THE AMERICAN CROW(Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Classification

• Kingdom –Animalia ( Animal )

• Phylum – Chordata

• Class- Aves ( Bird )

• Order- Passeriformes ( ½ of all bird species )

• Family- Oscine

• Genus- Corvus ( Crows and Ravens )

• Species- American Crow

Characteristics

• Males and females are almost identical

• Males are bigger then females

• Weight – 1 pound or 16 ounces

• Size – 17-19 inches

• Wingspan – Average of 33-36 inches

• Pelage – Feathers (black)

DistributionCrows live in almost all parts of the world except Antarctica,

bottom part of South America and New Zealand.

Habitat

• Open spaces

• agricultural fields

• coastal wetlands

• marshes

• rivers and streams

• Don’t live in forests or deserts

Conservation

• IUCN Red List conservation status is least concern

• Crows are a thriving species

• Crows are increasing

Reproduction

• The Mating system of crows are a rare sight

• Female choses the mate

• Male shows off his feathers to the female

• The male bows and spreads his wings and tail while singing a

short song for the female

• They groom each others feathers and touch their beaks together

• All of this is only preformed once prior to mating

Reproduction

• Crows usually mate early in life, but some wait until they’re two

• A crow will typically have three eggs in a successful nest

• With most nests, 2/3 of the nest won’t survive past their first year

• So, only 1/3 of the nest will survive

Parental Care

• It takes 6 days to lay the eggs and 19 days of incubation

• This is all done by the female

• The hatchlings stay in the nest for about 2 months

• The male protects and gathers food, the female watch the baby

birds and does not leave the nest unless to get water

• Both male and female work together to take care of their young

Longevity and Morality

• Crows in the wild will live from 6 to 7 years

• In captivity, crows can live up to 20 years of age,

sometimes longer if in very ideal conditions

• Males and females live for the same amount of years

Seasonal Patterns

• When winter comes, crows fly down from the north to

warmer climates

• They do not hibernate

• Crows also do not undergo torpor

• During different seasons, crows do not change their

behavior

Predator Relationships• Horned owls, eagles, falcons,

and large red-tailed hawks are the main hunters

• Humans were a huge threat back in the 1960’s when they were shot for sport

• In 1972 however, crows were added the federal law keeping them from being hunted

Human Relationships

• As said before, humans once hunted crows so much that their numbers greatly decreased in the 1960s

• Now, scientists are finding ways that we can work with crows as they are very intelligent

• Some people still see them as just pests or a nuisance

http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html

INTERESTING FACTS• Groups of crows are called “murders”. The reason for this is that

when a crow is dying of sickness, old age, or injury, the rest of the murder will often kill that crow in order to end it’s suffering.

• Crows have the biggest brain based on body size out of all birds.

• Crows have the ability to judge the character of people by reading their faces and expressions.

• Just like parrots, crows can imitate human voice.

• Crows are a lot smarter than other birds, like owls, which is one of the crows predators. Furthermore, they also exceed the intelligence of parrots.

Works Cited

All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Crow/id>.Angell, Tony. Ravens, Crows, Magpies and Jays. Seatlle and London: UOWP, 1978. Print.Animal Diversity Web. UOM, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Corvus_brachyrhynchos/>.Crow Busters. N.p., 1999. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.crowbusters.com/facts.htm>.Crow Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/crowdoc.html>.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CROWS. Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm#roost>.Johnson, Sylvia. Crows. N.p.: Carolrhoda Books, 2005. Print.Joshua Klein: The Intelligence of Crows. TED Ideas worth Spreading. TED Confrences, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html>.

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