MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 17, 2025
A “murder” is a colloquial name for a collective group of crows. We could just call it a flock but a murder is a “term of venery” as it is only used to refer to crows. In the winter we get many reports of large congregations of crows, typically in the evenings. These massive groups often cause (unwarranted) alarm. Safety is apparently a major factor in forming roosts, as you are much less likely to be picked off by an owl if you have thousands of others keeping a lookout, and statistically you are less likely to be chosen if there are thousands of other options. Studies also show that warmth and information sharing play a role in roosting. Go look for a crow roost. It is one of the largest congregations of birds we still get to see. ~ Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon