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Fish Crow

Corvus ossifragusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Crows and Jays (Corvidae)

Fish Crow Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Fish Crow: Medium-sized crow with black body and dark, heavy bill. Sexes are similar. Very similar to American Crow, but call is different.

Range and Habitat

Fish Crow: Resident on Atlantic coast from Massachusetts and southern New England to Florida and along the Gulf coast west to Texas; found inland along larger rivers north to Illinois. Some northern birds migrate south in winter. Prefers low coastal country, near tidewater and pine barrens in the north; in the south, prefers coasts and inland lakes, rivers, and swamps.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ca-hah", "aw-uk"

Interesting Facts

 Fish Crows build a new nest for each breeding attempt. The nests are well-made, and one small area may have existing nests from up to four different years.

 The latest genetic testing indicates that they are closer to the Sinaloan Crow and Tamaulipas Crow, and are not as close to the American Crow as outward signs would suggest.

 They appear to be more resistant to West Nile Virus than the American crow. Survival rates of up to 45% have been reported for Fish Crows, compared with almost zero for American Crows.

 A group of crows has many collective nouns, including a "cauldron", "congress", "horde", "murder", and "muster" of crows.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Fish Crow
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Crows and Ravens (Corvidae)_blue
Species Corvus ossifragus
Length15 - 17 Inches
Wingspan35 Inches

Fish Crow

Fish Crow: Medium-sized crow with black body and dark, heavy bill. Very similar to American Crow, but call is different. Feeds on fish, crustaceans, carrion, eggs, insects, larvae,fruits and berries. Flies on stiff wing beats, alternates several rapid wing strokes with long glides.

● Song: "ca-hah", "aw-uk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Fish Crow: Eats marine invertebrates, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings, fruits, and seeds. Forages on the ground and in shrubs and trees; opens mollusks by dropping them on hard surfaces.

● Breeding & nesting: Fish Crow: Four to five blue or gray-green eggs with brown and gray spots are laid in a nest made of twigs, lined with bark chips, pine needles, feathers, hair, and soft grass, and built from 6 to 90 feet above the ground in a shrub or the topmost crotch of a deciduous tree or conifer. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Fish Crow: American Crow is slightly larger and has a more typical sounding call. Common Raven is much larger and has a larger bill and wedge-shaped tail.

Flight Pattern

Flies with somewhat stiff wing beats, alternating several quick wing strokes with long glides. Hovers when foraging.
Fish Crow Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Fish Crow: Resident on Atlantic coast from Massachusetts and southern New England to Florida and along the Gulf coast west to Texas; found inland along larger rivers north to Illinois. Some northern birds migrate south in winter. Prefers low coastal country, near tidewater and pine barrens in the north; in the south, prefers coasts and inland lakes, rivers, and swamps.
BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies
Population
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight10.6 Ounces