Published by Glory Ugonma Itiafe

On July 21, 2025, X user Big Hope (@iretileye) posted about crows frequently visiting a compound, describing a crow “shouting” at 1 a.m., which prompted him to fetch a Bible. 

In a follow-up post, he shared an image of a captured pied crow and captioned, “another one down na una go leave this compound for us seh.” 

This post sparked discussions on X, with some users supporting the act while others warned that his action would only draw more crows to the building.

Dr Aloy Chife (@chifeDr), Ourfavonlinedoc (@ourfavonlinedoc), and Arojinle (@arojinle1) are some commenters who responded to the post. They faulted the crow’s killing and attributed it to a common misconception about the bird.

In a separate post, another user, Real Centurion (@centurion_real), shared a TikTok video of birds sitting on a roof, with accusatory remarks about crows disrupting progress in people’s lives.

“But crows usually perch on the roofs of their targets, listening to conversations and disrupting any form of progress in ur life. As for that building, I doubt it’ll ever be completed unless the owner is prayerful. That’s if they’ve not caused his death already,” part of Real Centurion’s caption reads. 

DUBAWA decided to create an explainer focused on this topic due to its potential for environmental misinformation, the opportunity to educate on crow ecology and behavioural patterns, and the need to address cultural and superstitious misconceptions that could impact conservation efforts towards climate change mitigation.

Why it matters

The belief that crow visits have a spiritual and cultural undertone is widespread in Nigeria, risking environmental misinformation and harm to wildlife. As pied crows are native to Nigeria, understanding their behaviour is crucial to dispel myths and promote conservation. 

DUBAWA is exploring this issue to clarify why crows frequent human spaces and address spiritual and cultural superstitions that could impact ecological efforts.

Who are Crows?

Crows, part of the Corvidae family, Corvus genus, and Corvus ossifragus are highly adaptable and recognisable birds, with about 43 species distributed worldwide. They thrive in diverse habitats across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Pacific islands, but are absent from the Arctic and Antarctic due to extreme cold and limited vegetation. Notable species include the pied crow, hooded crow, common raven, rook, American crow, and fish crow. 

Crows like the white-necked raven, the Cape crow, and the black crow can be found in Africa. However, pied crows are the only crows evenly distributed across sub-Saharan Africa.

The pied crow (Corvus albus), a member of the family Corvidae, is common in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. It is a bird that grabs attention. Its distinct features include a slick black head, neck, and crisp white chest. Its natural tuxedo look gives it a serious style. The pied crow visits human spaces for natural reasons, not supernatural ones. 

Why do crows visit human spaces?

Pied crows are omnivorous, social birds that thrive near human settlements. They feed on insects, small vertebrates, and food waste.

Their presence around human spaces is likely due to available food sources or nesting opportunities rather than supernatural activity.

Nigeria-Africa BirdsWatchingHQ supports this.  

Crows are drawn to towns and villages, areas with abundant refuse, like slaughterhouses, and seek water from puddles or pipes. They also roost in trees or on rooftops for safety.

The why behind Crows’ behaviour

Studies documented in this article highlight crows’ advanced cognitive skills, indicating that they can plan for the future just like humans do, including tool use, facial recognition, and planning. 

Their social nature leads them to move in groups, which is called “murder of Crows.” This group movement creates the perception of frequent visits. 

Crows can find, navigate, remember, and return to familiar, safe locations for food or shelter. They are highly social, mimic humans, and are adaptable. A single crow may attract others, creating the impression of frequent visits. 

Social memory/High communication skills

They have fantastic communication skills and the ability to recognise humans. Studies show that crows hold grudges and can remember faces for up to seventeen years. They scold by divebombing humans whom they deem to have threatened them in the past, as they never forget faces. 

They also tend to tell the rest of their flock about the perceived offender. If a person has threatened or harmed a crow in the past, such a person is likely to receive frequent scolding visits from crows, giving the impression of frequent visits. People who believe supernatural forces are attacking them may interpret this behavioural pattern differently. 

Conversely, crows may visit trusted humans, leaving “gifts” like twigs. However, experts warn that this can lead to dependency if mismanaged.

Ecological/Environmental Importance of Crows

Mark Ofua, veterinarian and West Africa director for WildAfrica, explains that crows act as environmental sanitation agents by consuming decayed material. 

They are one of the crucial animals helping to support forest regeneration through seed dispersal, particularly by consuming fruits and nuts and depositing the seeds in their droppings or scatter hoarding, which can introduce seeds to new, potentially suitable locations away from the parent plant. This helps with forest regeneration, one of climate change’s vital solutions. 

Public Health Indicators

Mass crow deaths serve as indicators of environmental health. During rainy or wet seasons, mosquito breeding increases, which can lead to the possible outbreak of West Nile virus disease. When infected mosquitoes bite these crows, they die. Their vulnerability to this disease makes them useful health indicators, with population declines signalling issues like West Nile virus outbreaks. 

Public health officials can get a jump on protecting human populations by observing an outbreak in the local crow population.

Why are crow visits interpreted as supernatural?

In Nigeria and parts of Africa, there exist cultural superstitions, beliefs that humans turn into birds as witches to attack their fellow humans.  Hence, as in the post, birds perching too close, screeching, cawing, or making bird calls are viewed suspiciously. 

Crows are often linked to witchcraft due to their dark appearance and distinctive cawing. Religious narratives and media, particularly local movies portraying birds as symbols of evil, reinforce these myths. These are some of the ways this misinformation has taken hold. In movies, birds and cats are usually the animal representation of evil, sorcery, and negativity.

Mark notes that crows’ retaliatory behaviour, targeting those who harm them, can be misinterpreted as supernatural. He stresses that their actions are driven by survival and ecological roles, urging increased conservation literacy to counter misinformation.

He also said pied crows frequent human spaces for food, water, and shelter, driven by their intelligence and social nature, not witchcraft. 

“Cultural misconceptions, fueled by media and religious narratives, misinterpret their behaviour, leading to harmful actions like killing crows. Education on crow ecology is vital to protect these birds, which play key roles in environmental health and forest regeneration.”

Mark concludes by saying humans misunderstand crows. Even though they are vengeful birds, they only avenge any wrong done to them by people who have hurt them or their flock at some point. He says their behavioural patterns are based on their ecological functions and for survival. He noted that misinformation about birds is widespread in Nigeria, highlighting the need for more work to promote conservation literacy and education.

Olabode Emmanuel, Project Manager at the Omo Forest Elephant Initiative of the Nigeria Conservation Foundation, stated that crows, members of the Corvidae family, are among the most intelligent birds, surpassing even African grey parrots in cognitive ability. 

He recalls twice observing crows deliberately choosing the most significant piece of meat from a random assortment, showcasing their remarkable problem-solving skills. Like elephants, he said, crows have an extraordinary memory, never forgetting a face, especially if they’ve been harmed. 

“There’s nothing mystical about it, just pure intelligence,” he said. 

Their high cognitive skill enables them to observe their environment intensely, and when they look at humans, they are simply trying to retain knowledge.

By scavenging, crows also contribute to environmental sanitation, helping to reduce and prevent outbreaks or the spread of disease in their habitats.

Conclusion

Crows’ frequent visits to human spaces are part of their natural survival process. They do not have spiritual or cultural contagion, as many like to believe. This perspective is a myth rooted in local superstitions, not science. Crows such as Pied crows are drawn to human settlements for food and habitat, and their well-documented intelligence, often misread as intentional or supernatural, explains such behaviour. 

However, it is essential to note that killing crows can trigger real consequences due to their social memory.