just messing with them.
I didn't know I was telling them to get out of town by sunset! :D
 
Lots of crows in So. Cal. They do make a cackle-gobble sound along with the Caw Caw sound. I have heard that too, it is kinda peaceful.
 
I think pet crows can be taught to talk. I imagine they can imitate turkeys as well as people. Don't know why they would, though.
 
The St. Louis Zoo had a talking crow for many years; he'd say "let me out" quite clearly.
As Esav says, clever critters. One of the rather few animals to "play" without other purpose.
When I was a kid, I used to walk down to the Mississippi, just a few blocks from the house. One day, I heard a huge ruckus, a large flock of crows really letting loose.
I thought maybe they were mobbing a hawk or owl....
As I got down to the river, I saw that they were riding ice floes down the river, obviously having a ball. They'd land on one, ride it a couple of hundred yards, and then fly upstream to pick another one.
Pretty cool.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Crows are clever birds. I'm not surprised to hear this.

On the other hand ... we had a small mob that used to gather in the back every morning and really annoyed my neighbor with their noise. One afternoon, I saw the leader on his tall branch, beginning his call. I imitated it, loudly, and he stopped. When he started again, so did I. He flew off.

The next time I saw him nearby, when he began his call, I did too, and he flew off and he and his friends never returned to the neighborhood.
Click to expand...

You are one mean dude. :eek:

We had a murder of crows in the front yard one day, so I decided to have some fun. I broke out a hawk call and let loose. They all flew down the road a few hundred yards and lit in a neighbor's tree. I waited a while and then broke out a crow call. They all came flying back to my yard. :eek:

I repeated this pattern a couple more times and felt like the freakin' Beastmaster. :D

1236704484-beastmaster3.jpg


I would love to hear a crow gobble like a turkey though.
 
I did some reading up on crows and I had no idea that they are so perspicacious.
 
From http://www.ragweedforge.com/VikingMedallions.html

5118.jpg


Odin depicted in typical guise with wide hat, cloak and spear. He's accompanied by Huginn and Muninn
(Thought and Memory), the ravens who keep him informed of the happenings on Earth.
It's no accident that these are also the "birds of battle" that are fed on the carrion of the battlefield.​
 
Late in the Summer I heard crows making very strange calls, much different than the Kaw-Kaw we usually associate with them. I was patient enough to get close to actually make sure the sounds were indeed coming from the Crow. I took it to be some kind of mating or territorial type notice as I did not hear them again.

I'll be more aware when I hear it next to see if it is only happening at a certain time of year, or perhaps a certain time of day.
 
cj65 said:
Lots of crows in So. Cal. They do make a cackle-gobble sound along with the Caw Caw sound. I have heard that too, it is kinda peaceful.
Click to expand...

It's more often that's a raven - Corvus Corax Latin for for big badass crow. We got them all over the Mojave and that cackle-gobble sound is pretty cool. Suckers grow over two feet, weigh upwards of three pounds, and live 15 years or more. All Corvids are known for their ability to mimic other sounds including speech. Fascinating birds. Don't know why a herd of 'em is called an unkindness of ravens vice a murder of crows.......:confused:..somebody must not like either of these birds much.


j



This "birder" found a roost of about 1,000 ravens and recorded some of their calls. The cackle-gobble, though not as distinct as I am accustomed to hearing around the Antelope Valley is toward the end of the wav file (about 1:22 in). http://www.naturesongs.com/coraroost5.mp3
 
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I have been trying to find audio files of crow calls, there are not to many, but I have found some nifty info on crows and ravens. I never really thought about the fact there is a difference between the two. When I think of a raven I think of Poe and "nevermore" my lost love Lenore. And then I hear Bart Simpson say "eat my shorts" But I digress.
Here is a link to some info on the crow and raven.
http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/difs.html

The Simpson's version of "The Raven" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9_6IODy0mU
 
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cj65 said:
Lots of crows in So. Cal. They do make a cackle-gobble sound along with the Caw Caw sound. I have heard that too, it is kinda peaceful.
Click to expand...

cj,

Went back and reviewed the site BA_Colt posted and I must stand corrected on the turkey call. The raven's call is a more staccato sound like a high pitch temple block often followed by a deeper single gobble. Weirdly cool but fascinating to listen to..

Jays are also members of the Corvid family. They are considered fairly smart as well and I've heard one in Texas imitate a car alarm. Starled the heck out of me as I was deep in the oaks on the Cedar Hill bike trail at Joe Pool Lake when I first heard it.

Australia's superb lyrebird is probably the most accomplished imitator in the bird world

[youtube]WeQjkQpeJwY[/youtube]



But then they can also get a bit over the top at times.......

[youtube]KOFy8QkNWWs[/youtube]

:D

Freakin' Rich Little birds.......


j
 
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