I live in Los Angeles. Our street has a lot of crows. They often “caw” four times. Sometimes I “caw, caw” back at them. They may pause (puzzled?) then caw back at me. Assess and discuss.
Your interactions with the crows could suggest some level of recognition or curiosity from their side. Crows are highly intelligent birds, known for their problem-solving abilities and social communication. The fact that they pause and then caw back at you might indicate that they're processing your response, trying to determine if you're another bird or just an odd human. Crows have complex vocalizations, and their "cawing" can serve various purposes, like alerting others, coordinating movements, or just social chatter. By mimicking their sounds, you might be engaging in a playful back-and-forth, which is not uncommon for these birds, especially in urban areas where they become familiar with human behaviors.
Their pause could be them processing whether your "caws" have meaning within their communication framework. Crows can recognize and remember human faces, so it’s possible they see you as a recurring part of their environment and might even start associating your “caws” with your presence. Keep up the conversation—you might build a quirky rapport with your local crow community!
