Common, yet underrated, birds
We often overlook, or ignore, the more common critters in the natural world. The Eastern gray squirrel and chipmunk come to mind as a few examples of common critters that many people ignore or don’t think about.
The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is an exceedingly common bird that I feel is often overlooked. They are found throughout the United States, most of Canada and parts of Alaska and no place else. This is why its common name includes the word “American,” because it is only found in North America. There are several other species of crow found in the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa), such as the carrion crow and the hooded crow. These Old-World crows look very similar in size, shape and color, and also fill a very similar ecological niche.
For those who haven’t been to the east coast of America, you might be surprised to learn that we have a second species of crow, the fish crow (Corvus ossifragus). They look nearly identical to the American Crow, but are smaller and sound utterly different. They are a coastal bird found from Louisiana to Florida and up the east coast to Massachusetts.
They also shouldn’t be confused with their much larger cousin, the common raven (Corvus corax). The common raven is larger and has a larger bill, more feathers on its throat and around its legs and sounds very different from the crow. Ravens also live in smaller family units and don’t roam around like crows do.
I don’t think you would get any arguments if you said that the American crow was one of the smartest of all birds in North America. These birds are very inquisitive and have the ability to problem solve and use tools. Believe it or not, we people used to think that humans were the only animals who used tools. In fact, we used the ability to use tools as a demarcation between humans and the animal kingdom, in an attempt to separate people from other animals. Well, as usual, we were wrong about that. Turns out, many animals use tools, and used tools long before people did.
Crows have done an amazing job at adapting to people and our city and suburban environments. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that crows were considered a rural species that were found on farms and in fields. Now, they thrive in cities and suburbs all across the country. In fact, more crows now live in cities than live in the country.
Our American crow has the ability to communicate with each other and share with each other where food sources are located. They can simply tell family members where the food is located and communicate it well enough that they can find it on their own, without being shown. This indicates a very high level of detailed communication between individuals.
These birds are considered omnivores, which means they eat everything from insects to nuts and berries. They also eat meat, eggs and fish. They are opportunistic feeders and will take advantage of any food source they can find. They are also proficient hunters. I have witnessed crows catching bats while in flight, as well as small young birds. They cooperate to locate food or to catch food. More importantly, they share what they find with the entire family.
American crows are considered socially monogamous and a cooperative breeder. This means that the young birds from the previous year stick around to help raise the young from the current year. They all work together to raise the young crows. They are the originators of the concept of “taking a village” to raise a baby.
Families are often as large as 15 to 20 individual birds. The younger birds stay around for several years before striking out on their own. They usually don’t reach breeding age until two or three years of age. Most young birds don’t leave their families until they are about five-years-old.
So, when a small family of crows started hanging out in my backyard, I was thrilled to see them. I enjoy watching them doing things like taking a snow bath or chasing the squirrels just for the fun of it. I really like the common critters that we often overlook and usually ignore like the American crow. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the world to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed at www.facebook.com and www.instagram.com. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
