by Douglas Wacker

Humans are fascinated by crows because they share many of our characteristics. They’re smart, social, and make a variety of vocalizations. However, do they have a language like humans? In this talk, we’ll explore some past work on crow vocal communication, language in general, and recent Corvid research conducted with undergraduates at the University of Washington Bothell. We’ll discuss what some of those caws might mean and talk about how we’re starting to address the question of whether crows have something akin to language.

Dr. Doug Wacker is an Associate Professor of Animal Behavior at the University of Washington Bothell, where he works with undergraduates studying crow and raven  social behavior and communication. He has studied a local communal roost of ~16,000 American Crows on the Bothell campus since 2012. He lives in Lake Forest Park, Washington with his two children, Eilidh and Delphinia, his wife Kim, and two indoor-only cats.