The American Crow: A Very Smart Bird
The American Crow is one of the smartest animals in the world. These birds are famous for their solid black feathers and their loud "caw-caw" voices. They are great problem solvers and love to live near people.
Where in the World? (Range)
American Crows live all over North America. You can find them from the snowy parts of Canada down to the sunny beaches of Florida. They are very common birds in almost every neighborhood.
Homes Everywhere (Habitat)
Crows are very flexible about where they live. They like open areas with trees nearby for nesting. You can find them in forests, on farms, in city parks, and even in your own backyard.
Size and Weight
An American Crow is a medium-sized bird. They are usually about 16 to 21 inches long. If you spread their wings out wide, they can reach over 3 feet across! They are very light and weigh about the same as a large bag of chocolate chips.
Growing Up (Life Cycle)
Crows are very family-oriented. They build nests high up in trees using sticks and twigs.
Mother crows lay 3 to 6 eggs at a time.
Young crows often stay with their parents for a few years.
These "big brothers and sisters" actually help the parents raise the new baby chicks!
What Is for Dinner? (Diet)
Crows are omnivores. This means they eat almost anything!
From nature: They eat seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and small animals like frogs.
From people: They are famous for eating snacks or scraps left behind in parks.
Special Skills (Adaptations)
Crows have amazing features that help them survive in the wild and in cities.
Strong Beak: Their beak is very tough and can be used like a tool to crack nuts or dig for bugs.
High Intelligence: Crows can recognize human faces and even use tools, like sticks, to reach food.
Communication: They have many different calls to warn their friends if a predator is nearby.
Staying Safe (Predators)
Crows have to watch the skies and the ground. Large hawks and Great Horned Owls are their biggest threats. To stay safe, crows often hang out in large groups called "murders." If one crow sees a predator, it sounds an alarm so everyone can fly away.
Saving the Crow (Conservation Status)
The American Crow is doing very well. Their status is "Least Concern." Because they are so smart and can eat many different things, they have a very easy time living alongside humans.
Fun Facts
Face Recognition: If you are mean to a crow, it might remember your face and tell its friends to stay away from you!
Crow Fun: Crows have been seen sliding down snowy roofs just for fun.
Gifts: Sometimes, if a human is kind to a crow, the crow will leave "gifts" like shiny buttons or pebbles for them to find.
American Crow Photos
