Crows

Crows

Are crows the smartest of all birds?

Crows intrigue us and aggravate us.  They have a great mysticism and mythology attached to them.

The first noticeable characteristic about this bird is its striking black colour; sometimes it will have hints of deep blue and purple on the feathers, as well.  Black is the colour of creation.  It is the womb, out of which the new is born.  It is also the colour of night.  Black is the maternal color and thus black night gives birth to a new day. 

Although the crow is a diurnal or daytime bird, it reminds us that magic and creation are potentials, very much alive during the day.

Crows have a connection to watchfulness.  Crows always have a sentinel posted.  They build their nests high in tree tops so that they can see the entire area in which they are nesting and feeding.

The ability “to warn” is connected to the crow’s second, most-noticeable characteristic—its voice.  Crows have a complex language.  Though they have remarkable voice range, they actually do not sing.  They can caw in many different ways, each with its own meaning.  

The crow has great intelligence.  It is adaptable to its environment. It will eat almost anything.  Part of their ability to survive is this being omnivorous and their unique ability to communicate with each other and to work together.

Their ability for attentive watching and their intelligence have given them a reputation for thievery.  They will steal food from other birds or whatever source is around—including human food supplies.

Wherever crows are, there is magic.  They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength.  They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life.  They are messengers calling to us about creation and magic, that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.

This information is taken from Animal Speak, written by Ted Andrews and published in 2001 by Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

All photographs are mine.