(The following article was written in the 1980’s by the late Tom Rodgers who taught at Chico State for 27 years and was one of the founders of the Altacal Audubon Society.  Gruck still contributes to Altacal Board meetings. – Ed.)

American   (Common)   Crow

"Hi   Gruck," you say as you spot that alert and inquisitive crow at the Chico Creek Nature Center. You feel that he has been expecting you.  "Hi Gruck," you say again, and he very subtly (that is, without moving his "lips"), comes back, "Hello, Hello."  Or, if there are others with you, he may say, "Hello Guys."  By that time he will have your full attention; he will have stolen the show from "Killy" the kestrel, "Rosy" the boa, "Polliana" the opossum, and "Snappy Tom" the turtle. 

You hear a stick fall to the floor in front of Gruck's cage. It is a test to see if he has really captured your attention.  If you pass the test, pick up the stick and hand it back to him, he will throw it out again.  He appreciates a good retriever. After a few such retrieves, watch out!  Gruck will have his fun. He will tuck the stick down between the cage and a shelf, and when you reach for it, he will peck your knuckles -- and throw his head back and laugh at you (or was that just my projection?). Anyway, if you shift your attention to other cages, whether or not you are obeying museum rules, Gruck may come out reprovingly, "I'm going to tell on you."

When the Board of Directors of Altacal Audubon Society meets in the museum, Gruck is very respectful -- within limits. He sits quietly for as much as thirty minutes (maybe amused by our delib­erations), but, all of a sudden, he brings us back to the real world with a loud, ordinary, everyday, "CAW CAW."

Crows are certainly aided in their accommodation to humans by a voice and hearing range that is near our own.  This makes us egotistical humans assume they are more intelligent than other birds.  Most other birds to not "speak" our language, so we tend to assume they are less intelligent -- a common deduction made by many about other humans who do not speak our language.

So, think of Gruck when you see a dozen crows "rowing" across the sky, "playing joyfully" in the wind, "rapaciously" stealing your fruit, or "viciously" devouring the eggs or young of a song bird.  Then realize that anthropomorphizing (attributing human traits to non-humans) is not scientifically accurate, but it does serve to make us realize that we all have the same basic needs – we are all in this together.