The Short-Beaked Crow

In choosing Canada’s national bird, let’s make the most intelligent choice and go with the one soaring far above the others: the short-beaked crow. With the exception of macaws, this bird has more brain mass per body size than any other, making it incredibly resourceful and adaptive.

Now, I know that some are defending predatory birds like eagles and hawks, but is that really how we want to define ourselves – as a country that acts autonomously through brute force? No, we Canadians are a different sort of bird.

The facts of the matter speak for themselves: many of the characteristics Canadians like to think define them are shared with crows. They include:

1. Talking it out. Crows have an amazing array of vocalizations and even have public (caw! caw!), and private (soft, melodic coos) voices. And just as we speak a variety of languages, the vocalizations of crows are learned, reflecting cultures that vary regionally.
2. Strong community. Crows live in families of up to 15 individuals. They stick together for many years, playing, foraging, and banding together to chase predators – like bald eagles – out of their territory. They even hold funerals for their dead.
3. Compassion. Crows care for one another. There is strong evidence of this for both wild and captive crows. For instance, an injured wild crow was placed in a bird sanctuary where another immediately and gently preened and fed it. Crows also have the capacity to care for other species, as evidenced by observations of wild crows feeding sick or abandoned animals (in one well-documented case, a kitten).

I could go on forever about the amazing qualities of crows, but perhaps the most compelling argument comes in the form of emotion rather than fact. When I was a child, I would sit on my grandfather’s knee and he would form a crosshatch with his fingers and I would stick one of mine through a slat. Then he would sing lowly, slowly, “Put your finger in the crow’s nest, the crow’s not home. He’s out in the backyard picking at bones.” As he paused for what seemed like an excruciatingly long moment, I would dart my finger in and out of the nest until at last he sang out, “Caw, caw, he’s home” at which point he’d squeeze my finger.

We all have a crow story. And this is the most important reason the crow should be our bird. Powerful symbols are instantly recognizable, emotionally resonant, and shared by many. The crow is part of our collective consciousness – its impact on our nation’s imagination is reflected in our oral stories, our literature, our popular sayings.

And members of the crow family are found in nearly every part of the world – from the jackdaws and hooded crows of Eurasia, to the thick-billed raven of Ethiopia’s highlands. Why choose a bird that emphasizes our separateness, closing us off from the rest of the world? Let’s instead open our arms wide and symbolically celebrate our sameness by embracing the amazing bird that connects us one to another.