Crow Raven

Learn All About Crows

Everyday there is a multitude of crow birds that we see around us. This bird is moderately migratory, it comes from the same family as the blackbird, the Raven, the Magpie, the Jay and also the Rook and the Jackdaws of Europe. The ordinary crow bird in America is about 19 inches long with a wingspan of over three feet.

Crow birds commonly feed on other birds' eggs, nestlings, and grain. However, they also ruin many harmful insects and rodents. In the winter time some eight thousand or more communal roosts gather at night. A crow bird can easily be tamed and taught to mimic some of the human sounds. Their hoarse 'caw' is quite familiar among us all which is loud and usually harsh, but are characteristic. Geographically, crow birds are found on every continent in the world except South America and Antarctica.

The crow bird is huge, most commonly the black bird of the family of Corvidae and the Genus Corvus, which also includes the Raven. Among the most clever and cautious of birds, they are also very adaptable in nature. The crow bird may also sometimes turn out to be a huge cause of nuisance when they all collect in enormous communal roosts. Many times over, they can number from hundreds to even thousands in the same area, and this flock of crow birds is called "murder". They are omnivorous and highly aggressive in nature. They prey on other birds as well as their eggs and are quite often very destructive to crops. On the other hand they are beneficial and advantageous in helping to control the environment from insects and small rodents.

Although the crow bird is territorial in the breeding season, they are also gregarious sometimes. Even when the breeding season arises, they gather together to mob owls and other predators. Crows in turn maybe thronged by other birds, as their omnivorous diet includes eggs and nestlings as well as other smaller animals, vegetable matter, carrion and garbage. Crow nests are huge platforms of sticks that are usually built in tall tree. Their three to sometimes eight eggs are deeply coloured and are incubated by the female. The young ones are nurtured by both the parents.

All of the North American crows are deep black in colour, with more or less of a glossy sheen, but numerous species from elsewhere ate conspicuously marked with white or grey. The American crow bird is also known as the Common Crow, as it is a bird that most people come around to seeing everyday.

The crow bird does not usually get along with other birds of prey, such as hawks, owls and eagles. They will mostly gather together to mob these birds if they can. Mobbing calls for diving, bombing, chasing and even harassing.

Therefore, the crow bird is very intelligent but many times over they are scorned, hated or ignored by birders. They are accused of robbing nests of the young songbirds, scaring away other birds, being too loud with their "caws" etc. Nevertheless, the crow bird form strong family units by assisting one another even during nesting, while foraging for food, one crow may stand guard as a lookout while the others feed and lastly the crow bird is extremely adaptable, learning to live in a variety of habitats, even with mankind.

About the Author

For tips on fish facts and shark facts, visit the Animals Facts website.

Crow vs. Raven For Watch