Highly intelligent and adaptive of mind,
In all-black or glossy black feathers designed,
Belonging to Corvus of Corvidae fame,
On nearly all continents, history names.
From woodlands and farmlands to coastal-swept shores,
They thrive where the urbanised landscape explores,
Avoiding but southern expanses of frost,
And lands where the South American trails are lost.
High up in the crowns of the tallest of trees,
They build sturdy nests that can weather the breeze,
Weaving the twigs and the debris they find,
To shelter the cleverest birds of their kind.
As natural wardens of garden and field,
They cause the destructive insects to yield,
Consuming the beetles, the caterpillars, the grubs,
Protecting the crops and the flourishing shrubs.
Vital as scavengers, faithful and brave,
They clean up the carrion left for the grave,
Reducing the sickness that otherwise breeds,
Speeding decay where the wild world recedes.
They cache, and they bury the fruit and the seed,
In crevices, soil, for a future of need,
Forgetting their treasures so forests can grow—
The silent restorers of valleys below.
