# Crow Scientist — Become a Crow Scientist!

> Educational app for observing and learning about crows, with tracking and certificates. (iPhone/iPad app by IdeateGames.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crow-scientist/id1522531487 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [IdeateGames](https://appshunter.io/developer/446654404)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.33/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 120 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2020-09-23
- Data updated: 2026-08-19
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crow-scientist/id1522531487/reviews.md

## What is Crow Scientist?

“Crow Scientist” coaches young scientists to head out into the real world and observe crows the way a scientist does. In this free app, real-life crow scientists Colleen & John Marzluff share their knowledge, their photo archives, and their love of crows. Young scientists learn about crow behavior and how to make sense of the crows they observe. The app tracks which observations the young scientist has made—by day, by year, and by lifetime. 

Most observations are behaviors, such as “foraging,” and some are calls. The app includes photos of behaviors and audio recordings of crow calls to help the young scientist identify them. Checking all 18 items earns the young scientist a certificate to share or to print out. 

Another list describes observations associated with the breeding season, such as juvenile crows or their distinctive begging call. Young scientists love to learn about animal families, and they love to learn to identify crow families. They also learn that in the cycle of life most young crows don’t survive. Again, if the player checks all the items, they earn a certificate to share and print.

Another list identifies rare observations. Can you catch a crow sunbathing? What about a crow with white feathers? it If you can complete this list, you get a certificate that most players will never earn. 

The young scientist can even be part of the app. Players can upload images to the app, adding them to the photos that are already there.
“Field Notes” in the app offer some advice for meeting crows “in the wild.”
Players are invited to share their drawings and photos with the Lead Crow Scientist on Instagram.

John Marzluff is a renowned crow scientist, a professor, and an author. His books include Gifts of the Crow, In the Company of Crows and Ravens, Subirdia, and Dog Days, Raven Nights. Colleen Marzluff, the “Lead Crow Scientist,” researches crows with John and co-wrote Dog Days, Raven Nights with him. She is passionate about bringing a love of nature to children. 

Includes illustrations by Tony Angell, illustrator and co-author of Gifts of the Crow and In the Company of Crows and Ravens.

Developed in partnership with Jonathan Tweet, designer of Clades Solo, the Clades card game, and the children’s book Grandmother Fish.
Programmed by David Marques, scientist and creator of educational games at Ideate Games and Phosphor Learn. 
Made possible by backers on Kickstarter.

## Key features

- Expert-led crow observation guidance
- Photo and audio identification tools
- Observation tracking (daily, yearly, lifetime)
- Earnable certificates for completing lists
- User photo contributions
- Field notes for real-world observation

## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crow-scientist/id1522531487/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Fantastic

*2021-07-09*

I just had a conversation with a neighbor about crows flying to their evening roost. Now I can say “there’s an app for that too!”

### 3/5 — Fabulous idea, quirky privacy issue

*2020-10-21*

Love the idea, but within minutes of installation the app accessed my camera roll and when I clicked on what I thought would be crow pictures saw instead photos from my phone.  I didn’t give the app permission to access my camera.  Deleted the app. But it’s an intriguing idea for science education.

**Developer response:** I am very sorry about this, I have followed the privacy policies very carefully. But I would like to clear up what happens. The Crow Scientist app NEVER has direct access to any photos, never access the camera. We deliberately did not access the camera for this and other reasons. What happens is this: 1: You tap to add an image; 2: the Crow Scientist sends a request to the photo library; 3 The Crow Scientist hibernates -- yes, goes away, it does not in any way 'see' the photos, cannot open them, capture them, share them. 4: You select a photo in the photo library; 5: The photo library sends the image back to the Crow Scientist and wakes it up; 6: The Crow Scientist receives the image and places it in the app. If you cancel, the Crow Scientist just wakes up and continues as if nothing happened. At no time, ever, does the Crow Scientist 'see' or have any direct access to your photos or camera, and it never shares any information about you, your device, or any of your images. I am sorry for the misunderstanding. But your suggestion is a good one, I will put in a special request for first-time users just to be certain.

## Frequently asked questions about Crow Scientist

### What is Crow Scientist?

Crow Scientist is an educational app designed to teach children how to observe crows like real scientists. It provides expert guidance, identification tools, and tracks user observations to earn certificates.

### What kind of observations does Crow Scientist track?

Crow Scientist tracks various crow behaviors like foraging and calls, as well as observations related to the breeding season and rare sightings such as sunbathing crows or those with white feathers.

### Can I contribute to Crow Scientist?

Yes, users can contribute to Crow Scientist by uploading their own crow images, which will be added to the app's existing photo archives.

### What are the learning benefits of Crow Scientist?

The app helps young scientists learn about crow behavior, identify different crow calls and behaviors using photos and audio, and understand the crow life cycle.

### Does Crow Scientist have ads?

No, Crow Scientist is free of advertisements.

### What devices is Crow Scientist available on?

Crow Scientist is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

### How often is Crow Scientist updated?

The app was last updated on June 20, 2023, with version 2.21.

### What is the age rating for Crow Scientist?

Crow Scientist has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young children.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.21 — 2023-06-20

Update required by Apple.

### 2.10 — 2022-08-10

Make opt-out of crash log explicit and reversible.
Minor correction to year graphs for Persian calendar year.

### 2.0 — 2022-06-22

We have added a full Persian (Farsi) version, translated by Iranian Crow Scientists for an educational project in Iran. There are a few miscellaneous minor fixes as well. Users can switch between English and Farsi.

### 1.151 — 2021-04-04

New video of leucistic crow.

### 1.143 — 2021-03-20

Fixed minor UI issue on lifetime observation report.

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## More apps by IdeateGames

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All apps by IdeateGames: https://appshunter.io/developer/446654404

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-19.*