Crows fascinate us because they share some of our characteristics. They’re smart, often social and make a variety of vocalizations. But, do they have a language like humans?  In this talk, we’ll explore some past work on crow vocal communication, as well as some more recent research being conducted with undergraduates at the University of Washington Bothell. We’ll discuss what some of those caws might mean, and talk about how we might even address the question of whether crows have something akin to language.

Presenter Doug Wacker is an Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior at the University of Washington Bothell, where he works with undergraduates to study bird 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.

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