Back to Index


Crow family

Crows leave the nest when fledged but unable to fly and are looked after on the ground by attentive parents for several days,
until able to fly properly.  A lot of their time is spent on the ground learning to find food and they can usually hop up into bushes
and dense trees to get away from predators.
They should not be “rescued” if the parents are still around, unless they have been injured.
If injured or unwell, it will be subdued and listless or may have one wing lower than the other and feathers sticking out or missing.

Crow in garden, hopping around, not flying
If this is spring and two other crows are around calling to the bird, it's a chick that hasn't quite learned to fly.
You can help by putting out a small dish of beef mince or meaty cat food and a heavy pot of water.
The fledgling is supervised by the parents, who noisily encourage it to feed and begin to fly. they will look out for predators and
have been known to drive away cats and even people who seem to pose a threat to the youngster.

The fledglings usually get the hang of flying and foraging after 5 -7 days so a bit of short term help would be appreciated.