So crows can indeed start “sulking” when they're exposed to a peer in a bad mood. These results suggest that crows are capable of assessing the emotional state of other crows and can be “contaminated” by them without demonstrating any behavioral contagion (the “observers” didn't behave like the “spies”).
Crows exhibit empathy and compassion and have been seen helping one another. In just one documented instance, two crows ushered a bird with an injured wing to safety.
A bird can sense when you're feeling pity, sadness, or anxiety. If you react with these things, the animal will pick up on it, turning those emotions inward in a vicious cycle.
Indeed, crow species can make fine-scale discriminations of human facial features including recognizing previously threatening humans at a distance in the wild (Marzluff et al. 2010) and distinguishing male from female human faces in the laboratory (Bogale et al. 2011).
Newly published research shows that crows remember the faces of humans who have threatened or harmed them, and these memories probably last for the bird's lifetime.
That actually is good advice. There's a University of Washington study that looked at this, and we know that crows are very attentive to gaze. They don't seem to be responsive to facial expressions, but they do pay attention to where we're looking—and they get nervous when we look directly at them.
Wild crows can recognise individual human faces and hold a grudge for years against people who have treated them badly. This ability – which may also exist in other wild animals – highlights how carefully some animals monitor the humans with whom they share living space.
You'll know a crow likes what you feed it judging by how quickly it swoops down to grab it. If that pile of leftovers you leave for them sits all day, that means they just aren't interested, so try something else—just make sure it's healthy.
I think this behaviour would come under the umbrella of corvid allopreening which usually involves a crow or raven gently (more or less) combing through their partner's feathers. This solicitous behaviour strengthens the pair bond between them, and helps to keep those very important feathers in tip top condition.
Again, crows prove they're some of the most intelligent species on the planet. They use tools, they recognize people's faces and voices, they can tell when one of their peers has died, and so much more.
Birds Remember—and Dislike—Eye Contact
So when humans look directly at a bird, or even in their direction, birds take note. One UK study by the University of Bristol found that starlings kept away from their food dish if a human was gazing in its direction, only to feed as soon as the human looked elsewhere.
They will cuddle you, will come closer to you. The behaviour of closeness display that the bird has faith in you. Sometimes birds shake their tails to show their feeling of love to humans. They also sleep on you or on your arm, which means that they love you and have huge trust in you.
More likely, they are simply reacting to social cues that they use amongst themselves or perhaps remembering past associations they have learned between a person's gaze and their subsequent action. Both of these latter ideas may in part be true. A stare is a prehistoric signal of threat.
Crows Have Brains Packed With Neurons
The ability to think through a problem and work out an answer may be due to crows possessing a high number of brain cells that process information. This trait appears not only in humans, but in non-human primates, too.
Both mating pairs and entire family units can be very stable and organized among the birds. But as Swift puts it, “We don't, and probably can't, know if they fall in love like we consider it.” The majority of crows, though, will mate for life, even if one is injured.
Recent studies have proven that the crow can remember the faces of other birds and even humans. They can differentiate between those who have been kind to them and those who have caused them stress. Crows will even pass this information on to other generations.
Crows are very unique birds that love to chat it up, and they do it all by cawing. In nature, there are tons of different reasons you might hear a crow caw. It could be hunger, a chosen greeting, or even something as dire as a call to arms.
A Crow Staring at You
A crow staring at you may be considered a sign of intuition. This symbolism suggests that you are following your inner wisdom, even if others around you do not understand or agree with your choices. Following this intuition will lead to greater self-awareness and fulfillment.
Crows are highly intelligent birds, and they have been known to form close bonds with people who feed them. If a crow has become accustomed to being fed by a person, it may start following that person in the hopes of getting more food. This is a common behavior in crows, and is known as “begging behavior.”
Wild crows are not known to create or display art. But they do occasionally leave behind objects like keys, lost earrings, bones, or rocks, for the people who feed them, a behavior that John Marzluff, conservation ecologist and Swift's colleague at the University of Washington, calls “gifting.”
Dried pet food is among their favorite but a cheaper option is whole unshelled peanuts. They also love eggs, tater tots, meat scraps and other nuts.
Given that crows have impressive memories, people who ruffle the feathers of these birds could experience years of retribution. Bothered crows may at first "give harsh calls, which we call 'scolds' that attract other crows who are nearby to join in the mob," according to study co-author John Marzluff.
Offer Food and Water. The way to earn any wild animal's trust is by feeding them. Crows are opportunistic omnivores, and they eat almost anything from insects and berries to pet food, roadkill, and vegetables.
They have the same neurotransmitters as we do, and they can feel fear and recognize human faces. They're also mostly monogamous and young crows often return year after year to help their parents raise the fledglings.