Though owls and crows don’t have identical active time zones, they have feuded for generations. Thus, it’s not unusual to encounter an owl and crow fight scene. However, their conflict slightly differs from usual fights, known as mobbing.
Let’s know about owl vs. crow: why do crows not like owls and attack them? Owls may raid the crow’s nest to eat the babies and eggs. Thus, to prevent the potential risk from them, crows tend to chase them away from their habitats. For chasing, they will compile in a group to attack the owl altogether.
You will learn about who is the real culprit or winner in these fighting circumstances. So, without any delay, let’s go through the article.
Why Do Crows And Owls Not Get Along And Hate Each Other?
The disliking for each other of crows and owls is in their DNA, and this is unchangeable. There are many reasons why they do not like each other. Those are:
1. Attacks Each Other Nest
Both crows and owls are capable of attacking each other’s nest. Whenever they get a chance, they raid another’s nest in search of food. For this behavior, each of those creatures has mutual dislikings. This issue is more common when you think about owl and raven examples.
2. Crows Chase Away Owls
As owls show predatory behavior, crows are likelier to chase them away. For this, crows will attack them in groups and will reduce the predation risk. Also, crows will disturb the owls in the daytime when they are just tired and trying to sleep. Due to this type of disturbance, owls also hate crows.
3. Genetic Reasons
The crow vs. owl fight has been continuing since ancient times. And the mutual hate-dislike relationships are transferred from generation to generation. Thus, this will continue if any significant evolution doesn’t occur in their DNA.
Even you will find this type of hate relationship between crow-owl hybrids. Each of their hybrids will also contain the DNA of hating each other. The intensity of being aggressive toward each other might be lesser in crow owl hybrid genes than in their parents’ genes.
Why Are Crows Afraid Of Owls?
Owls are larger than crows and have the habit of preying on crows. That’s the main reason they are scared of owls. Also, crows are intelligent creatures who are capable of remembering incidents and faces and can sense danger.
Thus, if any crow ever witnesses owls killing any crow, they can save this memory and take revenge whenever they get a chance. Also, crows are capable of transferring their DNA from generation to generation. Therefore, the gene of getting afraid with the view of owls is entirely genetic.
Even if a crow never encountered any owls, it will still get saved once they see an owl. As soon as possible, they will alert their folks about the presence of owls and scare them away together.
However, crows don’t get afraid of small owls like
- Elf owls
- Burrowing owls
- Pygmy owls
- Saw-whet owls
As these types of owls are relatively small in size, crows might chill around them. But if the nesting habit of those owls triggers the crows, they will scar away the owls.
However, a raven which is a member of the crow family will be large if you compare raven vs. crow. Thus, ravens are less scared of owls than usual crows.
Do Owls Attack Crows At Night?
Yes. Owls attack crows at night. Crows are diurnal, and owls are nocturnal creatures. As nocturnal creatures, they take this advantage to attack crows at night. And they have more efficiency and eyesight at night.
But, as a diurnal creature, crows’ eyesight and efficiency become weak at night. This makes them more susceptible to becoming the prey of owls at night.
Do Great Horned Owls Eat Crows?
Yes. Great Horned owls eat crows. A few large owls eat the eggs, hatchlings, babies, or adult crows. One species among those owls is the great horned owl.
This owl is large in size and able to attack the crows at night and leave the beheaded and dead bodies of crows. To get a better idea about crows and great horned owls, check out this Youtube Video.
Apart from great horned owl, there are also numbers of large owls like:
- Barred owls
- Snowy owl
- Great grey owl
- Blackstone’s fish owl
- Eurasian eagle owls
- Barn owl
Each of these owls is capable of eating the small crows as a whole. Among these, the barn owl has a medium size and poses less risk to crows.
Generally, the crow species that don’t mob have a high risk of becoming the prey of these owls. But most crow species are habitual in chasing the predators away from them. As a result, owls can’t eat the crows frequently.
Can Crows Kill An Owl While Mobbing?
No. There is no reported news about the owl’s death during the mob. So, directly, crows won’t kill any owl while chasing away. However, they can hurt owls badly through their beaks. This may also result in the death of the owls.
Typically, mobbing is one process of harassing a predator by a group of prey. While mobs, crows use their loud voices and numerous weird movements to harass the owl.
Generally, crows will try to chase away the owls to protect their eggs and babies. The focus of the mobbing operation is to scare the owl and keep them away from nests. Sometimes they might get successful in mobbing, and sometimes, they won’t.
However, there is a potential risk for the crows to get hurt during the mobbing. In most cases of mobbing large owls, they might not be successful in scaring the owls away. Instead, they will end up getting hurt.
Will Owls Fight Back When Crows Mob On Them?
No. Generally, owls don’t fight back when a group of crows mob on it. Because these types of incidents typically occur during day time. During this time, the owl is vulnerable and tired. Also, they have poor vision during the daytime. Thus, they try to avoid the situation by escaping from the scene.
But during night time, their sensory efficiency of hearing and vision remains high. On the contrary, crows will be tired, weak, powerless, and vulnerable. That’s why an owl can take their revenge on the crows easily for Mobbing it away.
Owl Vs Crow: Who Would Win The Fight?
It’s hard to say who will win the fight between the owl and the crow. Normally, owls raid crows’ nests in search of food. Hatchlings or eggs of crows are one of the favorite foods of owls. As nocturnal predators, owls attack the crows’ nest at night. They can fly quite silently with the help of their specialized plumage.
Besides, their specialized eyes and hearing ability make their sensing extraordinary. Most of their brain is used for their sensing capability, and there remains a smaller amount for their thinking and intelligence.
On the other hand, crows are smaller in size and have less physical strength than any average owl. But their intelligence is enough to identify faces and remember any memory for extended periods.
Not only that, they can spread information about potential dangers among their folks. As a result, whenever they see any potential threats and predators, they try to fight those as a group.
In the fight between the owl and the raven, the raven will have almost the similar power as any owl. Though an owl can easily win over solo crows, it’s difficult for them to fight solely with folks of crows. As a result, crows will successfully chase the owls away from their territory.
FAQs
In this section, we will answer several frequently asked questions about the owl vs. crow fight.
Usually, crows won’t chase away the smaller owls as they will not pose any potential risks for crows. They can live peacefully without trespassing on each other’s territory. Thus, crows are more intended to mob giant size owls.
It’s hard to decide which one is the villain, as none of them is entirely innocent. Usually, crows disturb and chase away the owl to protect themselves. But owls are more likely interested in crows’ hatchlings and eggs.
Generally, crows will attack owls in the daytime when the owls are in a vulnerable stage. Similarly, owls attack a crow’s nest in the nighttime when crows are roosting.
Conclusion
Owls are nocturnal, and crows are diurnal birds. They rarely encounter each other. But whenever they face each other, they show fierce behavior toward each other. Larger owls can attack any crow and cause death anytime. But typically, crows stay in groups and become successful in mobbing the owls.
Now, what did you learn about Owl vs. Crow: Why Do Crows Not Like Owls And Attack Them? Precisely, both creatures dislike and have attacking behavior toward each other. And that is because they hamper each other’s life for getting food or staying safe from predators.
