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The Vocal Behavior of the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhyncos

Tarter, Robin R.

Abstract Details

2008, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.
The objective of this study was to provide an overview of the vocal behavior of the American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, and to thereby address questions about the evolutionary significance of crow behavior. I recorded the calls of 71 birds of known sex and age in a family context. Sorting calls by their acoustic characteristics and behavioral contexts, I identified and hypothesized functions for 7 adult and 2 juvenile call types, and in several cases found preferential use of a call type by birds of a particular sex or breeding status. My findings enrich our understanding of crow social behavior. I found that helpers and breeders played different roles in foraging and in protecting family territories from other crows and from predators. My findings may also be useful for human management of crow populations, particularly dispersal attempts using playbacks of crows' own vocalizations.
Douglas Nelson, PhD (Advisor)
Mitchell Masters, PhD (Committee Member)
Jill Soha, PhD (Committee Member)
45 p.

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Citations

  • Tarter, R. R. (2008). The Vocal Behavior of the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhyncos [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1204876597

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tarter, Robin. The Vocal Behavior of the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhyncos. 2008. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1204876597.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tarter, Robin. "The Vocal Behavior of the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhyncos." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1204876597

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)