American Crow

Overview

The American crow is a large passerine bird and the New World counterpart to the carrion and hooded crows of Eurasia. It is a common species found throughout much of North America, distinguished by its high intelligence and adaptability to human environments.

Identification

• All-black plumage with iridescent feathers, with black legs, feet, and bill.
• Measures 40–53 cm in length, with a wingspan of 85 to 100 cm; generally smaller than ravens.
• Distinguished from the fish crow by the absence of throat feather fluffing when calling, and from ravens by lacking a lozenge-shaped tail.
• Most common call is a loud, short, and rapid caaw-caaw-caaw, often accompanied by the bird thrusting its head up and down.

Habitat

The American crow inhabits virtually all types of country, from wilderness and farmland to towns and major cities, but is absent from tundra habitat. Its range extends from the Pacific to the Atlantic in Canada, south through the United States, and into northern Mexico. Most Canadian birds migrate southward in winter, while those in the United States are largely permanent residents.

Diet

Omnivorous, feeding on insects, seeds, nuts, eggs, nestlings, stranded fish, and carrion. They are active hunters that prey on small animals such as mice and young rabbits, and they are known to use and modify tools to obtain food. In winter and autumn, their diet relies more heavily on nuts and acorns.

Did you know?

American crows have the same brain-weight-to-body ratio as humans and possess the cognitive ability to remember and identify individual people based on their appearance.