Title
American crow caches rabbit kits
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2006
Abstract
For corvids, the decision to cache is a complex behavior likely influenced by many interacting factors. On 8 April 2004, I observed an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) caching eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) kits taken from a rabbit nest on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri. The crow cached at least three kits and flew away with at least one other. Caches were covered with dead leaves and landscape mulch. During the ensuing 3-day period, some caches disappeared, were partially eaten, or were moved to a different nearby location. To my knowledge, this is the first documented case of caching numerous rabbit kits from a single nest, and it is one of the few documented cases of cache-moving by American Crows.
Recommended Citation
Shew, Justin J. "American Crow caches rabbit kits." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118, no. 4 (2006): 572-573.
DOI for the article
https://doi.org/10.1676/05-083.1
