American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

The American Crow can be found in the lower part of Canada and through the continental United States. Adult American crows are completely black, weighing on average 1 pound. The feathers look glossy and slightly iridescent. Crows have strong legs and toes. The bill is also black with a slight hook on the end. Stiff bristles cover their nostrils. About 20% of male birds are slightly larger than the females. It has been said you can teach a crow to talk. I would swear that I heard one in a tree close to our office say “Hello.”

Young crows are about the same size as adults, but have blue eyes and pink inside the mouth. The eyes and mouth darken as the bird ages. In young birds, the ends of tail feathers are symmetrical and are more pointed than the wide, flat-ended feathers of adults. The wing and tail feathers of young can become  brown and ragged through the first winter and spring and only become dark and glossy after the first molt.

The Crow averages 5 ¾” – 6 ½” inches length and has a wing span of 9 ¼ – 10 inches and can be found in the lower part of Canada and through the continental United States.

Agricultural and grassland areas are ideal habitat for crows to forage for food. They prefer open areas with nearby trees, and will also use nearby woodlots and forest edges for breeding and roosting. American crows thrive in suburban neighborhoods and urban parks, as well as in coastal habitats.

Crows are omnivores and will eat almost anything. During breeding season, they consume insects, larvae, worms, fruits, grains, and nuts. They actively hunt and prey on small animals such as frogs, mice, and young rabbits, though they more likely to scavenge carrion such as road kill. They also are significant nest predators, preying on the eggs and nestlings of smaller songbirds. In the fall and winter they eat more nuts, such as walnuts and acorns. On rare occasions, they will eat from bird feeders put out by humans and often take advantage of human garbage.

Crows store food items such as meat and nuts in short-term caches. These hiding places are scattered around, rather than in one place. They may be in tree crevices or on the ground, where they are often covered with leaves or other material.

Crows forage primarily by walking on the ground and picking up the item, or by walking along tree branches. Foraging is usually done by a few individuals in a small area, but can also occur in groups over a larger area. Crows will hold a nut under one foot and strike it with the bill to open it. To open a particularly heavy-shelled food item such as a walnut or clam, a crow will fly high with it and drop it on a hard surface.

American Crows are highly vocal. Unlike most other songbirds, males and females have the same songs. They have a complex system of loud, harsh caws often uttered in repetitive rhythmic series. Shorter and sharper caws called “kos” are probably alarm or alert calls. Slightly longer caws are likely used in territorial defense, and patterns of repetition may be considered “countersinging,” or exchanges between territorial neighbors. “Double caws,” short caws repeated in doublets, may serve as a call-to-arms vocalization, alerting family to territorial intruders. Sometimes pairs or family members coordinate cawing in a duet or chorus. Harsher cawing is used while mobbing potential predators.

There is also a large variety of softer calls crows make. Melodic, highly variable coos accompanied by bowing postures are used among family members, possibly as greetings or other bonding signals. Coos of cage-mates become similar over time; this vocalization may therefore be the basis of the mimicry ability shown by pet crows. Crows also give several kinds of rattles.

Young crows make gargling sounds that eventually turn into adult vocalizations. Yearling crows also “ramble” or run through long sequences of different patterns and rhythms of cawing.

Breeding in American crows may begin as early as February and last through June. Nests are usually built by both males and females high in a sturdy conifer or hardwood tree. Females lay 4 to 5 light green colored eggs with brown markings. The female incubates her eggs, and they hatch after 18 days. While she is sitting on the nest, the female will beg for food like a baby bird, and her mate will bring it to her.

Bill Church is a certified WV Master Naturalist and herbalist. He has published a book, “Medicinal Plants, Trees, & Shrubs of Appalachia.” His articles are provided, courtesy of Gilmer County Master Naturalist Association.