iN VIDEO: Murder of crows on Kamloops rooftop give off Hitchcock vibes

A group of bickering crows gathered on a roof in Kamloops lent an eerie atmosphere to an early morning in April. 

Known for their high intelligence and loud, harsh “caws”, crows are often solitary but will gather in large groups called a murder to exchange information and look for mates.

“I witnessed a murder,” joked Celeste Fummerton, who took a video of the scene. “It’s pretty common up here in this neighbourhood, and it’s creepy, especially in the fog.”

The origin of the term murder is related to the scavenging nature of the birds that historically appeared for pickings on battlefields, according to Discover Wildlife.

The association with death led to the birds less favourable characterization in folklore, for example, the belief that crows peck out the eyes of their victims to attain their excellent vision.

A macabre reason for crows to form a murder is to hold a funeral. 

When one crow dies the group will gather around to find out what killed it, then band together and go after the predator in a behaviour called mobbing.

We’d love to see video clips of what is happening in your neighbourhood. Send them to news@infonews.ca.