Educate Yourself About the American Crow and Other Crows
American Crow
The American Crow has a large head, black bill, broad wings when gliding, with a large compact, short tail. Its length is 17-21in (43-53cm) Its wingspan is 39in (98cm)
Its voice is a loud “caw”, “cah” or “kahr”. Their eggs are grey-green, spotted with brown and grey. They have 1 clutch in north, 2 in south, usually of 4-6 or (3-9) eggs in each. Both incubate for 18 days, and fledging about 28-35 days. Both male and female feed their young. Male and female look alike.
The American Crow seeks habitat in open and forested land across the North America, and is unfortunately often accused of killing small birds and destroying agricultural crops. In fact, crows mainly feed on carrion, discarded grain, and agricultural pests, and are so called “clean-up” crews for road kill, and this remarkable verity in their diet, is in part of their universally adapted bills.
Crows in the United States will be residents for most of the year, but the crows that nests in Canada are usually migratory. Adult crow pairs and their off spring will stay together for several years, they watch their rather large nesting territory together, and the younger birds will help with raising additional broods. These helpers are also actively participating in building the nests, incubating eggs, and feeding nestlings, and look out for danger.
Crows work together to look out for danger, usually they have one bird perched atop a tall tree, that will quickly detect danger from birds like the Great Horned Owl, which the crows will pester, until it flies away. If the crows would let the big owl stay overnight, the owl will probably find roosting crows, and kill them.
In winter, crows leave their nesting territories in the late afternoon, to join other large roosting flocks, these flocks can vary in size, from a few thousands, to more than 200.000 crows in one flock. Northern Ravens, witch are found throughout Canada, Alaska and the western United States, and the American crow are very hard to tell apart. There are a few details though like, the raven is larger in size, their long, wedge-shaped tail, and the way the soar in the sky like the hawks.
Remember that crows and most birds can attract the West Nile Virus; witch is a deadly mosquito-transmitted disease. It is therefore very important that you clean the birdbaths every couple of days, and fill them with fresh water. If you like to know more about birdbaths, go to our section on DRINKING AND BATHING HABITS at our website
