Crows are sleek black birds from the family Corvidae. Other commonly known birds in the Corvidae family are Ravens, Blue Jays, and Magpies:
Crows are in the Genus Corvus. Since I prefer to write about birds that I have seen, I will be focusing on the species Corvus brachyrhynchos, the American Crow.
Roosts:
American Crows are those completely black birds known for their ahem...charming voice: "caaw caaw caaw!" Crows are rarely seen alone. In fact, they often live in very large groups. If you have ever been in the Sacramento area during winter you have likely witnessed hundreds of crows sharing one big elm tree. I have often crossed the street or taken a different route to avoid walking under one of these trees without an umbrella. It is common for American Crows to congregate in communal roosts of 100 - 2 million crows!
Crows Use Tools!
I have often heard that only primates use tools. Well, Crows use tools! Here is an amazing video of a crow retrieving food from a tube by using a hooked wire!
City Slickers:
Crows have adapted very well to living with humans. Check out this incredible video of crows taking on the urban lifestyle in Japan. Keep your eyes out next time you are at a crosswalk, you may just notice a crow strolling next to you. According to the video, crows drop hard-shelled nuts into the busy street and wait for the traffic to crush them open. Once the nuts crack, the crows carefully walk out into the street and collect their snack. To make their trip safer, crows have started dropping the nuts into crosswalks and waiting for the "walk" sign to turn on.
THE BASICS (from wikipedia):
The American Crow is a distinctive bird with iridescent black feathers all over. Its legs, feet and bill are also black. They are 40–50 cm (16–20 in) in length, of which the tail makes up about 40%. Each wing is around 27–34 cm (11–14 in) long. The bill length is on average 5 cm (2 in), varying strongly according to location.
The most usual call is a loud, short, and rapid caaw-caaw-caaw. Usually, the birds thrust their heads up and down as they utter this call. American Crows can also produce a wide variety of sounds and sometimes mimic noises made by other animals, including other birds.
Most wild American Crows live for about 7–8 years. Captive birds are known to have lived up to 30 years.
- Nesting Facts (from allaboutbirds.com):
- Clutch Size: 3–9 eggs
- Egg Length: 1.4–1.9 in
- Egg Width: 1–1.2 in
- Incubation Period: 16–18 days
- Nestling Period: 20–40 days
- Egg Description: Pale bluish-green to olive green with blotches of brown and gray toward the large end.
- Condition at Hatching: Naked except for sparse tufts of grayish down, eyes closed, clumsy.
More to come:
Crows are such amazing animals that I cannot possibly finish this post in one sitting. There is much more to know about the wonderful crow. For example they have excellent face recognition abilities. Also, they are monogamous and live in large family units of about 15 members that stay together for many years.!
Rachel's Take:
Crows are some of the most incredible creatures in nature. Luckily for birdwatchers, crows have chosen to share our habitat. When you have some time, take an afternoon to sit back and watch crows in action. You may develop a new hobby!
