Tre Black Crows Bad Fortuna

credenze popolari e superstizioni circa 200 superstizioni e credenze sono elencati di seguito. Buona visione e se avete altro da aggiungere dal proprio paese, inviarlo a noi inclusi suggerimenti dalle seguenti persone (sulle superstizioni del paese): Natalya Golovka (DA), Olga Malakhova (UA), Ella Behylarova (UAARM), Leila Koushenova (KZ), Valentina Sokolova (DA), Ida e Garry Maytum (UK), Mihai Crisan Madalina Florea, Codrea Ionel-Dragos (RO), Pavel Antonov, Mitko Vassilev (BG), Jackeline Mekkes, Sanne Slegtenhorst (RU) , Pippa (UK), Ida (SW), Ziggy (AZ), Wendy Garcia (PR), Joe Ralston (Scozia) di Willem Tjebbe Oostenbrink 1. Rovesciare sale Spilling sale significa sfortuna, che hanno un litigio. Per evitare la sfortuna o per prevenire lite, si deve buttare ma una presa di sale che è stato versato sopra la spalla. Spiegazione: In passato il sale usato per essere rari, e quindi costosi. Paese: BG, UA, BY, RO. 2. gettare acqua Quando qualcuno lascia la casa, per la corsa, ad esempio, quello che è lasciato getta dell'acqua, ad esempio una tazza di acqua, fuori della casa in direzione della persona. Spiegazione: questo significa buona fortuna. Che tutte le cose che verrà eseguito senza problemi come scorre l'acqua. Paese: ARM, BG. 3. colpo di legno quando si parla di come le cose sono buone, o come con successo le cose sono state, battere con la mano su legno. Spiegazione: Citando quanto successo si deve, può causare la sfortuna. Pertanto, bussare sul legno impedirà di buona fortuneluck vi lascerà. Paese: Europa Occidentale NL, D, BG, UA, RO, BY. 4. Gatto nero Vedendo un gatto nero in strada, significa sfortuna. Se vedi un gatto nero, si dovrebbe sputare (tre volte) sopra la spalla sinistra (UA). Solo se attraversato il vostro modo proprio di fronte a voi, altrimenti è niente male (DA). Romania: Quando si esegue 7 passi indietro, è possibile ottenere la fortuna di nuovo. In Inghilterra un gatto nero attraversa la strada è fortunato Paese: UA, NL, BG, RO, DI, Regno Unito 5. Qualcuno bussa alla porta, a un certo giorno dell'anno (primavera), ciò significa sfortuna quando qualcuno che bussa alla tua porta, è una donna. Quando si è un uomo, non è un problema. Spiegazione: La stessa situazione nei treni. E 'meglio che un uomo entra il treno prima che una donna, in modo che le persone nella compartement in primo luogo soddisfare il visitatore maschile. Paese: UA 6. Whistling in casa Non è bene a fischiare all'interno di una casa, perché si perderanno i vostri soldi. In BG: significa sfortuna. RO: quotFluieri un pagubaquot. RO: qualcuno in casa morirà. Spiegazione: solo in una casa emptty si può sentire il fischio del vento. In olandese c'è un detto che quotBoys fischio, avere una ragazza con fortunequot. Altri espressione in NL: quotTo fischio dopo somethingquot, cioè hai perso e non otterrete indietro. Paese: RO, BG, UA (NL). 7. rotto specchio Sfortuna. Spiegazione: i primi 7 anni non si sposeranno o sfortuna (BG). Paese: generalmente BY, UA, BG, NL, Inghilterra 8. piatto rotto Buona fortuna. Spiegazione: Paese: BY, GR, BG. 9. La sfortuna è disponibile in tre Spiegazione: Paese: NL, ARM, AZER, UA 10. Pooring un bicchiere Uno non dovrebbe prendere il bicchiere in mano e poi povero. Spiegazione: Paese: UA, BY. 11. Pooring una bottiglia Bisogna povera di una bottiglia ruotando la mano all'interno. Mai povera una bottiglia sul tappeto della mano in un bicchiere. Spiegazione: il movimento delle mani mezzi che desiderano la tua morte. Paese: UA, BG. 12. Seduto in un angolo di un tavolo Quando ci si siede in un angolo del tavolo non si sarà mai sposarsi. Spiegazione: Le ragazze che si siedono un angolo del tavolo, non si sposerà. Manboys che sedersi in un angolo avrà una moglie con quotcornerquot - sistemazione in BN, persone che siedono a un angolo del tavolo non si sposerà i prossimi sette anni. Paese: UA, BY, BG, RO, NL. 13. Anello di nozze si dovrebbe mai consegnare un anello di nozze direttamente a qualche altra cosa. In un primo momento si dovrebbe mettere l'anello al tavolo in modo che l'altra persona in grado di raccoglierlo. Simile a questo, prima del matrimonio nessuno dovrebbe provare l'anello né sposa, né qualcun altro. Spiegazione: sfortuna per il matrimonio, sarà rotto subito dopo il matrimonio. Paese: RO, UA, BY, BG. 14. Litting una sigaretta con una candela Non è bene accese una sigaretta in una candela. Spiegazione: un marinaio morirà. O più in generale: qualcuno morirà. Paese: BG, UA, UK 15. Mettere una candela Non si dovrebbe spegnere una candela. Bisogna farlo con la mano. In BG un marinaio muore, quando si spegnere una candela. Spiegazione: qualcuno morirà. Solo quando una persona è morta, è possibile spegnere la candela. Paese: UA, RO, BG 16. dare qualcosa, mentre in piedi sulla soglia Non è bene per dare qualcosa ad una persona in piedi sulla soglia di Spiegazione: In piedi sulla soglia, mostra mancanza di rispetto per una persona che è morta. Nei giorni precedenti, era una consuetudine di seppellire una persona che era morto, sotto la soglia. Paese: UA, ARM 17. Memorizzazione di pane Non si deve mettere il pane a testa in giù. Spiegazione: Questo porterà sfortuna. Paese: UA, ARM, RU, RO, BG. 18. Viaggiare Così, mai dare 4, 6, 8 fiori a una persona. Spiegazione: bouquet con i numeri pari sono per cerimonie funebri o cimiteri. Paese: RO, RU, UA, BG. 30. Presente con qualcosa di tagliente Non è bene fare un regalo che contiene qualcosa di tagliente, come una forchetta o un coltello. Spiegazione: Può significare lite in futuro. Nel caso in cui si esegue questa operazione, è bene quando il ricevitore dà in cambio qualcosa che contiene copperbrass (Koper in olandese). (Vedi 97.) In BG si dovrebbe pagare qualcosa, quando si riceve un coltello non necessariamente una moneta. Paese: RU, NL, UA, BG. 31. Pestare qualcuno piedi Nel caso in cui l'utente passo involontariamente su somones piedi, è bene lasciare che la persona si paga indietro. Spiegazione: In questo modo, l'altra persona impedirà un conflitto. Paese: RU, UA (solo i bambini). 32. Aprire una bottiglia Quando si apre una bottiglia e pooring occhiali, si dovrebbe prima poveri un po 'a quelli proprio bicchiere. Spiegazione: Rimuovere sughero veleno Paese: RU, BG, UA, NL. 33. Alzando un bicchiere Quando si beve, è bene avere un brindisi. Spiegazione Originariamente quando tostare, vino o birra deriverebbero da uno nell'altro bicchiere. Questo ha dimostrato che il vino non è stato avvelenato e che l'ospite non aveva nulla da temere dall'host. Paese: Europa, Asia. 34. Nuova casa quando avere una nuova casa, lasciare prima un gatto a piedi in casa. Poi si può varcare la soglia. BG: Quando il gatto si estende verso il basso, si deve mettere il suo letto. Questo è il miglior posto in casa. Spiegazione: Se questo non viene fatto, porterà di nuovo fortuna. BG: Il gatto si sente i campi magnetici, e cercherà il posto migliore per dormire. Paese: RU, UA, BY, BG. 35. La donna su una nave Una donna su una nave significa sfortuna. Spiegazione: Paese: NL, UA, BG. 36. camminare sotto il posto di lampioni vecchi luci della strada in Russia era costituito da due posti addossate le une alle altre. Non si deve camminare sotto di loro. (Come scala vedi 20) Spiegazione: Paese: RU. 37. Prendendo l'ultimo cibo Non si può prendere l'ultimo pezzo di cibo (pane, biscotti, carne) da un piatto. Ma, quando qualcuno si offre di prenderlo, è bene prenderlo. Si porta fortuna. Spiegazione: BG: questo è chiamato pezzo vergogna. Paese: UA, BG 38. accettare un'offerta di cibo o bevande Quando l'host offre cibo o bevande, si dovrebbe rifiutare due volte. E 'gentile ad accettare la terza volta. Spiegazione: cortesia. È per questo che molti stranieri sono molto affamati quando si visita l'Olanda. Olandese offrono solo una volta. Nei villaggi BG, la più povera la gente, più si può non rifiutare l'offerta. Paese: RU, UA, BY, RO, TR. 39. Hanging pezzo di stoffa in un albero Spiegazione: Si dovrebbe appendere un pezzo di stoffa di una persona malata in un albero il paziente sarà recuperare (per San Willibrord chiamato koortsboom o lapjesboom, Paesi Bassi). Paese: Secondo gli storici relativi al rito germanica, NL. 40. Martenitsa BG: Il primo di marzo è chiamata Martenitsa: la gente dà un filo rosso e bianco gli uni agli altri, appesi intorno al polso o al collo, e vi auguro una buona salute. (RO: rosso significa amore, bianco significa la vita dei ragazzi danno alle ragazze.) Si consiglia di indossare questo fino a vedere la prima cicogna o deglutire. Dopo di che si deve mettere questo su un albero in fiore o un cespuglio, che porterà frutti. Se una cicogna sta volando: viaggerete molto - questo è visto un positivo Se la cicogna è a terra - l'anno non sarà così prospero. Altra variante. dopo aver appeso i fili nella struttura si può esprimere un desiderio. Spiegazione: appendere panni di alberi è spesso legato alla salute e prosperità. Paese: BG (questo ha somiglianze con 39), RO 41. Storkswallow in casa la presenza di una coppia di cicogne o rondini è visto come segno di buona fortuna e di amicizia. Spiegazione: simbolo di fertilità. Rondine: simbolo di pace e di amicizia in famiglia. BG: Non distruggere rondine il nido in casa. Qualcuno potrebbe morire presto. Paese: Sud-Europa, NL, BG. 42. In bianco e nero corvo Spiegazione: Quando un corvo bianco e nero sarebbe volato verso il mare, una ragazza sarebbe certo che il suo futuro marito sarebbe venuto dal mare. Paese: DK. 43. nera e cornacchia grigia Se l'uccello vola sopra il lato sinistro, un po 'brutta cosa accadrà. Se l'uccello vola passa sul lato destro, nulla di male accadrà. Spiegazione: Crows sono spesso collegati con la morte e la sfortuna. Paese: Sud-Europa, Van den Vos Reinaerde 44. Vlaamse Gaai Quando vedendo l'uccello, significa sfortuna. Spiegazione: vedendo l'uccello significa che presto qualcuno morirà. Paese: GR. Al giorno di Santo Stefano uno scricciolo (piccolo uccello marrone con striature nere) viene ucciso ritualmente. Le persone portano il uccello su un lungo bastone lungo le case e seppellire nella tomba cantiere in seguito. Spiegazione: Si ritiene che lo scricciolo ha poteri magici. L'uccello è stato chiamato anche Druide uccello. I missionari creato la tradizione di uccidere l'uccello sul feste cristiane, come simbolo di eliminazione della heidendom. Nazione: In alcune parti della FR, UK (EN). Il Robin becca contro la finestra durante l'inverno in periodo di fame, Spiegazione: significa annuncio della morte e miseria. La stessa quando un uccello vola contro la finestra. Paese: Regno Unito. 47. canto di un gallo Il canto di un gallo insegue la notte ei suoi fantasmi, demoni, spiriti maligni away. Spiegazione: Il gallo è il presentatore della giornata. Paese: BG, Europa. Più in particolare .. 48. pittura delle uova di Pasqua uova sono dipinte e decorate prima di Pasqua. Spiegazione: i colori esprimono la felicità per la primavera. tradizione pagana transfored a ortodossa. Polonia: uova dipinte sono portati in chiesa, dove il vescovo li benedice con l'acqua Paese: Occidentale Eur, Eur Orientale, RO, BG 49. Passo Se una vecchia (che era sospettato di essere una strega) passato attraverso il villaggio, uno potrebbe proteggere se stessi mettendo un passo (con la scarpa in legno) attraverso il passo della donna. Spiegazione: La forma della croce avrebbe immediatamente effettuare una vecchia che era strega smettere di camminare donne innocenti potrebbero liberamente camminare (in connessione con nessun 31.) Paese: NL (FRL). grani di segale 50. Se qualcuno trova un chicco pieno nella pane di segale (quindi non grana sotto la pietra del mulino) durante tre venerdì consequetively, poi la prima persona che lui o lei incontra, sarà il candidato di matrimonio. Spiegazione: Venerdì è il giorno in cui Cristo fu Paese: NL (FRL). 51. pozzi Apple prende una buca mela bagnata tra il pollice e il dito e sparare via premendo duro, dicendo un phrasequestion: da dove viene il mio amante vivo Spiegazione: La direzione in cui il pozzo mela va, indica la regione in cui i candidati di nozze, ancora sconosciuto, vive. Paese: NL (FRL). Si dovrebbe aiutare il pane prima di un bambino Spiegazione: Secondo un'antica credere si dovrebbe prima prendere cura di un pane con burro che cade a terra, e di prestare attenzione ad un bambino che cade. Paese: NL (FRL). 53. Prestito sale o incendi. Non si dovrebbe mai prestare il sale o incendi. Spiegazione: Questo porterà sfortuna. (Link con spargimento di sale n ° 1.) Paese: NL (FRL), BG. 54. prestare denaro o togliere spazzatura dopo tramonto. Spiegazione: Questo toglie la prosperità da casa tua. Paese: UA. 55. Sit o discutere qualcosa a soglia. Spiegazione: Si interrompe in bocca al lupo di entrare nella casa. Paese: UA, BG. 56. Uno sposo porta una sposa in mani su una soglia in una casa. Spiegazione: Essa impedire alle donne di magia male. Paese: UA, BG. 57. sconosciuto seduto sul letto. Non lasciate che un estraneo sedersi sul letto. Spiegazione: Questo porta liti in una famiglia. Paese: UA. 58. Tagliare il pane da due lati. Spiegazione: E 'in grado di tagliare la vostra vita. Paese: UA. 59. unghie taglio dopo il tramonto il Venerdì sarà mantenere i denti sani per molto a lungo tempo. Spiegazione: E 'collegato con il pianeta, che domina in questo giorno della settimana. Paese: D. 60. Le ragazze scarpe da lancio Spiegazione: Tra Natale e Old ortodossa nuovo anno (14 gennaio) le ragazze utilizzato per lanciare la scarpa sopra la loro spalla o dal tetto della casa (a seconda della regione). La punta della scarpa indicherà dove il candidato di matrimonio, ancora sconosciuto, vive. Paese: UA. 61. Pulizia della casa si dovrebbe mai pulire la casa quando qualcuno ha lasciato da esso fino a quando la persona ha raggiunto hisher destinazione finale (soprattutto per i lunghi viaggi). Spiegazione: significa che si pulisce la persona fuori della vostra casa e heshe non potrà mai tornare lì. Paese: BY. 62. Dire la stessa parola (s), allo stesso tempo Se hai detto la stessa parola (s), allo stesso tempo (unisony) con un'altra persona, si deve toccare qualcosa di nero, esprimere un desiderio nella vostra mente e chiedere alla persona che ha detto la stessa parola (s) con voi quando il vostro desiderio si avvererà. Presumibilmente il tuo desiderio dovrebbe avverarsi quel giorno. L'altra persona può rendere pure. Quindi, si tratta di una sorta di piccolo concorso colui che riesce a toccare qualcosa di nero prima, ha il diritto di esprimere un desiderio. Spiegazione: Paese: BY. 63. Guardando l'orologio avendo stesso le figure Se vi capita di guardare l'orologio quando mostrano stesse cifre per ore e minuti (10:10 11:11, 23:23, ecc) si può esprimere un desiderio. Ma, non si può fare in proposito (ad esempio, avete visto che si tratta di 11:10 e si mantiene a guardare l'orologio fino a quando è 11:11, perché in questo caso il desiderio di non si avvererà. Spiegazione: Paese: BY . 64. cucire un buco in un panno non è bene per cucire un buco mentre indossa il panno in Armenia:. nel caso in cui si mantiene la stoffa su, prendere una pace di filo per cucire in bocca. Spiegazione: l'utilizzo di un ago di ferro può attrarre gli spiriti maligni durante la cucitura si potrebbe ferire il filo nelle funzioni bocca come un canale di lasciare lo spirito cattivo fuori BG:... se qualcun altro lo fa a voi la persona può cucire la tua mente che significa che poi non si può pensare più .. Paese: ARM, BG 65. silenzio durante la conversazione Quando in una stanza con più persone le conversazioni tutto in un arresto improvviso e c'è un silenzio, la gente dice quota bambino è bornquot Spiegazione:.. in di gente dice, quota . ladro è bornquot In NL, quando un tale silenzio cade, il vicario che passa (Questo è legato alla giorni precedenti, quando il vicario era la persona che ha informato le persone sulla morte di un parenti, membro della famiglia.) Paese:. UA, bY 66. Staring Quando una persona sta fissando, la gente dice quotYou può ricevere un guestquot. Spiegazione: In passato la gente era alla ricerca fuori dal cancello, a guardare la strada vedere se i visitatori sono venuti. Paese: ARM 67. Caduta di posate Se cultery cade, un visitatore verrà. Quando è un coltello sarà un uomo, quando si tratta di un cucchiaio o forchetta, sarà una donna. Spiegazione: (questo dovrebbe accadere accidentalmente, non di proposito.) Paese: UA, ARM, GEO. RO. 68. Il pane cade quando il pane cade, qualcuno dei tuoi amici, familiari o parenti ha fame. Spiegazione: Paese: ARM. 69. Prendendo il pane dalla terra persone che trovano il pane, deve mettere questo da qualche parte, per esempio su una parete, vetro di una finestra, per evitare che le persone passo su di esso. Spiegazione: Dio non ti perdonerà. Paese: ARM, RU, Caucus. 70. Due persone con lo stesso nome, se ci si siede tra due persone con lo stesso nome, è possibile esprimere un desiderio. Spiegazione: ognuno di noi ha un angolo di guardiano (). Paese: UA. 71. vuoto secchio, basket, e può si deve evitare di incontrare una persona che porta con sé un vuoto secchio, basket, o può. Spiegazione: Quando si incontra una persona, tutte le tue cose e le idee si è previsto, non si avvererà. Soprattutto nelle persone occidentale-UA con un secchio di spazzatura alla discarica cercheranno sulla via del ritorno per evitare di incontrare altre persone. Si prende un'altra strada per tornare indietro ed evitare altre persone intenzionalmente. RO: se si incontra qualcuno con cesto pieno, i mezzi buona fortuna. Il suo solo pericoloso durante un matrimonio di incontrare qualcuno con un cesto vuoto: la coppia divorzio. Se le persone portano secchi con l'acqua significa fortuna. L'uomo deve pagare loro. Paese: UA, RO. 72. Cerimonia di nozze Lo sposo e la sposa non deve permettere a nessuno di camminare tra di loro, o di passare tra di loro. Spiegazione: Significa sfortuna. Può significare divorzio. Paese: UA. 73. Funeral Quando un corteo funebre arriva, non si dovrebbe passare li da, ma aspettare che il corteo è passato. Spiegazione: E 'significa la morte sfortuna. Paese: BY, BG. 74. Donna incinta Non si può rifiutare un desiderio, o di richiedere da una donna incinta. Spiegazione: Se non si segue questa, i topi mangiano i vestiti, cibo, mobili. Paese: UA. 75. Indossare vestiti dentro e fuori Se si indossano abiti dentro e fuori, come la camicetta, biancheria intima, le cose che si è previsto andrà male. Spiegazione: Questo è di solito con la biancheria intima, che si può notare molto più tardi. RO: questo significa cattivo tempo. Paese: ARM, Irlanda 76. Soffocamento (ingoiare il modo sbagliato) Se soffocare, e avete bisogno di prendere l'acqua, qualcuno sta pensando di voi. Spiegazione: ARM: hai detto una bugia, o hai rubato qualcosa. Paese: RU, ARM, UA. 77. Carote Se l'host serve carote alla dura cena dopo un soggiorno più lungo (alcuni giorni) degli ospiti, non sono più il benvenuto. Spiegazione: Paese: NL Nord 78. Starnuti La persona cui si sta parlando è starnuti dopo aver detto qualcosa, significa che quello che hai detto è vero. Spiegazione: Paese: KZ, RO. 79. tostatura di marito e moglie. L'uomo e la moglie non dovrebbero brindare insieme. Spiegazione: questo porta sfortuna. Paese: KZ. 80. tostatura con una donna. Essere in compagnia, una donna dovrebbe evitare di avere l'ultimo brindisi con un'altra donna. Spiegazione: Questo porta sfortuna. Paese: KZ, UA. 81. Dare soldi Se una persona chiede soldi, non si deve dare le monete di una unità. Si può dare piccole monete di 2 o 5, ma non di 1 (centesimi. Così piccola parte della moneta al solito). Spiegazione: Questo porta sfortuna. Paese: KZ. 82. Prurito naso quando prude il naso, si avrà una festa o festa, un'occasione per bere. Oppure si riceverà alcune notizie. Spiegazione: Paese: UA, ARM, RO. 83. versamento di denaro quando si acquista tomething nel negozio cercare di dare i soldi con la mano destra e prendere il cambiamento da sinistra. Spiegazione: Potrai aumentare le vostre finanze in quel modo. RO: non si deve mai pagare il Lunedi. Altrimenti si deve pagare tutta la settimana. Paese: KZ, RO. 84. Filo di stoffa (Knovvelband) Quando avere una ferita alla quotknovvelbandquot è stato utilizzato per superare i dolori e aiutare la guarigione. Spiegazione: Secondo la credenza popolare, il filo dei panni fatta di diverse minacce, utilizzato per la copertura di ferite o bruses dopo il massaggio da un bestrieker (Laurm). Paese: NL (Groningen) 85. Croce un incrocio di strade non si dovrebbe mai attraversare l'incrocio di due strade in diagonale. Spiegazione: Si ritiene che nel bel mezzo di un incrocio, le streghe hanno messo xx Paese: UA. 86. bottiglie vuote si dovrebbe rimuovere bottiglie vuote dal tavolo. Spiegazione: la sfortuna Paese: UA 87. festeggiare il compleanno Non si dovrebbe festeggiare il compleanno quelli prima della data di nascita. Spiegazione: Questo porta sfortuna. Paese: UA, BG. Non si deve preparare una stanza per un bambino, e comprare panno durante la gravidanza. Il bambino dovrebbe nascere prima. Spiegazione: Questo porta sfortuna. Paese: UA. 89. Pane su persona morta Quando si mette un pane durante la prima notte dopo la persona è morta, non temerà (morte) più. Spiegazione: Paese: GEO 90. Funeral Quando c'è un funerale, la famiglia e gli amici porterà il morto nella bara al cimitero senza chiudere prima. Dopo il pasto è un pasto per i pochi centinaia di visitatori. Nella regione occidentale della Georgia Imereti la bara viene portata al cimitero dopo il pasto. Spiegazione: Paese: GEO Quando si lava le mani, non consegnare il sapone ad un'altra persona. Spiegazione: Si dovrebbe prima mettere giù. () Paese: GEO 92. Celebrando il compleanno (vedi 87) Quando si diventa 40 anni, si dovrebbe cercare di evitare che qualcuno vi congratularmi con il vostro compleanno. Spiegazione: Ricevere complimenti per il tuo 40 ° compleanno, significa sfortuna per il resto della tua vita. Pertanto, le persone cercheranno di evitare gli amici e acquantances e possono lasciare la loro casa per alcuni giorni, prima, e dopo il compleanno. Questa credenza non è comune in tutta la Russia, e quindi non conosciuto da tutti. In Polonia molte persone non festeggiano il loro compleanno quando ottengono olderafter all'età di 30 anni. Essi possono organizzare una festa il giorno del loro nome invece. Paese: RU (città Podolsk, regione di Mosca) 93. scarpe sul tavolo Mai mettere nuove, le scarpe non utilizzati sul tavolo. Spiegazione: scarpe nuove sono stati messi sui morti, che sono stati disposti sul tavolo. Non mettere mai nuove, le scarpe non utilizzati sul tavolo: significato male luckdeath sarebbe venuto. Paese: Scozia. NL, UK, BG, RO. 94. Ombra Se la tua ombra viene catturato perché il lavoratore sta recuperando la tua ombra dai mattoni e cementi, mentre la costruzione del muro, questo porta la miseria nella vostra vita. Spiegazione: dal libro quotDossier H. quot di AL scrittore Ismail Kadare. Paese: AL 95. Pezzi di vetro vetro rotto, pezzi di vetro significa buona fortuna. Spiegazione. Paese: NL, Europa Occidentale, BG, UA. 96. Prurito naso (vedi 21, 82) Quando il naso è il prurito, qualcuno sta parlando di te. Spiegazione: Nel caso in cui anche starnutire, si può intuire quale persona sta pensando a te. La gente si chiederà un numero composto da 3 cifre. F. I. 341, poi contare il totale dei tre figure, che è 8. Il nome inizia con h. Paese: BG. 97. Ricevere un animale come presente Se si riceve un animale, F. I. un cane o un gatto, si dovrebbe dare una moneta in cambio come pagamento token. (Vedi 30) Spiegazione. Paese: BG. 98. Coccinella Quando c'è una coccinella sulla mano o un dito, le ragazze alza la mano e lasciare che la salita coccinella fino alla punta delle dita. La direzione in cui la coccinella volerà, indica dove il marito sarà. Spiegazione. Paese: BG. 99. insetti simili a beatle Se si sale sulla insetto, pioverà. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 100. Dare un figlio lontano Quando un bambino è colpito da numerose calamità, come avere una cattiva salute, le malattie, la rottura di una gamba, è bene dare via il bambino. Le fatherparents dovrebbero vendere il bambino per una cifra simbolica. Il bambino wil quindi avere un nuovo padre che pagherà un importo simbolico. Oltre al padre naturale, il nuovo padre assumerà compiti simili a padrino. Spiegazione: Questo viene fatto tra i marinai. Paese: BG. 101. Pooring vino sulla terra quando bere vino, uno poveri fuori po 'di vino per terra. Questo è per gli amici morti. Poi si può bere insieme. Spiegazione: Soprattutto fatto tra i marinai. Paese: RO, BG. 102. Non tostatura sulle birre. Ungheresi dicono di non brindare sulle birre. Spiegazione: Nel tempo dell'impero austro-ungarico, durante una battaglia l'austriaco ha battuto l'ungherese. Tutti gli alti ufficiali HU sono stati uccisi. Paese: HU. 103. rotolamento pane Quando un bambino è in fase di prima a piedi, la gente cuocere un pane come un anello. Essi ruolo il pane sul pavimento. Il bambino camminare dopo il pane e raccoglierlo. Nel caso in cui una persona (può essere adulto) ha una cattiva salute, il pane viene preparato di nuovo in casa (il pane non dovrebbe essere acquistato). Pustapunic - primo pane a piedi. Il pane ancora è rotolato in al piano. Poi il pane si mangia insieme con la famiglia e gli amici. Spiegazione: Si dice qualcosa sulla professione e le probabilità che il bambino avrà in futuro. Paese: BG. 104. Horseshoe Se si trova un ferro di cavallo, significa buona fortuna. È possibile esprimere un desiderio, sputare sul ferro di cavallo e buttare dietro le spalle. Paese: BG. Inghilterra: Un ferro di cavallo è fortunato quando è - U - ma se upsise basso e poi tutta la fortuna cade 105. Pensando a qualcosa di brutto. Quando si pensa di qualcosa di brutto o se hai preoccupazioni, si dovrebbe sputare sopra la spalla. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 106. Spaventosa Se per esempio il bambino fa paura la nonna lei sputare nei suoi abiti che indossa sul petto. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 107. Mettere le scarpe in casa non si dovrebbe mettere le scarpe con il naso verso la porta. Spiegazione: significa che si può avere di lasciare al più presto. Paese: BG. 108. Whiping pavimento Non bisogna whipe la polvere sul pavimento verso la porta di casa, ma più verso il centro del pavimento. Spiegazione: si può perdere qualcosa. Non è bene per la casa non sarà ricca. Paese: BG. 109. Parlando mentre cade qualcosa se si parla mentre si lascia cadere qualcosa, questo significa che il vostro mentono. Parlando mentre inciampare funziona allo stesso modo. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 110. Le donne incinte e copertina rossa Le donne in gravidanza devono indossare un panno rosso. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 111. Due pezzi di posate stesso in una sola piastra. Se per errore due coltelli o due forchette sono stati messi in un piatto, l'ospite può aspettarsi un (altro) ospite. Spiegazione: Paese: RO. 112. hickups Quando si hanno le hickups, qualcuno sta pensando di voi. Spiegazione: Paese: RO. 113. Toast solo con le bevande alcoliche è possibile avere solo un brindisi con bevande alcoliche. Succhi di frutta, ecc, non sono destinate ad essere tostato. Spiegazione: Paese: RO, BG. 114. La morte di una persona in caso di morte di una persona, non si dovrebbe camminare con una scarpa. Spiegazione. chiaro per me. Paese: RO. 115. Crawling bambino, se un bambino sta strisciando su mani e piedi, qualcuno verrà. Spiegazione: I genitori possono dire, non strisciare, non siamo preparati. Paese: BG. 116. Canto a tavola quando canta a tavola, si sarà povero. Paese: BG. Inghilterra: canta a tavola sta cantando al diavolo 117. Rimozione sbriciola Quando si mangia, non è necessario rimuovere le briciole dalle vostre mani da whiping le mani, perché si otterrà poveri. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 118. Il pane nel carburante Non mettere il pane nel combustibile, si otterrà poveri. Spiegazione: Paese: BG. 119. Candele di compleanno posizionare le candele sulla torta, loro e la persona di cui ha il suo anniversario, deve soffiare fuori la luce (se tutti sono soffiato in una volta, meglio è). Alcune persone mettere lo stesso numero di età, un po 'di mettere una candela in più. (Per rendere il numero dispari) Spiegazione: Paese: RO. 120. Lodando un bambino Quando una persona loda un bambino, come quotWhat un bel childquot, il bambino dovrebbe avere qualcosa di rosso. Questo può impedire al bambino di portare cattive maledizioni. Nel caso in cui il bambino non indossare niente rosso, una persona che ha esperienza ha per rimuovere la maledizione e sarà chiesto di parlare un po 'formules per rimuovere l'incantesimo cattivo. Spiegazione: Questo è anche il motivo nei cavalli che tirano RO carte portano fili di abiti rossi. Paese: RO. Per passare l'acqua. Tentare la fortuna (BG) Fonti: No 39: Volkskrant 06.01.2000 Willibrord. No 41-49: Tussen hemel en aarde. Theo Schildkamp. 1978. No 49-53: Uit Frieslands Volksleven. Waling Dykstra 189596. No. 84: Woordenboek der Groninger Volkstaal in de 19de eeuw. H. Molema. No. 94: quotDossier H. quot di Ismail Kadare. 121. Se il naso è il prurito, qualcuno sarà presto visita si 122. Quando le guance e le orecchie diventano rosse, qualcuno è in quel momento che parla di te 123. Se una persona che sta investendo il piano (per caso) tocca i piedi con la scopa, non si sposerà. Quando succede a te, è possibile quotundoquot che mordendo alla fine del manico di scopa 124. un lupo ti mangia. Per quotundoquot battere il piede per tre volte sulla scopa 125 Non passare il sapone di mano in mano, significa che vi odio questa persona 126. Non passare il pepe di mano in mano. Significa vi odio questa persona (pepe è amaro, brutta cosa) 127. Non fischio all'interno della casa, il diavolo verrà in se si fa 128. In Kakheti, regione in Georgia: se metti un pane sul volto di un persona che è morta quella notte e mangia poi, non temerà oscurità e morti 129. Quando il sale cade sul tavolo. si deve ridere, se non, si lotta con qualcuno (il sale usato per essere così costoso come l'oro) 130. Se un merde di uccello sulla testa, la sua una buona cosa: significa che si dovrà comprare qualcosa 131. Se la tua mano destra è prurito, qualcuno verrà e agitare la mano 132 Se la tua mano sinistra è il prurito, qualcuno verrà e si danno i soldi 133. Se si visita una casa, e scoprire durante l'immissione che i padroni di casa stanno cenando, vi significa madre in legge ti amo 134 Se un ciglia indipendente è sotto l'occhio, qualcuno può chiedere quotWhich che si desidera ottenere: una gioia o un letterquot che si deve puntare l'occhio che si pensa è la ciglia sotto di essa. Se lei ha l'occhio destro, si otterrà la vostra gioia o la vostra lettera 135. Quando il labbro superiore è il prurito che significa che sarà baciare qualcuno visitare qualcuno qualcuno vi farà visita 136. Se un bambino è nato nella famiglia Se la new - nato bambino è portato a casa, il fuoco un fucile in aria per buona fortuna 137. Dopo aver avuto un brutto sogno, andare senza parlare di lavarsi i denti. Dopo di che si può iniziare a parlare di nuovo e il vostro sogno non si avvera 138. Il ManWoman che vedi nei tuoi sogni quando si dorme la prima notte in un posto nuovo, sarà il tuo futuro husbandwife 139. Esprimi un desiderio se assaggiare un piatto per la prima volta 140. Se si cammina sotto un arcobaleno si sesso cambia da uomo in donna donna in uomo 141. gazze vedere (tipo di uccello) uno per il dolore, due per la gioia, tre per una ragazza (bambino), quattro per un boyquot 142. Birdpooh Birdpooh su di voi ha la fortuna 143. masterizzazione all'orecchio quando l'orecchio è in fiamme, qualcuno sta parlando di te Azerbaijan Una raccolta da Azer Azerbaijan International (4.3) Autunno 1996. Con Jala Garibova 144.quotBeauty è dieci, nove, di cui , è saper dress. quot L'aspetto più importante di attrattiva è come si veste e si presenta. Non dovete essere una bellezza naturale per essere attraente. Ma è necessario sapere come vestirsi bene. 145. Se il cane abbaia, la carovana passa. 146. Non mettersi in gioco cercando di fare tante cose allo stesso tempo. 147. Prendere 100 misurazioni prima di effettuare un taglio. Utilizzando le immagini di sartoria o di costruzione, calcolare con attenzione prima di fare una mossa. 148. Lui se la cava con il fuoco e l'acqua. Un individuo che ha la capacità di andare d'accordo con le persone che sono opposti. Riconosciuto come una caratteristica desiderabile. 149. La segretezza Anche la terra ha le orecchie. (Anche olandese) Non esiste una cosa come un segreto. Essere prudente e responsabile su tutto quello che dici in caso contrario, può ritorcersi contro di voi. 150. Non comprare una casa, acquistare un vicino di casa. Interrelazioni e sostegno reciproco sono molto apprezzati. Molto stretti legami fisici tra vicini rendono indispensabile per coltivare relazioni. 151. Se il vicino erano buone, (anche) la ragazza cieca avrebbe la possibilità di sposarsi. 152. Se il vicino erano buone, perché dovrebbe un giardino ha bisogno di un recinto di 153 Meglio un buon vicino che un cattivo relativo. (Anche olandese) 154. Dato cavallo Mai controllare i denti di un cavallo che è stato dato da un ricco proprietario terriero. (Also Dutch: never look at the teeth of a given horse) 155. Courage is ten, nine is the ability to escape. Courage means having the judgment to know when you should run away. 156. Pilaf. Even let God think that you eat pilaf everyday. Dont pay so much attention to criticism-just keep moving ahead. 157.The forest cant be without its jackals. 158.Flies are nothing, but they make you sick. 159.He cant see the beam in his own eye, but hes looking for an eyelash in someone elses. He is so obsessed with finding fault with another that he cant see that he has even greater faults. 160. Wrap yourself in a carpet and roll together with your kinsmen. 161.Even if your relative eats your meat, he will never discard your bones. Close relatives usually will remain loyal to you in the end and wont abandon you. 162. A faithful friend never becomes a stranger, never mind if he hasnt seen you for a hundred years. 166. Never mind storms and snows for the sake of a friend. 167. Wish your neighbor two cows so that you may have one for yourself. Have a spirit of generosity towards others. In the end, God will bless you, too. 168. Do a good deed, and throw it into the sea. If the fish dont know (appreciate it), the Creator will. This proverb, like many others, is based upon a popular folk story. Once a poor man made it a practice of throwing two loaves of bread into the sea every day for the fish to eat. Unaccustomed to bread, the fish ignored his gesture. But the effort was not wasted, as a prince who had become lost at sea found it. The bread sustained him until he was rescued. Afterwards, he sought out the poor man who had provided the bread and made him a very rich man. 170. Give a token (gift), never mind if its a rotten nut. Azerbaijanis consider it impolite to go empty-handed to someones home or to an event where someone is honored. They always take a small gift, even if it isnt an ideal choice. Any gift, though imperfect, is far better than none. Azerbaijanis are continuously giving each other token gifts to cement relationships. If someone offers you a gift, accept it graciously and dont complain that its not the quality you wanted. quotNever look a gift horse in the mouth. quot 171. Doing good in return for good is a deed of every man. Doing good for bad is the hallmark of an honorable man. 172. A good horse never needs a whip. 173. Have you come with a boy or a girl This is a common expression in the form of a question when people are waiting to hear the outcome of some news. quotA boyquot signifies quotgood news. quot 174. He (she) doesnt even urinate on an injury (wound). In Azerbaijani folk medicine, cuts and burns are often soothed and treated effectively with urine. This expression is used about a person who is very stingy and who refuses to get involved in other peoples lives. 175. Cheap meat never makes a good soup. You cant expect something for nothing. A proper investment is needed to achieve something serious. 176. Eating much deprives a person of even eating little. Moderation is the secret to success. Greediness destroys. 177. Laughter is the remedy for 1001 illnesses. 178. Hair drinks (water) from the heart. The health of ones hair reflects ones mood and state of mind. 179. I tried to draw the eyebrow, but I ended up poking the eye. I tried to be helpful, but I ended up making a mess of the situation. 180. Hope is better than eating. 181. A guest is a light in the house. 182. A house without a guest is like a mill without water. 183. The guests meal arrives before he does. 184. Dont worry if you have nothing to feed a guest God will provide. Such proverbs strongly influence behavior even when people are experiencing economic hardship. Many Azerbaijani families will not allow a guest to leave without eating a meal. They feel it is their duty to entertain their guests, no matter how much the sacrifice. 185.Daughter, Im telling you daughter-in-law, listen. Azerbaijanis dont usually confront people directly and tell them if something is wrong or how they should behave. Instead they quotdrop hints. quot Several proverbs convey this idea. This proverb suggests that a person should be conscious of advice that is being given to someone else. 186. One hint is enough for a clever man. 187. The child who doesnt cry will not get milk. 188. Saying halva-halva wont make your mouth sweet. Halva is a traditional sweet of the Middle East and Mediterranean region. Its made of flour, butter and sugar. 189. One who relies on his neighbor will remain without a dinner. 190. The one who is shy will never have a son. 191. Its not shameful not to know, but its shameful not to ask. 192. The person who learns (music) late in life will play in his grave. Do things early in life at the appropriate time. 193. The more you know, the less you should talk. 194. When the tree gives fruit, it bends down. The more you achieve in life, the more humble you should be. 195. The dog is sleeping in the carts shade but thinks its his own. Dont be selfish and proud of something if youre not the one who made it happen. 196. Money is dirt on the hands. It washes off very quickly. 197. Nobody takes his wealth to the other world. 198. White money should be collected for a black day. Saving for a quotrainy dayquot when there is an emergency or economic need is an Azerbaijani practice. 199. I am in need, but not of the entrails I am in need of a tail. The lambs tail, meaning the rump, is considered the tastiest part of the animal. Entrails-the intestines, heart, liver-are valued less. The proverb means quotDont insult my pride by offering me something that really isnt valuable. quot 200. Dont tie garlic on your head if you dont have a headache. If a problem doesnt exist, dont create one for yourself. Rubbing garlic on the forehead and temples in Azeri folk medicine tradition is believed to relieve a headache by massaging and heating certain points. Often Azerbaijanis wrap a cloth tightly around their heads when they have a headache. 201. Ones own simple bread is much better than someone elses pilaf. 202. (Suppose) it didnt rain and the cattails didnt grow. Dont rely on anybody or anything. Make it happen by yourself. 203. I wish God had not made the left hand to need the right hand. Sometimes family and society strangle an individuals initiatives making him long for the chance to be independent of them. 204. Galandar went up to the mountain to get rid of his problems (grief, sufferings) and people said, What a happy man He has gone to his summer place to rest. 205. Until spring comes, nightingales do not sing. There is an appropriate time and season for everything. Many Azerbaijani proverbs deal with relationships between individuals and society. Follow whatever is accepted by the society you live in. Dont separate yourself and act independently from the norms of society. 206. Go where your kinsmen go. 207. Pass the bridge that your kinsmen have passed. 208. Make sure your blanket covers your feet. Dont expose yourself. Dont quotgo out on a limbquot and do something so that others will not be able to defend you. 209.The tip of the pen, power of the sword. The pen is sharper than the sword. Puerto Rico 210. Kiss bread before throwing it away. explanation: bread symbolizes the body of Christ. Throwing it away without a kiss is disrespectful. 211. When someone compliments you on something that belongs to you with envy in their heart, that thing will suddenly break or gets damaged. It is called the evil eye. 212. To avoid the evil eye when a child is born, Puerto Ricans put bracelets or necklaces with a special charm on it called sebache. it is a small black fist with the thumb under the pointer finger with a red bead at the end of the wrist used to protect the baby. Do you want to add more. Please send them to infofalkor. org Falkor I. C.Y - P. O. Box 1649 - 9701 BP Groningen - Netherlands - Email: infofalkor. org Disclaimer: The information published on this website does not necessarily represent the opinion of Falkor I. C.Y. Raven and Crow Symbolism and Meaning The Remarkable Raven Years ago in high school, I memorized most of Edgar Allen Poes poem The Raven. I never gave much thought to the raven of the poem saying, Nevermore, and the superstitions regarding this animal until the last couple of years. Then, the raven seemed to become ubiquitous. For some reason, I began to notice it and its behavior a lot more. I am not sure why. Groups of ravens seemed to regularly land in my yard. I even painted an homage to it influenced by Native American artwork. Being the curious literary type, I began to research more about the history, symbolism, and superstitions surrounding this creature. Did you know that there is a difference between the raven and crow The Raven Is Not the Crow When I began my research, I had no idea that ravens and crows were different. (I admit my lack of scientific prowess here.) I only knew that I preferred to call these black birds ravens and not crows . thinking they were one and the same. In this article, you will find: The differences between crows and ravens Native American symbolism of the raven Celtic symbolism of the raven Superstitions about both crows and ravens Debunking the myths The Differences between Crows and Ravens The crow . especially the American crow, is a common bird found throughout North America. They are smaller than the raven, and you see them more frequently around cities. They are rather opportunistic birds, feeding off anything and everything they can find that is edible. They have a rounded tail. Because of their ability to adapt, crows are often regarded as quite intelligent. They have a different bird call than the call of the raven (click the links to hear their sounds).This bird inhabits North America, although other subspecies inhabit other parts of the world. The raven . on the other hand, is a larger bird, often rivaling the size of a hawk. The other morning, a flock of about seven of them were scavenging in my yard. While I watched from the window, I noted their immense size. I knew they were ravens and not crows not only because of their size, but also because: Ravens like to hang out in wilder areas and woodlands. I definitely do not live near a city, and my house is surrounded by national forest. Raven feathers have pointier ends than do crow feathers. They sometimes look quite ruffly when they puff up their feathers, commonly called a ruff. These birds are also found throughout the northern hemisphere. Native American Symbolism of the Raven Native Americans had great respect for this bird. Several southwestern tribes heralded the raven as the bringer of light that escaped from the darkness of the cosmos. Thus, they associate this bird with creation because it brought light where there was none. Other tribes looked upon this bird as a trickster or even a shape-shifter because of its high intelligence and ability to adapt to different situations. Even today Native Americans say they are good signs and counter the effects of bad spirits, such as the owl. They are a sign that danger has passed and will bring good luck. Because they fly high toward the heavens, they can take prayers from the people to the spiritual realm and, in turn, bring messages back. Celtic Symbolism of the Raven Samhain was the Celtic new year, which survives to this day as Halloween. As part of the Samhain celebration, the goddess Morrigan presides over the festivities, bestowing those born on the holiday with oracular traits. Morrigan assumes the shape of a raven during the celebrations. As such, the bird was believed to have special visionary powers. Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies Superstitions about Both Crows and Ravens Many in Western cultures associate the raven (or the crow) with bad luck and death. This is probably because it swooped down onto military battlefields, picking at the dead. These birds were smart enough to find food wherever and whenever they could, even if the circumstances were quite morbid. Another reason why ravens and crows may be considered unlucky is that dark-colored animals have often been perceived as threatening or harboring superstition. Think about how Westerners view black cats and darkly-clad witches, or how the villains in many a Hollywood movieFrankenstein, Dracula, and Voldemort, to name a feware often dressed in black. It seems it wouldnt be a far stretch to include the dark-colored raven among these dubious ranks. Debunking the Myths If you look past the nefarious history of the raven, they are actually pretty remarkable birds. Did you know that they can be trained to speak This is another reason theyre often portrayed as seers. The raven call, cras, cras, translates as tomorrow in the dead language Latin. So its not hard to imagine that someone who spoke Latin would make the connection that perhaps this bird was constantly referring to the future. Some cultures also associated this bird with light. I have already mentioned certain Native American tribes that revered this animal as a bringer of light. In ancient Greek culture, the gods Athena (a goddess of wisdom and watchfulness) and Apollo (the sun deity) kept ravens. These gods turned the birds black when they couldnt keep secrets they originally had white feathers, according to lore. moonlake 5 years ago from America My son has Ravens nesting in his trees all the time. One morning he called and told us a Raven nest had fallen and there were baby Ravens every where. He wanted us to come and get them. Im the bird lady in this house. I went down there and only found one live baby, the rest were dead. We took the raven to the Wildlife Center so they could take care of him. The eagles here often go after the Raven nest and tear them down. We think thats what may have happened. cclitgirl 5 years ago from Western NC Author Thanks for stopping by, moonlake. ) I may not know you personally, but I know youre a wonderful person to go out and care for wildlife like that. Youre cool. ) Seeker7 5 years ago from Fife, Scotland This is a beautiful hub. It took me a lot of years as well, but I did eventually learn to tell the difference between the crow and the raven. I have crows in the garden but out in the countryside, especially the wooded areas, we have ravens. Its great to have both of them so close. I saw one documentary on the crow and it showed them using tools (a small twig) to dig out grubs from inside a rotting tree trunk. I was fascinated watching them. Not only that, but you saw the adult teaching a younger one how to do it. They said it takes the birds about 2 years to learn the skill, but learn it they do. You hub was a thoroughly enjoyable and fascianting read. Voted up awesome cclitgirl 5 years ago from Western NC Author Seeker7 - thank you for sharing your insights. I, too, love all animals and strive to help others to see how amazing they are - so that all of humanity can respect them and prevent any one of them from becoming extinct. Thank you for the votes. You, too, have written beautiful hubs. ) alocsin 5 years ago from Orange County, CA I always thought they were the same, so thanks for pointing out the differences. Voting this Up and Useful. cclitgirl 5 years ago from Western NC Author Before doing this hub, I did too. ) Except, I always preferred to use the word quotravenquot just because its so much more poetic. Thanks again, alocisin. Always good to see you aviannovice 4 years ago from Stillwater, OK I, too, am a bird person, especially fascinated with eagles(whom I have worked with) and ravens(when in the state of Maine) as they guarded my house when I was away. I will get to it eventually, but stay tuned for my own piece on ravens and their wisdom. cclitgirl 4 years ago from Western NC Author aviannovice - I look forward to that hub Let me know and Ill link it with my hub. ) I love all the different birds. Even the most common birds - seagulls, magpies, pigeons - they all are beautiful and they all fascinate me. ) aviannovice 4 years ago from Stillwater, OK I will do that, thanks I have found that crows and ravens are fascinating birds. Thank you for sharing this information. I happened to find a crows feather on the ground the other day, and was delighted. I felt that the Native American Culture would think that they would bring good luck. And to find out that it also means light was also enlightening. I was happy to know that I was right about it meaning good luck. cclitgirl 4 years ago from Western NC Author Anna - Im very glad that you enjoyed this and that your assessment was indeed correct. I appreciate your comments and feedback. Have a great day Mel Carriere 3 years ago from San Diego California I love how you approach this subject from both a mythological and ornothological perspective as well. I am fascinated by the entire family of the corvids. They are extremely intelligent omnivores, and in that they are a lot like us. Great Post cclitgirl 3 years ago from Western NC Author Mel - thank you They really are a lot like us, arent they I love our avian friends - all of them. Have a wonderful day FlourishAnyway 3 years ago from USA Very interesting hub I enjoyed your combination of ornithology, literature and symbolism from different cultures. So appropriate, too, for this time of year. Victoria Lynn 3 years ago from Arkansas, USA Owl symbolism, now ravens. Its all very appropriate for the pre-Halloween season, methinks cclitgirl 3 years ago from Western NC Author FlourishAnyway - haha, thank you I hope you have a wonderful day Vicki - hehe, I try, I try. ) Cheryl Cuddeback 2 years ago from Forest Hills Queens Well written and researched. I didnt know there was a difference between the Raven and Crow. cclitgirl 2 years ago from Western NC Author Cheryl - thank you so much Those differences between the two are interesting, arent they Thanks for stopping by Kristen Howe 24 months ago from Northeast Ohio Nice hub on ravens and crows. Very informative with beautiful photos. Great insight on the difference of both birds. Voted up cclitgirl 23 months ago from Western NC Author Kristen - thank you I appreciate the votes and comments. Have a wonderful day annasmom 15 months ago Yay. Everywhere I go, a crow Love both of these birds Thanks for the good read wildbluefrontier 15 months ago from Tucson Dont see too many ravens around my area, but crows are pretty amazing and smart birds. casey 14 months ago I love this synopsis article. Im so happy to know there are so many other corvid lovers out there Thank you for sharing. cclitgirl 14 months ago from Western NC Author Haha, Casey. Thanks for stopping by Cheers. Just Ian ok 14 months ago I personally looked this up do to a independent religion. to find the symbolismisitic beliefs about the Raven crow as I saw a quotsignquot lets say. Which was not a crow but rather a shadow. which is taught in this context means. well long story short is. the symbolism of this sign for me. was I will be safe and well Andrew 13 months ago I always had bad feelings toward crows. Ravens I kind of grouped in with them I suppose. It was interesting to hear that Ravens had white feathers before they told too many secrets and that Apollo and Athena wouldcould do that. I have a better perspective. Thank you cheryle 9 months ago i love how you are helping to educate people i am a bird person i worked at indianapolis zoo for many years with penguins and other birds. but i loved our raven and i love crows too. keep doing what you do LiliMarlene 7 months ago I like ravens too and am working on a story with some ravens playing an important role. Hence, Im researching and am grateful for all articles and information I can get. Thanks for sharing cclitgirl 7 months ago from Western NC Author LiliMarlene - I love researching this sort of stuff, too Thanks for stopping by. ) Anita Hasch 6 months ago from Port Elizabeth Hi, Our neighbors had a crow when we stayed in town. It used to chase the kids if they walked in the street. Could also talk, so maybe it was a raven. They seem to look very much alike. ravens have always been a bird I loved true it was for the mystery and myths about these birds but non the less I loved them and knew they were no ill will bringer to this day I love the raven. and the talking thing wild ones can teach them self to ive herd one first hand, it wasnt actually talking but it made the perfect water drip sound and echo multiple times, I stood there watching himher until it flew again, the same way I was headed weird but cool it was like it was fallowing me How good is this article 10005FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CROWS Note: Most of these answers pertain to the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos . Much of the information here is from my own research on crows in central New York where I used other sources I have tried to reference the material. - Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This page is still very much under construction Last updated 9 November 2010 Other things I havent answered completely yet What do crows eat Why do crows gather in flocks during the day How smart are crows Are crows getting bigger Are crow populations increasing How can you tell a male crow from a female How many different calls do crows make Why do crows hate owls Do crows play Do crows make good pets One of the great animal phenomena of the world is the congregation of large numbers of birds into a single group to sleep together. Such communal sleeping groups are known as quotroosts. quot Many species roost in groups such things as crows, robins, starlings, blackbirds, swallows, and herons. Most do this only outside of the breeding season. Some species, like starlings, also forage together in great numbers. Others, such as herons, disperse out from these gathering areas to forage singly. For crows, roosts are primarily a fall and winter thing. Numbers peak in winter and then decrease near the beginning of the breeding season (usually in March). It appears that all crows will join winter roosts, even territorial breeding crows. Most breeding crows sleep on their territories during the breeding season, but join the roosts afterward. For an interesting account of a large urban roost in central New York (pictured above), check out the website dedicated to the roost in Auburn, NY ltcom-sitesavethecrows gt. Just why birds congregate in such large groups is still largely a matter of conjecture. A number of hypotheses have been constructed to explain it: One is that the birds simply are congregating in the most favorable spot (protection from predators, protection from the elements, the only trees suitable for roosting, etc.), and they dont mind doing it with a bunch of other birds. This idea is kind of analogous to a crowded hotel: everyone has the same needs being met at the same place, but no one is really interacting with anyone else. Another idea is that the birds get some protection from predators by being in a large group. This is the quotwagontrainquot analogy: safety in numbers. Crows are most afraid of large owls, and sleeping with a bunch of other crows could afford some protection for an individual crow. Another idea is the information center hypothesis, where information about profitable foraging areas is transmitted. The idea is that an individual that did poorly foraging for itself on one day can watch for other individuals coming in to the roost that look fat and happy, that obviously found some rich source of food. Then the hungry individual can either backtrack the happy ones flight paths, or follow them out first thing in the morning to the good food source. Another food related idea is the patch-sitting hypothesis. This theory is similar to the first one mentioned, in that roosts congregate around a large, non-defendable, reliable food source. So, first thing and last thing in the day, food is available. It need not be the best food, but it is something to eat to get them going. The birds can then disperse out and do whatever they need to do, having had some kind of breakfast first. Roosts, then, will form in suitable roosting habitat near these large food sources. For crows, such abundant sources might be landfills, commercial composting facilities, or certain types of agricultural fields. Crows have been congregating in large roosts in the fall and winter for as long as there have been crows. Crow roosts can range from small scattered roosts of under one hundred individuals to the spectacularly large roosts of hundreds of thousands, or even more than a million crows A roost in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma was estimated to hold over two million crows (Gerald Iams, 1972, State of Oklahoma Upland Game Inventory W-82-R-10). Most roosts are much smaller, but roosts of tens of thousands are common. Before heading to roost, crows will congregate in some area away from the final roosting site, usually an hour or two before complete darkness. Here the crows spend a lot of time calling, chasing, and fighting. Right at dark the main body of the group will move toward the final roosting spot. Sometimes this final movement is relatively quiet, but usually it is still quite noisy. I have seen crows coming together from several separate congregation areas, heading to one final staging area where they all coalesce, then everyone heads to the final roost. The final roost can be a cohesive group in a single woodlot, or it can be rather diffusely spread out over quite a wide area of suitable trees. Many, perhaps most, people who witness large roosts or the flight lines to them are reminded of Alfred Hitchcocks movie quotThe Birds. quot I think this association is unfortunate. It makes the allusion that somehow what we are watching is sinister, unnatural, and threatening. In fact, it is none of the above, but one of the most natural things in the world. I would prefer to replace this association with the idea that such roosts are something to be marveled at. To me they always bring up the idea of Passenger Pigeons. When Europeans first came to North America, the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ) was the most abundant bird on earth. Migrating flocks were said to darken the sky for hours as they passed. Despite their incredible abundance, they are completely gone now, driven extinct by the early years of the 20th century. A combination of habitat destruction (the complete devastation of the eastern hardwood forests) and hunting for sale as meat in commercial markets destroyed one of the greatest natural spectacles on earth. Not a single Passenger Pigeon remains on earth today, nor do any people that remember seeing their massive flocks. I would like for people to look at the large congregations of the similarly-sized American Crows going to roost and think that, despite how impressive they might be, they are but the slightest hint of what the Passenger Pigeon flocks must have been like. Why have these roosts recently moved into cities A number of possible explanations exist for the relatively recent influx of roosting crows into urban areas. The birds are not making drastic shifts in behavior crows have been gathering into winter roosts for as long as there have been crows. We know, for example, from work done in the 1930s by John Emlen at Cornell University that approximately 25,000 crows were gathering in a roost near Auburn, NY in the winter of 1932-33, and that a large roost was present in 1911-12 (Emlen, J. T. Jr. 1938, Midwinter distribution of the American Crow in New York State, Ecology 19: 264-275). The big difference is that they were roosting 3 miles south of town then and are roosting smack in downtown Auburn today. Any increase in size of the roost would be imperceptible, compared to the change of locale. A couple of things may have worked together to get crows into town (both for nesting and roosting): 1) The 1972 extension of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 to cover crows. At this point the hunting of crows became regulated. No longer could anyone anywhere take shots at crows, but had to do so (theoretically) within proscribed guidelines and hunting seasons. It is possible that this change may have resulted in the decrease of shooting pressure on crows, allowing them to become more tolerant of the presence of people. 2) A prohibition on the discharge of firearms within cityvillage limits. It is conceivable that crows somehow stumbled across the fact that they could not be shot in cities because of local ordinances against shooting in town. So, in fact crows might have somehow figured out that the best thing to do to live with their enemy was to get as close as possible, not stay away. Many crow hunters do most of their hunting along flight lines of crows moving to roost. These flight lines through urban areas are protected, those in rural areas are not. Once crows overcame the urban barrier, a number of possible advantages could extend to them: a) Cities are warmer than rural areas. In most places a difference of 5-10 degrees F exists, sometimes referred to as a quotheat bubblequot over cities. Because roosting is a winter phenomenon, warmer spots could be important. b) Great Horned Owl ( Bubo virginianus ) populations should be lower in urban areas. Next to people with guns, Great Horned Owls pose the largest danger to an adult crow. Great Horned Owls take adults as well as nestling crows with great regularity. (That is why crows hate them so much) Owls probably are regular attendants at crow roosts, as owls wake up as the crows are heading into the roosts, and sleeping crows should be pretty easy picking. c) Artificial light assist crows in watching for owls. I have noticed that many urban crow roosts are not located in nice dense trees where the crows would have microclimate advantages, such as protection from wind or cold. Rather, the crows perch out on the tips of bare branches of leafless deciduous trees. I was quite surprised by this at first, but then I noticed that many (most) roosts are located near sources of bright illumination, such as streetlights and parking lot lights, like the lights at the Auburn prison and Syracuse University. It makes sense for crows to like quotnightlightsquot to protect them from their biggest bogeyman, the Great Horned Owl. Crows dont see well at night owls do. Crows near street light could see approaching owls. Also, if a crow gets scared out of its roost in the middle of the night (presumably by an owl taking crows), in lighted urban areas the crows can see where the predator is, and perhaps more importantly, can see to find another perch. You can imagine that flying blindly into the dark is not something any bird would choose to do. I was surprised at the amount of activity at the Auburn roost well after dark. The crows were still making a lot of noise and even flying from tree to tree. In other roosts I have watched that were in darker locations the crows quieted down rather quickly and no movements between trees were seen shortly after complete darkness. d) Urban areas provide large trees for roosts. In many places some of the largest trees to be found are in urban areas. Many trees in parks and cemeteries were protected from the severe logging of the end of the last century, and are some of the oldest trees around. These large trees may be especially attractive to crows. American Crows can be considered partially migratory. That is, some populations migrate, others are resident, and in others only some of the crows migrate. Crows in the southern parts of their range appear to be resident and not migrate. They may make some changes in their use of space at this time, spending more time off the territory to forage and roost. Crows migrate out of the northern most parts of their range. It has been stated that crows migrate out of those areas where the minimum January temperature averages 0 F. Certainly crows leave the northern Great Plains in the fall, leaving Saskatchewan and Alberta to winter in the lower Plains states of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma (Kalmbach, E. R. and S. E. Aldous. 1940. Winter banding of Oklahoma crows. Wilson Bull. 52: 198-206). Crows can be seen crossing the Great Lakes in spring and fall, and these birds undoubtedly are migrating to and from parts of Canada. Crows breeding in upstate New York are partially migratory. Breeding birds, and most of the tagged individuals in my study, appear to remain all winter. The breeding pair appears to visit their breeding territory every day of the year, although they will roost and forage in other places. Non-breeders may spend significant periods on the home territory, or may spend time away. Many individuals wander around the local area joining different foraging flocks on subsequent days. They may or may not visit the home territory during this time. Other non-breeders leave the area entirely for several months. Several of the birds I have tagged in Ithaca, NY have been recovered (shot) or seen in Pennsylvania during the winter. One individual (less than one year old) was seen at a compost pile in northern Pennsylvania with a flock of crows, and three weeks later it was back in Ithaca with its parents who were starting nesting. It helped the parents raise young that year, and remained in the area over subsequent winters. How many broods of young can a crow family produce in one year In general, American Crows have only one successful brood a year. Figure it like this: it takes from one to two weeks to build a nest (always a new one with each nesting attempt), 6 days to lays eggs (2-6 eggs, average of 4.7 in my study), 19 days of incubation (begun with the penultimate, or antepenultimate egg, i. e. next-to-last or next-to-next-to-last egg, depending on clutch size), 35 days in the nest before fledging (30-45), and then 6 weeks to 2 months to feed the young to independence. That adds up to nearly 4 months from start to finish. Even though American Crows are one of the earliest nesting species in New York (laying eggs the last week of March), they cannot hope to pull off two broods a year. In my study population if a nest fails after the first week or two of May, the pair does not attempt to renest in most years. On occasion in some years some pairs will renest rather late after a latest failure. The latest young I have banded hatched 7 June. Nest success is 50 (average in my study) or less (other studies), and rarely do successful crows raise all the young from all the eggs they lay. On average in my study, rural nests produce 4 young per successful nest and urban nests produce 3. Average clutch size in both areas is 4.7. Most crows dont even live a year, having died in the egg or as nestlings. In my study population of American Crows in Ithaca, New York, just about half of the nests succeed in producing young. Of the young I band in the nest a week before fledging, about half are alive and with their parents the next year. Of course some have disappeared and not died, but thats a pretty good survival rate for birds anyway. Once they survive that first year they have a good chance of making it for several years more. None of my birds try to breed when they are one year old, and some are six years old and still helping their parents. Average age of first reproduction for females is 3.3 years, and males average 4.9 years. Breeders have about 93 yearly survival. My survival data (biased towards the short side by those that disappear) indicate that some crows should live to be 17 - 21 years old note this is a change in the prediction from what I have had posted before Dec 1998, based on reanalysis of survival data. The oldest known wild American Crow was 29 12 years old (see Dilling, 1988, Ontario Bird Banding Association Newsletter 33: 2-3.). The second oldest known, however, was only 14 years, 7 months (Clapp et al. 1983, Journal of Field Ornithology, 54(2): 123-137). As of November 2010 we have 2, probably 3 crows that were banded as nestlings in 1993 that are still alive, making them currently 17 years and 7 months old. Here is a photo of one of them, AP HART93 when he was just 17. You can see that his colored and metal bands have fallen off, and the has only the remnants of his wing tags. What is the difference between a crow and a raven Crows and ravens, although in the same genus ( Corvus ) are different birds. (Think of leopards and tigers both are in the genus Panthera . and are obviously related, but they are quite distinct animals.) The words quotcrowquot and quotravenquot themselves have little or no real taxonomic meaning. That is, the Australian quotravensquot are more closely related to the Australian quotcrowsquot than they are to the Common Raven ( Corvus corax ). In general, the biggest black species, usually with shaggy throat feathers, are called ravens and the smaller species are considered crows. Common Ravens can be told from American Crows by a couple of things. The size difference, which is huge, is only useful with something else around to compare them with. Ravens are as big as Red-tailed Hawks, and crows are, well, crow sized. The wedge-shaped tail of the raven is a good character, if you can see it well. Crows sometimes show an apparent wedge shape to the tail, but almost never when it is fanned as the bird soars or banks (except for a brief time during molt in the summer). More subtle characters include: ravens soar more than crows. If you see a quotcrowquot soaring for more than a few seconds, check it a second time. Crows never do the somersault in flight that Common Ravens often do. Ravens are longer necked in flight than crows. The larger bill of the raven can be seen in flight, but it is actually less apparent than the long neck. Raven wings are shaped differently than are crow wings, with longer primaries (quotfingersquot) with more slotting between them. As my neighbor said, quotRavens are the ones whose wings you can see through. quot The longer primaries make the wings look more bent at the wrist than a crow as the bird flies, and the quothandquot portion can look nearly pointed. If seen perched in a good look, the huge bill and shaggy throat of a raven are diagnostic. The upper and lower edges of the bill are parallel for most of their length (34) in ravens, while in crows the downward curve starts somewhere around 23 of the way out for males, and about halfway for females. But remember, ravens are pretty uncommon around here Ithaca, NY. If you see a quotreally big crowquot, chances are good that it really is a crow. Yes, there are large crows and small ones, but you couldnt ever tell which was which. Any difference in size (380g - 660g is the weight range around here 800 - 950 mm wingspan) among individuals is not detectable, in that the range of appearance of a single crow (by fluffing or sleeking its feathers) is greater. American Crows make the familiar quotcaw-caw, quot but also have a large repertoire of rattles, clicks, and even clear bell-like notes. However, they never give anything resembling the most common calls of Common Ravens. The most familiar call of a raven is a deep, reverberating croaking or quotgronk-gronk. quot Only occasionally will a raven make a call similar to a crows quotcawquot but even then it is so deep as to be fairly easily distinguished from a real crow. Ravens also make a huge variety of different notes. It has been said (attributed to native Americans) that if you hear something in the forest that you cannot identify (assuming you know all the common forest sounds), it is a raven. How do you tell a Fish Crow from an American Crow Fish Crows ( Corvus ossifragus ) are a rather small species of crow endemic to the Southeastern United States. Typically they have been restricted to the coastline from southern New England to Texas, but in the last few decades have been expanding their range, especially inland up large rivers. Visually, Fish Crows are difficult to tell from American Crows. Unless one has a great deal of experience in close observation of the species, identification is only safely done by voice. The calls of Fish Crows and American Crows are readily told apart. American Crows most frequently give the familiar quotcaw caw. quot Fish Crows have a much more nasal call that may be better enumerated quotawhquot or quotuhn. quot The most diagnostic call of the Fish Crow is the double noted quotuh-uh. quot I always say that if you want to tell the species of crow, ask it if it is an American Crow. Fish Crows will deny this by their emphatic quotuh-uhquot Fish Crow calls can be confused with the begging calls of American Crows. It should be pointed out that these begging calls are given not just by dependent young crows, but also by adult crows in certain situations. Most prominently, early in the breeding cycle of American Crows the females will give begging calls frequently. For a much more detailed discussion of this identification problem, go to my special Fish Crow ID page . The Migratory Bird Treaty (Weeks-McLean Migratory Bird Law), passed in 1913-14, ratified between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) in 1916, went into full effect as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918. This law gave federal protection to most birds in North America, but did not extend protection to crows, and crows continued to be shot as quotvarmintsquot over most of their range. In 1936 Mexico was included in the treaty, but still crows were unprotected. In 1972 amendments to the treaty extended protection to 63 families of birds common to both the United States and Mexico, including birds of prey and crows. As a result, at least theoretically, all native birds in the United States are protected by law, but special permits can be obtained to deal with cases of nuisance birds causing damage or annoyances. This act makes it illegal quotto possess, transport, or export any migratory bird, or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird. quot (That means you cannot legally have feathers from any local non-game bird) Crows, although not technically quotmigratory game birdsquot (like ducks) can be hunted in similar fashion in some states. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations, 50 CFR Chapter 1 20.1 extends regulations to the hunting of quotmigratory game birds, and crows. quot The Act allows states the rights to establish hunting seasons on crows, with the exception of Hawaii where the only species present is the severely endangered Hawaiian Crow ( Corvus hawaiiensis ). 50 CFR 20.133 allows states to set their own seasons, bag limits, and methods of taking crows subject to certain limitations, namely that quot1) Crows shall not be hunted from aircraft 2) The hunting season or seasons on crows shall not exceed a total of 124 days during a calendar year 3) Hunting shall not be permitted during the peak crow nesting period within a State and 4) Crows may only be taken by firearms, bow and arrow, and falconryquot (so no dynamite, poison, or traps). Many states that have crow hunting seasons, like New York, allow hunting only 4 days per week. This action stretches the 124 days out so that the season may extend nearly eight months. No state that I have yet seen has a bag limit on crows. Interestingly, the New York season violated the Federal guidelines for several years. The season for 1997-98 ran 15 September through 14 April. In my study of American Crows in central New York, from 1989-1995 I observed or calculated (based on hatching date or size of nestlings) the start of incubation for 289 nests. The range of incubation-starts in this data set runs from 24 March through 1 June. That means that eggs can be present from 20 March through 20 June (based on an average of four days of laying and 19 days of incubation). Bull (1974, Birds of New York State) gives New York eggs dates for American Crows as 30 March to 14 June, in general agreement with these dates and indicative of the overall generalizability of the data for the state. 80.5 of all nests were being incubated before the end of the New York hunting season on crows, in clear violation of 50 CFR 20.133. Nesting had begun at least a week or two before this time for those nests. Nest building can begin in the first week of March, but usually is concentrated in the last two weeks. I personally dont consider the first few attempts at getting a twig in a tree real nesting, but certainly the laying of eggs and onset of incubation must be. I provided these data to the NYSDEC in April 1997, and they were going to change the season for 1998-99 to end on 31 March (15 September - 31 March Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays only). The 1998-99 NYSDEC hunting regulations, in fact were printed with a 31 March termination date. (Score one for the age of reason, or so I figured.) Apparently, however, some complaint from a crow hunter resulted in a tabling of the change and DEC personnel were informed not to enforce the printed season closure. The 1999-2000 hunt still extended into the middle of the breeding season I recently received word that the 2000-2001 dates will be (barring unforeseen changes) 1 September - 31 March. So they finally got the hunt out of the main part of the breeding season, and added the two lost weeks into the fall. In addition to hunting, crows may be taken (i. e. shot) without a permit in certain circumstances. USFWS 50 CFR 21.43 (Depredation order for blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, crows and magpies) states that a Federal permit is not required to control these birds quotwhen found committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance quot Provided . a) that none of the birds killed or their parts are sold or offered for sale. b) That anyone exercising the privileges granted by this section shall permit any Federal or State game agent free and unrestricted access over the premises where the operations have been or are conducted and will provide them with whatever information required by the officer. c) That nothing in the section authorizes the killing of such birds contrary to any State laws and that the person needs to possess whatever permit as may be required by the State. In New York state landowners or those cultivating lands may take without a permit quotcommon crows 133when the wildlife is injuring property or becomes a nuisance. quot Do crows taste bad Is that where the saying quotto eat crowquot comes from I have always been interested in how crows taste for a couple of reasons. One is because of the old adage quotto eat crow, quot meaning to do something distasteful (like admit being wrong), which suggests that crows taste bad. The etymology of a saying like quotTo eat crowquot is often hard to trace. Often you will find answers that sound good, but are simply constructed stories made far after the fact to explain something unusual. (My father was good at these stories usually they involved quotSamquot something-or-other) I have been made aware of the following reports of the origin of quotTo eat crowquot from a couple of web sites: From the McDougal Littell web site mcdougallittell. (1999 Houghton Mifflin Company All Rights Reserved) Idiom - eat crow Definition - Be forced to admit a humiliating mistake Etymology - The terms origin has been lost, although a story relates that it involved a War of 1812 encounter in which a British officer made an American soldier eat part of a crow he had shot in British territory. Whether or not it is true, the fact remains that crow meat tastes terrible. quotIf you146re feeling defeated, you simply must eat crow--a bird that is as tasty as it is melodious. Its one of our domestic dishes from a recipe allegedly discovered during the War of 1812. A Brit had caught an American shooting a crow on the wrong side of the border. He talked the Yank into handing over his gun, then used it to force the fellow to take a big bite out of the crow and swallow it. Needless to say, once the American had his gun back, he forced the Brit to eat the rest of the bird. quot I actually do not believe this story is the real origin of the saying. It just sounds too pat and too contrived. Also, I find it difficult to believe that a single incident between unknown and relatively unnoteworthy individuals would make its way so pervasively into the general lexicon. (Besides, which of these guys would spread this tale around Neither one would want to talk about it, I imagine) Note that both accounts mention that crows taste bad, an unproven assumption. I have seen two references to the edibility of crows in the technical ornithological literature (Ill have to look the references up I dont have them on the top of my head), and they are widely divergent. One says that they are foul (not fowl) and not worth eating. Another says that they taste just fine, as good as any other dark-meated bird. I have had several opportunities to sample the flesh of crows (I will not go into detail about how this came about, but remember this is a legally hunted species). In my opinion, crow tastes just fine. It is similar to wild duck or any other wild bird with very dark meat. Crows have no white meat on them, as is true for most birds. (Whenever someone says something quottastes like chickenquot remember that theyre talking about the DARK meat of chicken, not the white.) The meat of most wild birds is even darker than the dark meat of chicken, and will have a gamy smell and flavor to a varying extent. New York (and most states with hunting seasons) set no daily bag limit on crows. Most literature on hunting them tells the hunters to be considerate to the property owner and collect the crows into one big pile instead of leaving them scattered over the field. A few mention that crows are edible and give some recipes for cooking them. I think if I knew people were eating the crows, crow hunting would feel more acceptable and less like vandalism. Do crows cast pellets like hawks and owls Most birds that eat indigestible foods produce pellets. I know for a fact that crows and jays (at least Blue and Florida Scrub-) produce pellets, and I am certain that most other insectivorous birds do as well. Im not sure why all we know about are owl pellets. Perhaps its because they roost in recognizable spots and produce large, cohesive pellets with lots of hair to hold them together. If anyone would bother to look under a crow roost they would find hundreds of small lumps of grain and gravel that represent the crows pellets. Not having much hair in them, they fall apart quickly and might be overlooked if you didnt know what to look for. In the winter of 1996-97 I was exploring under a medium to large crow roost in central Ohio (somewhere between 14,000-50,000) and was surprised at the amount of gravel that was moved. Take about 5 small stones (each about 2 mm in diameter), figure a pellet every other day over the course of 5 months, and multiply by 50,000, and you come up with a significant amount of material moved (I figure, at a conservative 0.2 grams per load, 750 kilograms of gravel or 1,650 pounds.) Do male crows ever incubate I have never seen a male American Crow incubate, and I have not heard of any truly convincing cases of males incubating. My colleague Dr. Carolee Caffrey has spent hundreds of hours watching nests of marked crows in California, and she also has never seen anyone but the breeding female incubate. Female-only incubation is typical of the family Corvidae. Only females get brood patches, the defeathered, highly vascularized patches on the belly and chest that are in contact with the eggs. Any report of males incubating needs detailed verification. (See for example, Hailman amp Woolfenden, 1985, Nest-defense of the Florida Scrub Jay and the problem of quotincubationquot by male passerines, Wilson Bulletin 97(3): 370-372.) The reports of shared incubation in popular reference sources (like Harrisons bird nest book) appear to be repeated quotes from the same source: Bents life histories, quoting Bendire. I have read Bendire (1895, Life histories of North American birds) and he gives absolutely no details. But you know what they say, that if something is repeated often enough it becomes fact. I have made a couple of observations that might explain some reports of male incubation. Helping females sometimes try to incubate. When the breeding female is off the nest these younger birds will slip in and sit on the eggs or nestlings. They usually look nervous, constantly looking around, and always leave very quickly when they see another crow approaching. Unlike the incubating female, they are never fed on the nest and are often chased away. A second instance is when the breeding male comes and feeds the incubating female. Often the female will leave the nest for a while. The male usually remains nearby to guard the nest. Most frequently he will perch near the nest or even on the edge of it. Very infrequently he will actually step down into the nest and stand in it. I find that male Fish Crows do this rather regularly. These males do not, however, actually incubate. That is, they do not put their bodies in contact with the eggs and transfer heat. I saw crows fighting and it looked like one was going to kill the other. Why would they do that Crows are very social species and live in large extended family groups. That does not mean, however, that they are friendly with all other crows. Just as we humans are social and love our families and friends, we also have been known to fight and kill each other on occasion. Birds may fight for a number of reasons, such as defending territory boundaries, protecting their mate (or sexual access to them), or defending some other resource. Crow fights within a family are usually short and involve only a few pecks. (Crows, in my experience, actually seem to have very few intra-family squabbles compared to some bird species.) Fights between members of different families, however, can be protracted and deadly. I frequently see crows locked together tumbling out of trees in the spring. Although I have never witnessed an actual killing, I would not be at all surprised to see crows kill another crow from outside the family group that was trespassing. Another possible explanation of extreme violence is that the attacked crow was already injured. Injured, sick, or oddly acting birds are often attacked by their own species. Crows are no exception. One explanation for this behavior is that having an injured individual around is dangerous to others in that it might attract predators. Not only that, but a vulnerable crow could teach a predator to hunt for crows, which might endanger other crows. With this line of reasoning, crows would be best served by getting rid of an odd ball. I do not know if crows would eat another crow they killed. They might, but I rather expect they would not. Do the male and female crow mate for life More or less. In general, it appears that they do. Unless a mate is killed or severely incapacitated, crows appear to stay with the same mate year after year. It is possible, however, for exceptions to occur. Generally this would happen in the case of a young pair of birds that mated but bred unsuccessfully. They might break the pair bond and try again with someone else. I had one young male return home after an unsuccessful first nesting attempt. Because the female was unmarked I do not know if she died or also went home to her folks. Are crows ever white or have white in the wings Yes. Click here to find out more We have a pair of crows in our backyard that use our bird bath as a depository for all of the carcasses they find. There are various snakes and rodents in the bath right now. It is disgusting. Why do they do that Crows and all members of the family Corvidae will store excess food. Sometimes you can see crows bury things in the grass of the yard (usually covering it up with a leaf or plucked grass sometimes looking at it several times and using a number of different coverings before being satisfied that it really is hidden). They also hide food in trees or rain gutters, or whatever is a handy spot. At this time of the year (April) crows are nesting, and the female breeder sits all day on the eggs or young nestlings. She leaves the nest only infrequently and the male and the helpers bring her food. Food is easy to bring (all pecked into pieces and stashed in the throat under the tongue), but water is harder. So, crows often will dunk dry foods in water and take the moistened food to the nest. It is likely that that is what is going on in the birdbath. In my experience with several captive crows, some individual crows also seem more inclined to put food in water and leave it there than others. Perhaps they want it to rot a little to improve the flavor a bit before they eat it (just like we do when we quotagequot beef). Since the crows came we dont have any little birds around anymore Crows are predators and scavengers, and will eat anything they can subdue. That said, the bulk of their diet (in this area, anyway) consists of waste grain in winter, and earthworms and other terrestrial invertebrates in the spring and summer. Crows will eat eggs and nestlings of songbirds, and in some areas might have a significant impact of a local population of birds. Far more likely, however, is that crows are but one of a host of species preying on the quotdesirablequot wildlife, and removing crows will make no change in the end result (that of most of the young birdseggs being eaten). A number of studies have been done, removing crows and looking at the resulting nest success of birds the crows depredated, that illustrate this point. Removal of crows does NOT increase nest success or survival of the bird to be protected. Nearly always some other predator steps up to eat the same number of eggs and young birds, or they die for other reasons. This idea of compensatory mortality is a very difficult one for people to believe. It is not intuitive. quotCommon sensequot says that if you get rid of one source of mortality that the overall mortality rate should go down. In fact, the world does not act this way. I like to use the analogy of handicapped parking spaces at the mall You drive up to the mall, looking for a parking space in a crowded lot. You cant find a parking space, but there are four near the entrance that are reserved for handicapped permits only. You complain and think that if only those handicapped restrictions werent there, you could park in those spots (common sense). In truth, of course, if those spaces were not reserved they would have been taken long ago, just like all the other spaces in the lot. So if one more egg hatches, that will be one more nestling that gets eaten by a raccoon. Or if one more nestling makes it out of the nest, thats one more fledging for the local Coopers Hawk to eat. Or, if one more young bird survives to fly to South America, thats one more bird that falls into the ocean during the bad storm (1001dying instead of 1000). And so on and so on. This concept of compensatory mortality is vital to the idea of game management. What it says to the managers is that it doesnt matter to the population if hunters take a bunch of young that were slated to die anyway. If you keep your take within the limits of the mortality that normally occurs, exactly NOTHING happens to the overall population, even if you kill a million individuals (like the million Mallards that are killed in the US every year). And it works Of course, if you exceed the normal mortality things go awry. Or if the sources of mortality increase in an unusual way (huge losses in habitat, for instance, or total loss of food supply at a staging ground) then bad things happen. But the normal fluctuations of a stable community just absorb the small perturbations. So, although you might see a crow eating a baby robin, that is not bad. MOST baby robins die before reaching adulthood. Thats why the robins nest so many times during the summer. The presence of crows in an area will not mean all the robins and cardinals will disappear. In fact, despite a slight but significant increase in American Crow populations in North America since the mid-1960s, American Robin populations have increased (nearly identically to crows) and those of Northern Cardinals have stayed steady (North American Breeding Bird Survey data). The only species of bird that is decreasing in North America in which I MIGHT be convinced crows play a significant part is Common Nighthawk, and that only in urban areas (and as yet this is all speculation). Urban nighthawks have such a specialized nest site selection (flat gravel roofs) that crows might be able to figure them out and find most of the nests in an area. In summary, crows are NOT a problem to most songbird populations, especially not those that are likely to be found around peoples houses. When crows move in, the other birds dont leave. I try to encourage people to enjoy the crows as well as the other birds. Crows are fascinating animals in their own right. I happen to think they are aesthetically pleasing to look at too. Granted, they are not brightly colored, they get up too early in the morning, and they are loud. No other bird in our area, however, has such a human-like personality and social system as the American Crow. Please see the other information on my web pages about their family lives. Try to get people to understand that it is not a quotgangquot of crows in their backyard, but a family. Weve got crows hanging out in our yard. How can we get rid of these pests Good luck Once crows have decided to come to your yard, it might be hard to convince them to leave. Plastic owl decoys will work. for about 15 minutes. A dog could be more effective, especially if it was encouraged to chase them. If, however, something really special was attracting the crows to the yard (like readily available food), the crows probably would figure a way how to get it and avoid the dog. The idea is to make the yard an unattractive place for the crows. Cut down your trees if you have to. Chase them when possible and make it obvious that you are after THEM, not just going out in the yard for other reasons (it will make a difference, trust me, but see below for the associated risks of this technique). Killing the crows is not a recommended option. It can be done legally only in a few areas (out of the city, and with permits or a hunting license). But, if one family of crows found your yard desirable, chances are others will too. Crow society is filled with excess crows that are waiting for an opportunity to breed (the helpers staying home and helping the parents raise young). If you kill some territory holders off, you just create a breeding opportunity for the crows waiting in the wings. A far better solution is to work on your own attitudes, not the crows. Pests are like weeds: their status relies entirely on your point of view and state of mind. What is a weed to one person is a beautiful flower to another. It is my experience that if you let something bother you, it will. The more upset you get about it, the more it bothers you, and the more it bothers you the more upset you get, and the more upset you get the more it bothers you, and so on and so on, until you explode. Although some measures do exist to change crow behavior, it might be easier and more effective to attempt to change peoples attitudes about crows. (I actually have little hope of doing either) Crows are not evil, and they are not purposely trying to torment you. They are just being crows, trying to live their lives and feed their families. Actual property destruction is one thing that might require action, but just being annoying is something else again. Try to appreciate the crows for the fascinating creatures they are. If you get over that hurdle, the annoying habits become much less annoying. I have said that crows are much like my family or my dog: they do many things that annoy me, but I love them and am willing to overlook (most) of the annoying things because the relationship is primarily positive on the whole. Crows do have one endearing characteristic that is apparently not shared by other birds. They will get to know people as individuals. While you can get chickadees to eat out of your hand, any old hand will do, and I suspect that the chickadees do not know you as an individual. Crows will If you toss them peanuts (I recommend unsalted, in the shell) on a regular basis, they will wait and watch for you. Not just any person, but you. If you do this often enough, they will follow you down the street to get more. I have made a point of getting on the good side of a number of crow families around Ithaca. Some will follow my car down the street, and if I dont notice them and toss them peanuts they will dash across the windshield to let me know they are there. Some of these crows recognize me far from their home territories, way out of context. (It did, however, take some of them a long time to learn to recognize my new car.) So indulge yourself and makes some personal friends with the crows. That is the preferred relationship, because they also are happy to turn this talent of recognition to the darker side, and treat you as an enemy. (Again, not just all people, but YOU.) Because I climb to crow nests to band young birds, many crows in Ithaca know me and hate me. Whenever they notice me in their territory they will come over and yell at me. They will follow me around and keep yelling for as long as I am there. Believe me, its better to be on their good side than their bad side My 10 year old son keeps having crows trying to attack him . He will be out in the yard and they come swooping down on his head. He has done nothing to them and he is terrified to go out side alone now. I have been out there and they have not bothered me. Please tell me what I can do. Since you gave no indication of where you live, I have to guess on exactly what is happening. But, right now (late May) in most areas of the country crow babies are just fledging (leaving the nest). In the first couple of weeks that the young are out of the nest they cannot fly well and are very vulnerable to predation. They hide in the trees and the parents are very protective of them. At this time the parents will mob (attack) any potential predator in the area. Usually this means cats and dogs, but it appears that your son elicits the same response. You are too big to risk getting too near. Just wait a few days and the fledglings will leave your yard and the parents will calm down. Try to keep in mind that these birds are not vicious fiends bent on your sons destruction, but merely dedicated parents trying to defend their own young in the best fashion they know. What mythologies are associated with crows Lots, but theyre way more boring than the real stuff crows do (Im a biologist, not an anthropologist. These things tell you lots about people, but little about animals. IMHO) If you really must go after this material, try the links from The American Society of Crows and Ravens. I found a baby crow that must have fallen from the nestbeen abandonedis injured What should I do Probably you should put it back where you found it. If you dont like that idea, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. For a lot more on this topic, click here. We have a pair of crows tearing our windshield wiper blades off our vehicles. We have no explanation for this activity or how to stop it. Can you offer some advice or comments on the behavior This is a very odd one. I have now heard about this kind of crow vandalism from nearly a dozen people in a dozen different parts of the country, and I am stumped as to how to explain it. All I can say is that crows are very investigative and curious, and it is possible that these traits have led them to investigate the wipers. Wipers do not resemble food to me, so I cannot think of a good reason they would attract crows. The wiper blades themselves, though, are exactly the sort of thing that young crows might like to fiddle with: pliant yet resistant soft enough to dismantle, but tough enough to give a bit of a challenge. Young crows in their first and second years often quotplayquot with things that are not edible and do not interest older crows. Siblings watch each other too, and often vie for the object in question (be it a feather, a stick, or, perhaps a windshield wiper blade). So, it is possible that one young crow found out about how fun windshield wipers were and then quottaughtquot other family members. What to do about this Harassment is probably the best policy. Chase those crows any time you see them around your cars. They will probably keep coming back, and they will probably learn to hate you on sight. Still, it might keep them off. You might also try adding some novelty to the vehicle or where you park them. Crows do not like new things in an area where humans hang out. Small, but obvious changes in the area or on the vehicles might be enough to get them worried. A tassel hanging from the radio antenna might be enough of something new to keep them away for a while. If none of this works, try getting a car cover like people with expensive antique cars use. It might be a pain, but it will probably be less expensive than weekly windshield wiper replacements. What is a group of crows called (as in quota gaggle of geesequot) The poetic term for a bunch of crows is a quot murder. quot No scientist calls them that, only poets. Scientists would call it a flock. Who builds the nest, and what do they look like In the beginning stages of the nest both members of the pair, as well as some helpers many times, work equally hard on building the nest. In fact, the male can be even more active getting started. The breeding female, though, usually does the most building at the end when they are lining the nest. She is the one who gets everything comfortable in there, because she is the only one who sits in the nest to incubate and brood the young. American Crow nests are bulky things that are constructed of three parts 1) an outer basket of sticks, 2) a filling of mud and grass (often the grass is visible sticking out the bottom of the nest a good clue its a crow nest), and 3) a thick bowl of something soft. Grapevine bark and cedar mulch, seem to be the most popular lining materials around here, with mammal fur and twine common. Paper is unusual but does get used, as does plastic occasionally. Perhaps the most unusual lining material I have found were some Emu feathers. No. Wild crows do not like, nor collect shiny objects. They do not hide, store, or cache anything but food. I believe that all stories of crows and magpies taking shiny objects come from peoples experiences with captive, hand-raised young birds . Young corvids are very investigative, and love to handle objects. They like to pick them up, peck at them, and then hide them. Most corvid species hide food for later retrieval (some, like the nutcrackers in the genus Nucifraga . are extreme, hiding and remembering thousands and thousands of seeds). Juvenile birds quotplayquot with inedible objects, picking them up, pecking them, and eventually hiding them. (Play is just doing appropriate actions with inappropriate objects, just like children playing house.) In the wild, they would play with sticks, stones, acorn caps, and things like that. In captivity, they will do the same thing to just about anything small and portable, and they may be attracted to shiny things, like keys, coins, or the like. Most corvids are quotscatter hoardersquot and hide only one or a few things in any one location (rather than being quotlarder hoardersquot that store everything in one place, like a packrat). So if your pet crow hid your keys, dont expect to find them in the same place that you find your diamond ring. More on these later: Why do crows gather in flocks during the day to cruise the singles flocks