Someone did a study into all the dead crows on the hard shoulder of the M4 to find out what killed them.
Nearly 100% of the dead birds had traces of vehicle paint on their feathers which indicated the probable cause of death.
Further research into the paint revealed that it was all traceable to paint from trucks and lorries.
The theory into this is that crows are very good at working collaboratively and can warn each other about danger and that they can shout ‘car!’ really well but not ‘lorry!’….
I’ve never been able to work out why it’s a Murder of Crows and not Ravens; you seldom see more than two Ravens together, and it always seems like they’re plotting something…
My favourite birds, though, there was one flying around where I live being given a really hard time by a carrion crow a week or two ago.
I’ve never been able to work out why it’s a Murder of Crows and not Ravens; you seldom see more than two Ravens together, and it always seems like they’re plotting something…
Appropriately then, the collective noun for ravens is a parliament.
Appropriately then, the collective noun for ravens is a parliament.
It’s a Parliament of Owls, Shirley. Took a bit of searching, but there’s several for ravens; a conspiracy, parliament, unkindness – conspiracy or unkindness are appropriate, but I still prefer a murder.
Still, a murder of crows does trip off the tongue nicely, and it makes a good song lyric as well.