We have an elderly crow that we call "Gramps" that hangs around our yard on most nice weather days. I can't believe it myself, but we have been seeing him for maybe 12 or 13 years. I have always ID'd him from the white ring of feathers around his neck which has spread and become increasingly gray/white over the years. Recently, this area has begun to look ratty and a bit bare, the way captive birds look when they've been plucking out their own feathers from stress. Yesterday, I observed him under the bird feeder, where he turns up almost every day and then watched him walk all the way around the house, through the back lawn and back up to the front again. This is quite a journey because this area is around an acre in size. He poked around the grass the whole way, not finding much to eat that I could see. I'm wondering about the life span of crows and whether there are many that just die of old age.