Where Do Crows Sleep?

Crows are pretty common birds in many countries, and they occur on all continents except South America and Antarctica. These amazing birds are social, show an ability to learn and use tools. I remember a house in our neighborhood where all the crows used to collect and sit on the roof. I recently realized in all my years of bird watching that I have never seen a crow’s nest. This made me think about where crows sleep.

Crows are social and sleep in communal roosting trees, telephone lines, or the sides of buildings. Several flocks of crows may roost together during the night, forming a vast community of crows. They keep each other warm and protected. Crows are secretive about their nests and try to disguise them. 

Crows are intelligent birds – scientists say they are as clever as parrots, gorillas, and chimpanzees. You might expect some surprises about the sleeping habits of such brilliant birds, and you would be right. 

Do Crows Sleep In Trees?

Crows sleep in trees, and the bigger the tree, the better. They love trees that allow them to roost fifty to sixty feet in the air. They are not particular about trees and will use deciduous or evergreen conifer trees. 

A few essential rules about safety determine their choice of tree.

  1. A tree where they can sleep high up allows them to feel safe from dogs, cats, and other ground predators.
  2. A tree that allows them to see clearly in all directions lets them spot a problem predator before it can get to them. 
  3. A large tree allows them to sleep in large numbers, which helps them feel safe.
  4. Crows prefer a quiet place, but if they need to put up with traffic noise, they will.

Do Crows Sleep In Places Besides Trees?

Crows will make use of other structures if they cannot find a convenient tree. They often sleep on telephone or power lines, the sides or roofs of a building, cell phone towers, or any place that fits their requirements. 

Crows also roost on window ledges or aerials, which doesn’t earn them any favor with people trying to get internet or watch television. 

Many city people complain about large flocks of crows sleeping around their homes. They are entertaining to watch, and you can learn a lot about getting on with your companions from watching them settle down for the night.

Researchers have found that crows like to sleep in city limits for a few different reasons.

  1. Cities are five to fifteen degrees warmer than country areas.
  2. Cities are well lit. Crows don’t see well at night, so in the city light, they see predators coming. 
  3. It is legal to shoot crows, but it is illegal to shoot inside city limits, which means the crows are protected in the city.  

Do Crows Sleep Together?

Mostly crows like to sleep in big flocks – sometimes, several smaller flocks will join up for night roosting. These roost flocks can be ten or twenty crows or several thousand crows. In the morning, the crows fly off in their smaller flocks or pairs to look for food.

In Danville, Illinois, there is a crow roosting site that has been used for many years. Scientists have counted more than one hundred thousand crows roosting there each night. Another place you can see thousands of crows sleeping each night is on the banks of the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor, UK.  

Crows will fly forty to fifty miles to reach a night roosting site so that they can sleep there with other crows – that is quite a commitment to your friends and family! 

Why Do Crows Like To Sleep In Big Flocks?

Crows are social birds that form strong bonds with each other. Researchers explain that crows learn about food sources from other crows when they collect at roosting sites. They also have a chance to look for a mate, which they will stay with for the rest of their lives. 

A significant reason that explains why crows sleep together is that it keeps them safe. Crows look after each other, and they can have some guard crows that sound the alarm while others are sleeping. 

If there is a predator, the whole flock of crows will chase away the predator. You can imagine that thousands of crows flying at you would be a scary sight and guaranteed to chase away almost every predator.  

Another reason why crows sleep together in such large flocks is that it helps them to keep warm. When there are so many crows together, they create a lot of heat which helps the flock survive icy weather. 

Where Do Baby Crows Sleep?

Baby crows sleep in nests that their parents build. Crows like to make their nests in tall trees. If there are no suitable trees available, they will use thick, thorny bushes to hide their nests. 

Crows try to make nests that are not easily noticed and will even make false or dummy nests to confuse predators that try to rob the eggs or kill the baby crows.  

Electrical transformer boxes are a favorite nesting place for crows, and they steal fiber-optic cables to make their nests. As you can expect, this causes havoc with the power supply in cities. 

In Japan, power supply companies started making artificial crows’ nests on their towers. They situated these high above the power lines and transformer boxes so that the crows do not cause power outages. 

Do Parent Crows Sleep In The Nest With Their Babies?

One parent crow may sleep in the nest with their babies for a short time after the babies have hatched to keep them warm. When the baby crows are a few days old, the parents sleep near the nest and not in it. 

They perch on a tree branch or suitable place and guard the nest. Young crows from the previous breeding season will also sleep near the nest and help protect the babies. These other young crows even help the parents feed the babies during the day. 

Conclusion

Crows sleep in tree branches, the sides of buildings, chimneys, ledges, and anywhere that provides a suitable roost for them. They prefer high places where they can see danger approaching. 

Crows sleep together, often in huge flocks that provide safety and warmth for the community. Crow parents only sleep in the nest for a few days when the chicks first hatch, and after this, they guard the nest and sleep on a nearby perch.