Crow Facts
The American crow is a large, all-black perching bird in the crow family, found across most of North America and famously smart.
- Class
- Bird
About the crow
It lives almost everywhere on the continent except the tundra, and it adapts well to towns and cities. Its glossy black feathers shine with iridescence. Telling it apart takes care: a common raven is bigger with a heavier beak, and the fish crow puffs out its throat feathers while calling. BirdLife International put the population at 31 million in 2012.
Crows eat insects, seeds and nuts and also catch small animals. Because they occasionally eat carrion, some cultures tied them to death and bad luck, while Native American and some Gaelic traditions saw them as lucky for their brains. They also help scientists, since crows catch West Nile virus easily and their deaths can show where it is spreading. People cannot get the virus directly from a crow.
Did you know?
- Its scientific name, Corvus brachyrhynchos, means 'short-billed crow.'
- Christian Ludwig Brehm described the American crow in 1822.
- In 2020 the northwestern crow was merged into the American crow as a single species.
Questions about the crow
What do American crows eat?
They are omnivores, eating insects, seeds and nuts and hunting small animals, with carrion only now and then.
Can you catch West Nile virus from a crow?
No. Crows are tracked as a warning sign for the virus, but it cannot pass directly from a crow to a person.
Sources
- Wikidata Q267735, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: American crow, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.