Ravens and crows are known as talented mimics, but one particular bird is catching attention for his unusual, and ear-shattering, choice of impression.
“I’m a dramatic sneezer and he hooked onto that immediately,” said Dayna Slater, the founder of Good Caws Crow Rescue in Prince George, B.C.
“He’s like, ‘I like to make noise, too, let’s do that.'”
Rescued raven ‘Huxley’ imitates loud sneeze
Slater has shared video of Huxley, a three-year-old raven, sitting in her backyard repeatedly making a loud sneezing noise, in between rounds of saying his own name.
“It’s his favourite thing to do in the morning,” she told CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton. “So far the neighbours haven’t said too much, they do love birds.”
Slater founded Good Caws after friends and neighbours started contacting her about injured corvids they had come across, knowing her love of the birds.
Rescued raven shows big personality
Realizing there was nowhere in the region for them to be rehabilitated, she took the step of becoming a licensed wildlife rescue able to care for crows, ravens and magpies in the region. She currently has 20 birds in care, including 10 crows, two ravens and two magpies.
“They’re creatures of myth and legend in so many cultures,” she said. “They deserve respect and help.”
Huxley came to her in 2023 as a hatchling that had tumbled from his nest. Unable to fly, he’s a permanent resident and ambassador for the rescue, which also seeks to return birds to the wild when it’s able.
He is a prime example of why Slater says she loves the birds, showing a strong sense of personality and intelligence.
She says Huxley loves squeaky toys, baths and his companion, a crow named Bobbi. He also has strong dislikes, including the snow and cold, preferring to move indoors during extreme winter weather.
And aside from sneezing, he has a few other favourite phrases picked up from his time with Slater, including his own name and “That’s not cool,” something Slater tells him when she nips him while being petted.
“He just generally likes to serenade all the birds in the rescue with his jibber-jabber,” Slater said.
