Do Crows Mate For Life?

Do crows mate for life? Yes, they do. And this behavior is highly advantageous to them. Here’s what you’ll want to know.

How Do Crows Attract A Mate? 

Crows are social birds; most of the year, they live in small family groups. During the breeding season, however, single male crows that have reached sexual maturity will leave the group and attempt to find a mate and establish their territories.

In addition to securing a territory, male crows will also vocalize using a range of calls and songs to impress females. Physical displays such as puffing up their feathers, bobbing their heads, and spreading their tales, along with flapping and spreading their wings, are also used to signal females.

Sometimes, males will bring food and nesting materials to an individual female to try and impress her as well. Females will decide whether or not to pair with a male based on the quality of his displays and his perceived ability to provide for her and her future offspring.

If she approves of the male crow, they will move into his male’s territory and mate. Although female crows are quite selective. If they aren’t impressed with the available males they may simply choose to wait until the following year to find one.

When Do Crows Mate?

It typically takes crows anywhere from two to four years before they are sexually mature and ready to mate. This varies from crow to crow and can also be influenced by the availability of resources in their environment. Crows have a delayed sexual maturity when compared to other types of birds.

This is believed to be an advantage for survival as it gives them time to gain experience and learn important social behaviors before going off to reproduce. The time of year that crows mate depends on where they live.

In North America, for example, the crow mating season is typically from March to May. However, in Europe, it tends to be from April to June. And in Australia, it normally runs from September to January.

Do Crows Mate For Life?

Crows do mate for life. They stay with their partner year-round and together they will forage, build a nest, mate, raise their young, and defend their territory. They will do this year after year and as a result, they form very strong bonds. Crow pairs can often be seen grooming each other.

This behavior is believed to strengthen their bond (similar to when apes and monkeys groom members of their social group). Known as allopreening, crows use their beaks to comb, probe, and pick through their mate’s feathers and remove pests such as mites and flies, along with debris.

However, there are exceptions, and sometimes crows do split up. For instance, when one of the crows can’t successfully reproduce the pair may split and each will attempt to find a new partner.

Why Do Crows Mate For Life? 

Mating for life has several advantages. One of the biggest is that both parents are there to help care for and protect the young instead of only the female. This helps to increase the odds of their young surviving.

It also allows them to use their resources, such as energy, more efficiently as they can share responsibilities so that while one parent is guarding the nest, the other can be foraging for food, for example. Mating for life makes for a more powerful pair bond as the bond between the two birds grows over time, providing them emotional support.

What Do Crows Do When Their Mate Dies?

Crows are known to engage in mourning behavior around the dead crow calling loudly. This may sometimes last for several days. Because the bond between mates is vital when one dies, the remaining crow may be impacted heavily.

As the remaining crows do not have their mate to protect them or their offspring, they may adjust their behavior and compensate by becoming more aggressive and territorial. Depending on the individual crow, they may spend more time with other crows in their family group than they did before or less.

When it comes to finding a new mate, that depends on the individual crow as well. Some birds may seek a new mate rather quickly, while others may wait longer.

And some birds, often older crows that had been pair bonded for a long time, may never look to find a new mate. So while crows mate for life, there are circumstances such as the death of their partner, which may cause them to find a new mate or even stay single for the rest of their days.

Start Shopping for Birding Supplies!