We have all been there: It’s like 5 a.m. and you are rudely awoken from a deep slumber by the annoying and relentless sound of a crow cawing outside your house. You lay there in bed annoyed, listening to the sounds of the black bird cawing once, twice, thrice… then silence. Yes! You think you can drift back to sleep, but after a few second delay, another crow from a distance responds to the cawing and now they are having a back and forth cawing conversation.
In an attempt to respond to this quirky Word Prompt word, I googled crows and I learned something fascinating. There is actual meaning behind those annoying shrills and shrieks. It turns out that one caw implies a simple greeting or a way to maintain contact with other crows. Three caws could indicate stress or perhaps a warning of danger to other crows to a potential threat. Four or more caws are a way to assert dominance over territory, or a call to gather other crows, potentially for food or a group activity. If you hear a mixture of hoarse or grating caws or clicks arranged in sequences that may be minutes long, this is a crow singing. It’s all so interesting. Or so I thought this morning as I jammed the pillow over my face in the pre-dawn hour counting the caws wondering if that crow outside is trying to claim his spot in the tree outside my bedroom window, or trying to attract a mate from blocks away.
Whatever the reason, he better stop soon or it will be four caws as I open my window and lunge an object at him to get him to stop.
