A stocky, black bird with a purple or blue iridescence in some lighting, stout bill, and fan-shaped tail. Widespread and very common, crows can be destructive to crops and often carry off and hide bright objects. However, they are very intelligent birds that eat enormous amounts of harmful insects. Usually the birds thrust their heads up and down as they utter their call. American crows can also produce a wide variety of sounds and sometimes mimic noises made by other animals, including other birds, such as barred owls.
Forest, Grassland, Urban
American crows are native to the Nearctic region all over North America. They can be found in the lower part of Canada and through the continental United States.
Abundant
Diurnal
The American crow is omnivorous. It will feed on invertebrates of all types, carrion, scraps of human food, fruits, nuts such as walnuts and almonds, seeds, eggs and nestlings, stranded fish on the shore and various grains.
American Crows congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts. These roosts can be of a few hundred up to two million crows. Some roosts have been forming in the same general area for well over 100 years.
Least Concern
