Consider the Crows

Ever heard a bird who sounded as if it needed a lozenge? Well, if that raspy croak came from a big black bird, it might have been a member of the crow family. I noticed some birds at a rest stop—were they crows? I wanted details. They looked much bigger than any crows I had ever seen. Later I discovered that they had been ravens—the largest members of the crow family.

A little research revealed that the crow family includes ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, and—of course—crows. Farmers despise crows when they steal grain; corn seems to be a favorite. I knew of one farmer who set up a scarecrow only to be mocked by crows gleefully landing on it, still feasting on corn. A farmer’s frustration must be behind the words of this verse you might recite while planting seeds: “One for the blackbird, / One for the crow, / And that will leave / Just two to grow.”

Notice the saying mentions blackbird and crow. This tells us that, although a crow is black, it differs from a blackbird. Crows caw and tower over blackbirds. Red-winged blackbirds, on the other hand—or is that, on the other wing?—call konk-ka-REEE to their friends in the flock. And they should, since blackbirds are the kind that might end up baked in a pie!

Although crows may not be the subject of that famous rhyme, they do have some special qualities of their own. For one thing, they are known for their friendliness and intelligence. An acquaintance of mine once kept a crow named Cola as a pet. And my grandfather claimed that crows can even learn to talk. They also eat insects that otherwise might have harmed crops. This shows that God has an important purpose in mind for these birds—and for every creature He created.

Besides all that, at least one member of the crow family appears in literature. A well-known writer penned a poem about that granddaddy of the crow family: “The Raven.” So these birds have a lot to, well, crow about!

We, on the other hand, can crow about our Creator’s wonderful world—a world in which even the lowly crow has a place. And if God has a special purpose in mind for a mere bird, what a grand plan He must have in mind for each one of us!