Nancy Gleason (MOVED instance)Nov 27, 2022

Corvid Love.
I captured an intimate moment for these two American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) at a park near my house in #Seattle.

While #crows have a reputation for being jerks, I like this image for showing they have a tender side as well. I observed long enough to know he's not actually poking her eye out; this was an example of "allogrooming" behavior for your science word of the day. You're welcome.

#NaturePhotography #nature #birds #BirdPhotography #birdwatching

Show threadAlex, the Hearth Fire
@ncgleason how do you know that one is "he" and one is "she"?
Nov 27, 2022 at 4:52pmWeb
Show threadNancy Gleason (MOVED instance)Nov 27, 2022
@WizardOfDocs I can't know anything for certain. As a scientist, I work with statistical probabilities. So since ornithologists have determined male crows are usually (but not always) larger, and crows form male/female pair bonds and mate for life, then I made the assumption the intimate behavior between the larger/smaller crows indicates male/female pair bond. I could be completely wrong, but just went with what is "probable" based on training as a natural scientist. Wide open to ideas.