loose sketches of cuthbert

What is it about crows that they make such wonderful pets?  How often do you drive past a crow on a telegraph pole and it leans over, puffing out its crown and throat feathers and presumably lets out one of its ridiculous gurgling or clicking noises?  You are in the middle of nowhere and there is not another crow in sight.  Is it displaying to you, your car or just to itself?  I am convinced that crows have tremendous wit and that they are highly entertained by themselves.  Why else would a Carrion Crow sneak up behind a huge swan and yank a few tail feathers, or a Pied Crow do the same with a Hooded Vulture?