Video of Crow Reuniting with Their Human Best Friend After an Extended Absence Is Heartwarming

Crows are such amazing, underestimated creatures, and perfect living examples of why the term “bird brain” should be considered a compliment, not an insult. Crows have demonstrated impressive cognitive skills far surpassing most other animals, possess incredible memories, particularly when it comes to faces, and have proven themselves capable of making loyal friendships with humans.

Author Margot Wood spent a long time befriending a crow in her neighborhood, eventually earning their trust and giving them a name. After Margot was away from her neighborhood on an extended absence, she feared that her feathered friend would forget her. As it turned out, though, she needn’t have worried.

After months of patience and calm, consistent effort, Margot eventually earned the friendship of her neighborhood crow (whom she named “Angelina Crowlie”) to the point where Angelina would happily eat out of her hand. So when Margot spent four months away from home visiting family, she feared that her long absence would undo all the work she did building up her friendship with Angelina.

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You know how there are those friends you can go long periods of time without seeing, yet the next time you meet up, you can still chat with them just the same as ever? That’s how it was with Angelina. The day that Margot got back, Angelina flew across the street to perch on her fence, and though she was a little wary at first (perhaps her feelings were hurt by Margot’s absence), it only took a little snack to remind her of their friendship. Just like that, Margot and Angelina were besties once more!

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but hopefully this will be the last time Angelina and Margot have to be so far apart from each other for a while. Still, this reunion was heartening, as it confirmed for Margot that she really had left a warm, positive impression on her feathered friend—and most likely her family, too.

“Crows pass on information to future generations,” shared TikTok commenter @thatgermanteacher. “Her babies and grandbabies will know you as well.”

How To Befriend a Crow

While this advice certainly doesn’t apply to most wild animals, there’s nothing wrong with trying to befriend a crow, so long as you aren’t trying to keep it as a pet (which is illegal to do in most places, not to mention unethical). If anything, if you have any crows in your neighborhood, it wouldn’t hurt to get on their good side. As good as crows are about remembering their friends, they certainly remember their enemies too, and a vengeful crow is unlikely to forgive or forget!

So what’s the way to a crow’s heart? Through their stomach, of course! According to Corvid Research, dried pet food is a reliable favorite among crows, but they also enjoy eating other treats such as unshelled nuts, eggs, meat scraps, and—believe it or not—tater tots. They might be wary of you at first—you are a giant stranger to them, after all—so start out by putting the food out at a distance away from you. As they warm up to you, you can gradually start feeding them closer until you’re eating side-by-side with them. And who knows—making close enough friends with your neighborhood crows, and you might even start receiving gifts from them one day!