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Can Crows Laugh at Me?
Crows are pranksters, but they’re not known to “laugh.”
© cuatrok77 / CC
The American Crow’s rattle call is uncommon, and researchers aren’t sure what it means. It could be a gathering call, a predator alarm, or a call between mates. But if you hear it, you might think it sounds like cackling laughter. However, no one has identified a crow noise that indicates glee at the expense of another creature. It’s just a coincidence that the rattle sounds like a laugh. However, crows can play pranks on other animals: egging on cats to fight and yanking on dog tails for their own amusement. They aren’t pranking for survival — as far as we can tell, it’s just for fun.
BirdNote®
Can Crows Laugh at Me?
Written by Emilie DeFazio
This is BirdNote.
[branch snap]
Tripping on a branch or a rock is no fun. And sometimes it sounds like the birds are providing a laugh track for your mistake.
[American Crow call, XC 71555]
That’s the American Crow’s rattle call. It’s uncommon, and researchers aren’t sure what it means. It could be a gathering call, a predator alarm, or a call between mates. But if you hear it, you might think it sounds like cackling laughter.
[American Crow call ML 380990711, 0:33-035]
Who knows — maybe that chortle in the trees was directed at you. But does the crow mean it?
American Crows have more than twenty different calls. They’re playful, curious and intelligent. But no one has identified a crow noise that indicates glee at the expense of another creature. It’s just a coincidence that the rattle sounds like a laugh.
However, crows can play pranks on other animals. There are reports of crows egging on cats to fight and yanking on dog tails for their own amusement. It’s called unrewarded object exploration. They aren’t pranking for survival — as far as we can tell, it’s just for fun.
So it seems that crows have something like a sense of humor. But if you hear a chuckle in the tree, they’re probably just minding their own business.
[American Crow call, ML 50118, 0:12-0:13]
… Probably. For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. American Crow Xeno Canto 71555 recorded by M. Nelson, American Crow ML 380990711 recorded by J. Morris, and American Crow ML 50118 recorded by G. Keller.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote June 2022 / September 2024 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# AMCR-08-2022-06-20 AMCR-08
References
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/10/scientists-investigate-why-crow…;
https://corvidresearch.blog/2019/03/14/crow-vocalizations-part-ii-qa/
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/amecro/cur/sounds#vocal
Emilie DeFazio
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorSights & Sounds
