Renewable Revolution

Intelligent Survivor: American Crow

The American Crow is widespread in North America and, like the Blue Jay, is often maligned and misunderstood. In folklore, the crow is sometimes associated with witchcraft and evil, or is thought to signify misfortune and even death. One popular term for a group of crows is a "murder"! Often considered a pest, bird’s name is used in association with stuffed manikins and movie characters — scarecrows — meant to frighten them from crops. Other cultures appreciate the crow's intelligence and adaptability, portraying it as an ingenious trickster that can foresee the future, and that sometimes helps humankind.   

Male and female American Crows look alike, with all-black plumage that has an iridescent purple sheen in direct light. Corvus, the first part of the American Crow's scientific name, simply means “crow,” and its species name brachyrhynchos means "short beak" — which is true only in comparison to its larger, similar-looking relative the Common Raven. The crow's beak is actually fairly large — 2.5 inches long — stout, and slightly hooked, with stiff bristles over the nostrils.

This common bird is an uncommonly intelligent survivor, able to cope with human pressures that have almost eradicated many bird species. Find out how the American Crow even managed to outlast an introduced avian epidemic!


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