Do Crows Hold Funerals for Their Dead?

People often say crows hold funerals. When one finds a dead crow, others gather and make a racket. Researchers at the University of Washington have studied this closely. Their conclusion is more practical than poetic, with a few surprises.

What do crows do when they find a dead crow?

They sound the alarm and gather. Lead researcher Kaeli Swift describes the usual pattern on her research blog. With an unfamiliar dead crow, crows call out, other crows come, and the group forms a loud crowd called a mob. They disperse after about 15 to 30 minutes.

What did the experiments show?

That the dead crow is treated like a warning. In a 2015 study, Swift and John Marzluff showed wild crows a dead crow and, as a comparison, a dead pigeon. National Geographic reports that she put out food at more than 100 sites in Washington State over two years. The crows mobbed the dead crow, took longer to approach food near the place where it was found, and learned to treat a new predator as dangerous when it appeared near dead crows and hawks. A dead pigeon did not trigger these responses. The authors concluded that to a crow, a dead crow is a danger signal much like a predator.

The crows also learned faces. After only one training event, they learned to recognize and scold a person who had been near a dead crow. National Geographic notes that a masked person holding a stuffed pigeon got a much milder reaction.

What happens in a crow’s brain?

A 2020 study from the same group put the question to crows’ brains. Researchers exposed crows to four things: a dead crow, a dead song sparrow, alarm calls made in response to a dead crow, and begging calls. They found that crows may learn quickly from these experiences. Swift writes that, as with a familiar threat like a hawk, the biggest difference showed up in an executive area of the brain. She says the study did not give definitive answers about what crows think.

Is it mourning?

The evidence does not clearly say so. A 2018 study removed the predator from the setup. Reporting on it, WRAL says crows may touch, attack, scavenge, and attempt to mate with a dead crow. In 4% of the encounters observed, crows tried to mate with the body. In one case, a crow did so with a dead pigeon used for comparison. Swift suggests the behavior may be a mix of responses: danger, a source of food, or a possible mate. The time of year seemed to matter.

The 2020 paper notes that other members of the crow family, including jays and ravens, also become wary of places where a dead member of their species was found. So “funeral” is a convenient word, but what the research supports is learning about danger. It does not show that crows grieve.

Where can I learn more?

For the wider debate, see Do Animals Understand Death?. For what happens to a body in nature, see What Happens to a Dead Animal in Nature?. For human burial, see Why Do Humans Bury Their Dead?.