American Crow

This is the common crow over much of the U.S. and Canada. Most easily identified by voice, a familiar “caw,” often repeated. Common in any open habitats, including fields, open woodlands, marshes, and cities, thriving around humans. Very social, usually seen in flocks, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or even thousands. Aggressive, sometimes seen chasing away hawks and owls. Separated from ravens by smaller size, smaller bill, shorter tail, and shorter, broader wings. Compare with Fish Crow, which is extremely similar in appearance, and best separated by voice. Includes the species formerly known as Northwestern Crow.

Adult Male (spring/summer)

One of the best known birds in western North America. All black even the legs and bill; distinguished from other crows and ravens by structure and voice. A large, long-legged, thick-necked bird with a heavy, straight bill. In flight, the wings are fairly broad and rounded with the wingtip feathers spread like fingers. The short tail is rounded or squared off at the end.

Flight direct with steady rowing wing beats; generally flies high in small loose groups.

Crows in the Pacific Northwest were formerly known as the Northwestern Crow and considered to be a separate species until 2021. They are slightly smaller and have a deeper voice.

Adult Female (spring/summer)

Sexes are similar.

Juvenile

Juvenile has a brownish cast (lacking gloss) to the plumage.

General:

Crows are thought to be among our most intelligent birds, and the success of the American Crow in adapting to civilization would seem to confirm this. Despite past attempts to exterminate them, crows are more common than ever in farmlands, towns, and even cities, and their distinctive caw! is a familiar sound over much of the continent. Sociable, especially when not nesting, crows may gather in communal roosts on winter nights, sometimes with thousands or even tens of thousands roosting in one grove.

Behaviour:

American Crows are very social, sometimes forming flocks in the thousands. Inquisitive and sometimes mischievous, crows are good learners and problem-solvers, often raiding garbage cans and picking over discarded food containers. They’re also aggressive and often chase away larger birds including hawks, owls and herons.

Habitat:

American Crows are common birds of fields, open woodlands, and forests. They thrive around people, and you’ll often find them in agricultural fields, lawns, parking lots, athletic fields, roadsides, towns, and city garbage dumps.

Information:

American Crows are highly social birds, more often seen in groups than alone. In addition to roosting and foraging in numbers, crows often stay together in year-round family groups that consist of the breeding pair and offspring from the past two years. The whole family cooperates to raise young. Winter roosts of American Crows sometimes number in the hundreds of thousands. Often admired for their intelligence, American Crows can work together, devise solutions to problems, and recognize unusual sources of food. Some people regard this resourcefulness and sociality as an annoyance when it leads to large flocks around dumpsters, landfills, and roosting sites; others are fascinated by it. American Crows work together to harass or drive off predators, a behavior known as mobbing.

Similar species: ​

Common Raven

Conservation Status:

American Crows are numerous, although their numbers declined slightly between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 28 million and rates them 6 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. The American Crow is extremely susceptible to West Nile virus, which was introduced into North America in 1999. Virtually all crows that contract West Nile die within one week, and few seem able to survive. No other North American bird died at the same rate from the disease, and the loss of crows in some areas was severe. Listed as least concern.

Capture Rates:

Although a common and abundant species recorded at every bird survey in the park, they are only seen flying high above the old fields where we band, and captures have been limited to a single juvenile bird.

Molt Summary:

PF: HY partial (Jul-Sep), AHY complete (Jul-Sep); PA absent. The PF includes 0-3 inner gr covs, but no terts or rects.