Species: Corvus brachyrhynchos
American Crow
Species
Show on Lists
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Articles:
A December 2013 report identifies marine and terrestrial bird species for use as indicators within the Puget Sound Partnership's "Vital Signs" for ecosystem health.
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Corvidae
Genus
Corvus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Cuervo Americano - corneille d'Amérique
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Perching Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Passeriformes - Corvidae - Corvus - Considered conspecific with and constitutes a superspecies with C. CAURINUS (AOU 1998). Considered to be closely related to or conspecific with C. CORONE by some authors, but this seems unlikely (AOU 1998).
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A bird (crow).
Migration
true - true - true - In Washington, centers of activity of juvenile American crows were 0.2-22.2 km away from the natal territory during their first 3-12 months (Withey and Marzluff 2005).
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Opportunistic. Eats various small vertebrates, invertebrates, carrion, grain, fruits. Cooperative foraging and food caching reported in Kilham (1989).
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size 3-7 (usually 4-6). Incubation about 18 days, (?) by both sexes. Young tended by both parents, first fly at 4-5 weeks, disperse at various ages after about 2 months postfledging or stay in natal area. One or two broods annually. Auxilaries (typically young) may help dominant pair (parents) breed (Kilham 1989). Some breeding concentrations may reach 0.8 pairs/ha (Auk 109:609-612).
Ecology Comments
In southwestern Manitoba, spring-summer home range averaged 2.6 sq km; foraging flights from nest averaged 382 m, with infrequent flights longer than 700 m (Sullivan and Dinsmore 1992).
Length
45
Weight
458
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-12-02
Global Status Last Changed
1996-12-02
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S5&CA.BC=S5&CA.LB=S2&CA.MB=S5&CA.NB=S5&CA.NF=S5&CA.NT=S4&CA.NS=S5&CA.ON=S5&CA.PE=S5&CA.QC=S5&CA.SK=S5&CA.YT=S3&US.AL=S5&US.AK=S3&US.AZ=S5&US.AR=S5&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S5&US.CT=S5&US.DE=S5&US.DC=S5&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=S5&US.ID=S5&US.IL=S5&US.IN=S5&US.IA=S5&US.KS=S5&US.KY=S5&US.LA=S5&US.ME=S5&US.MD=S5&US.MA=S5&US.MI=S5&US.MN=SNR&US.MS=S5&US.MO=SNR&US.MT=S5&US.NN=S3&US.NE=S5&US.NV=S5&US.NH=S5&US.NJ=S5&US.NM=S5&US.NY=S5&US.NC=S5&US.ND=SNR&US.OH=S5&US.OK=S5&US.OR=S5&US.PA=S5&US.RI=S5&US.SC=SNR&US.SD=S4&US.TN=S5&US.TX=S5&US.UT=S3&US.VT=S5&US.VA=S5&US.WA=S5&US.WV=S5&US.WI=S5&US.WY=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDING: north-central British Columbia to northern Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, south to northern Baja California, Texas, Gulf Coast, and southern Florida. NON-BREEDING: southern Canada south throughout breeding range. INTRODUCED: established on Bermuda (AOU 1983).
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)