Crows, like so many harried people, are suffering through city life, according to a story I came across about city crows and their troubles. Researchers studying urban crows say that understanding these birds could help people build better cities.
“By studying the well being of urban organisms, how they adapt and what costs they are bearing from living in a city, we hopefully will be able to build cities that are healthier for all of us,” [Anne] Clark said in a telephone interview.
Urban planners are increasingly interested in how cities function as an ecosystem, she added, so the more we understand how that system serves all of us — from crows to insects to humans — the better equipped we will be to build smarter cities.
The story also pointed out a really interesting fact: Crows are one of the greatest sufferers of West Nile Virus. That virus has killed 45% of the crow population in the United States.
Of course, crows are interesting all around. Here’s a PBS documentary proving my point: A Murder of Crows.
JD Verde 