American Crow (Crum Woods Biodiversity Guide)

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Corvus brachyrhynchos ³

Only slightly larger (17-21 inches) than the similar-looking Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus), the American Crow is most easily separated from its relative by its call, which is deeper and less nasal than that of the Fish Crow. Other field marks include a glossy purple-black body, thick bill, and slightly rounded tail. The American Crow occurs widely across the United States and southern Canada, absent only from the desert southwest, south Texas and northwestern Washington (where it is replaced by the Northwestern Crow, Corvus caurinus). Many American Crows breeding in Canada move south into the U.S. during the winter. However, more southerly populations are mostly non-migratory. American Crows tend to avoid wide expanses of open country such as desert, grassland, and tundra. Otherwise, American Crows are extremely adaptable birds, and are found in many habitats across North America, including forest, orchards, fields, suburbs, and even inner cities. Likewise, this species eats a variety of plant and animal foods, including fruits, seeds, small mammals, carrion, and garbage. Like most members of the crow family, the American Crow is extremely sociable. American Crows gather together in family groups to feed, roost, and defend territory. They will even mob larger predatory birds intruding on their territory, swooping down and calling loudly until the predator leaves the area. This species is primarily active during the day.

Habitat ⁴

Comments: Open and partly open country: agricultural lands, suburban areas, orchards, tidal flats, primarily in humid situations, restricted mostly to riparian forest and adjacent areas in arid regions. Generally avoids dense coniferous forest and desert. BREEDING: Nests in open forest and woodland, and in other wooded situations; in trees, shrubs, on utility poles, generally in crotch or near tree trunk on supporting limb, averge of about 8 m above ground.

Conservation status ⁵

American crows are thriving, particularly in association with suburban areas. Their numbers may be increasing.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

Iucn red list assessment ⁶

Red List Category

Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2012

Assessor/s

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s

Justification

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History

Least Concern (LC)
Least Concern (LC)
Least Concern (LC)
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)

Sources and Credits

(c) andriy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by andriy
(c) Walter Siegmund, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Corvus_brachyrhynchos_30157.JPG
Adapted by Amanda Carrillo-Perez from a work by (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818400
(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28846806
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064333
(c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34398035