Last Updated: December 2, 2009 by Paul Lehman
winter
summer
migration
year round
extralimital range 
All black. Bill strong, stout, and black. Black back with hint of gloss. Fish Crows are smaller and sound different. Northwestern Crows may be indistinguishable, but may have faster wing beats, are smaller, sound hoarser, and probably do not overlap in range.
Length: 45 (cm) Wingspan: 99 (cm)
Voice:
Frequently a harsh, repeated caw. Also rattles and makes clearer notes.
Habitat:
Various habitats; requires open ground for foraging and trees for nesting and roosting. Often found in urban habitats and at dumps.
Behavior:
Forages and roosts in large flocks. Catches food for later consumption.
Feeding:
Feeds on small reptiles and amphibians, mice, bird eggs and nestlings, carrion, grain, insects, fruit, seeds, and garbage.
Field Notes
I regularly feed the crows and each one has a preference as to what food they choose to eat and how they choose to eat it. It is fascinating to watch them. One crow found a bag of McDonald's on the ground. He rummaged through it to open it. Then, he took out a french fry in his beak and started to dip it into sweet and sour sauce. Then he ate it. He did this over and over and over.
Citation: Personal Experience. I observe this regularly, highly confident.
So my opinion is Northwestern Crows (Corvus Caurinus) are not a real species and instead a subspecies of the American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos) meaning here in WA we have Pacific American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos Hesperis) and ex Northwestern or as I call them Alaskan American Crows (Corvus Brachyrhynchos Caurinus) around Olympic Peninsula thru Port Townsend, Comaino Island, Northern Whidbey Island, San Juan Islands, Western Skagit and Whatcom Counties. Hybrids along rest of Coast and into the Puget Sound Region usually not found over 10 miles from the Sound. * Eastern American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos Brachyrhynchos) seen across most of U.S. rarely occur in the NW esp at Coast with best potential in the fall-early spring. *Rockies American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos Hargravei) Central-Northern Rockies supposed to be lighter in color than rest of subspecies but still not fully seperable. *Florida American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos Passcus) in Southern FL.
Citation: Personal Experience. I observe this regularly, highly confident.
Expanded Life History
| Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
| Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
| Migration Status | Contribute Content |
| Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
| Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
| Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
| Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
| Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
| ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
| Sonogram | Contribute Content |
| Courtship | Contribute Content |
| Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
| Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
| Breeding | Contribute Content |
| Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
| Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
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Sightings
| Date | Submitted By | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 09/25/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 09/18/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 09/11/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 09/11/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 09/04/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 09/04/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/28/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/28/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/28/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/21/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/21/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/14/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/14/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/07/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/07/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
Recent Activity
| Activity | Date & Time |
|---|---|
| JanChris Vicente added a note to American Crow Notes | 7/28/2019 at 7:30PM |
| Nina Bohn added American Crow to their Beacon Rock smart list | 6/03/2013 at 10:12AM |
| Bob Archer added American Crow to their Sandy River Delta smart list | 3/24/2013 at 5:59PM |
| Jackson Scheerer added American Crow to their Moraine Park Tech, Fond du Lac, WI smart list | 7/05/2012 at 11:52AM |
| Meg Smith added a note to American Crow Notes | 6/28/2012 at 6:27PM |
| Caleb Arrison added American Crow to their Fayette County smart list | 4/09/2012 at 7:25AM |
| dawn villaescusa added American Crow to their Coast to Valley Commute smart list | 2/17/2012 at 9:03PM |
| Grant Canterbury added American Crow to their Clackamette Lake trail smart list | 11/25/2011 at 10:45AM |
| Grant Canterbury added American Crow to their Clackamette Park smart list | 11/25/2011 at 10:44AM |
| Jacob Parks added American Crow to their North Albina smart list | 11/02/2011 at 12:05AM |
I can't remember the woman's name, but she lived in Seattle and wrote a book about all the research she did on crow behavior and vocalizations. She identified something like 200 different crow vocalizations and identified the significance of many of them. Corvids are incredibly intelligent birds that form very complex social relationships.