(and advanced applications of crow vocal reproduction)
American crow vocalizations can be some of the easiest of all bird sounds to produce, but I’ve recently discovered that there are actually people out there who don’t know how to make a crow call.
So I’ve created this page to clear up this tragic issue and inspire people with all the knowledge you might need to caw like a crow anytime you so choose.
Then, later on this page we’ll dive into some advanced uses of your human generated crow call.
So let’s get started…
Firstly, there are two simple steps to crow calling excellence.
The following video is a demonstration of how to make the sound like a pro.
Now that you know how to caw like crow, there are also some more advanced applications that you can try out with your new-found crow calling abilities.
Long-Range Communication System
When you’re out in the woods, crow calls travel really far.
Using your own crow calling system can be a good alternative to yelling out human words as a way to communicate over long distances.
You can even decide ahead of time to ascribe different meanings to the various numbers of crow calls that you give.
For example:
1 caw means ‘Where are you?’ 2 caws mean, ‘There’s something interesting over here’ 3 caws mean, ‘Let’s meet at the trail Junction’
In the programs I did with Wilderness Awareness School we would use the crow call as a mechanism for gathering everyone together when it was time to meet up.
It was a great way to help people tune their ears & bring everyone together all at the same time.
Group Learning Activities
It can be a really fun and instructive exercise to get together with a group of people and spend some time vocally simulating the different types of behaviors that can be observed in groups of crows.
For example, you could practice exchanging companion calls down a line of people over very long distances, or work on accurately mimicking the various alarm calls made in different situations.
This is a great way to help people really start to understand bird language as it applies to crows in a very simple and intuitive manner.
It’s guaranteed that if you can reproduce the acoustic effects displayed by crows when mobbing an owl you will absolutely be able to recognize the sound when you hear it for real out in the field.
Playing Tricks
I also alluded in the video to the use of human generated crow calls to trick people into thinking there’s a crow in the area.
It can be fun to hide in the bushes and then give a call when someone walks by to see if they notice anything strange.
It’s usually better to do this with people you know, and who have a sense of humor.
Get out there and make some crow calls!
I’m sure there are more uses we can come up with for why a person might want to know how to make a crow call, but now at least you have everything you need to begin cawing with vigor and excellence.
