Tootie's Backyard

Kevin’s Home

Kevin was born near the top of a pine tree in a nest made up of twigs with an inner cup lined with pine needles, weeds, and bark in Tootie’s backyard. Both his mom and dad built the nest. This year, he’ll help them build a new nest where his brothers and sisters will be born.

He and his six brothers and sisters were born pale bluish-green eggs that had brown and gray blotches on the large end.

Kevin and his siblings left the nest about a month after they were born.

Kevin and his siblings will help their family until they are between two and four years old when they will go out and find their own territories.

What types of nests do you see in your yard?

Kevin’s Hobbies

Kevin is really social, meaning that he loves to hang out with other crows, especially his family. In the winter, he will hang out with a large group of crows, called a murder.

Kevin is smart and good at solving problems. He once dropped a pine cone on a rat snake climbing the tree near the nest, knocking the snake backward.

It is difficult to tell the difference between Kevin and his fishing crow relatives. They are identical except for their calls.

When larger birds, like hawks, invade his territory, Kevin and his family will chase them off in an act called mobbing.

What activities are the birds in your backyard doing?

Kevin’s Diet

Kevin is an omnivore who forages for most of his food on the ground. He eats a lot of different things, sometimes even stealing food from other animals.

Of all Tootie and Yoshi’s friends, Kevin has one of the most varied diets. He eats earthworms and other bugs, seeds, fruit, garbage, and chicks from other birds’ nests.

Sometimes Kevin even eats carrion – dead animals – that have been opened up by vultures. Since his beak isn’t able to pierce flesh, he has to wait for a larger bird, like a turkey vulture or a black vulture to open the carrion up. He’ll then eat some of the leftovers.

How are animals that eat carrion beneficial?