Ratio of Juveniles and Adults of American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos in Family Groups at Loyola Marymount University and Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA

Authors

Yeon Jae Kim, Loyola Marymount University

Files

Description

American crows are highly social animals and display cooperative breeding, where nonbreeding offspring help their breeding parents care for juveniles. (Chamberlain-Auger, Auger, & Strauss, 1990). In order to gain a better understanding of the role of these nonbreeding offspring in raising nestlings and juveniles, crow nests and breeding groups were closely observed on the campus of Loyola Marymount University and at Venice Beach during the early summer of 2016. In each group, juveniles were usually closely associated with a single adult, however, the apparent roles of the adults within the group varied. In these apparent family groups one or two crows simply watched and supervised while the adults closely associated with each juvenile fed the juveniles. These differing apparent roles adopted by adults may ensure juvenile safety while in the process of feeding. Confirmation of these apparent roles would be best determined in future study by color banding resident birds.

Publication Date

2017

Recommended Citation

Kim, Yeon Jae, "Ratio of Juveniles and Adults of American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos in Family Groups at Loyola Marymount University and Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA" (2017). Center for Urban Resilience Research Posters. 25.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_posters/25