American Crow

All black with a faint glossy sheen, a squared tail, and a smooth throat, the American Crow is distinguished from the larger Common Raven by size and structure. It is a remarkably adaptable feeder, taking insects, earthworms, seeds, fruit, eggs, nestlings, carrion, and human food waste, and it thrives wherever people alter the landscape — farmland, open woodland, suburbs, and parking lots. Ranging from southern Canada through the United States into northern Mexico, it is highly social; family groups use distinct dialects of the classic 'caw-caw-caw', along with rattles and knocking notes. Cup nests hold three to seven eggs, incubated for 16 to 20 days, with young fledging between 29 and 43 days. Crows gather in large communal roosts outside the breeding season. It is assessed as Least Concern.