American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

The American Crow is one of the few creatures that not only survives, but thrives on the boundaries of civilized areas. The crow is found throughout Minnesota, the United States and Canada. It is omnivorous, which means that it will eat just about anything. It is commonly seen eating roadkill or carrion.

The crow will also hunt small mice, frogs and snakes, as well as raiding bird feeders, garbage cans, pet food containers and public dumps.

Crows build large nests made of sticks in trees, usually in oak trees. Three to six eggs are laid at a time and incubated for about three weeks. Young crows are fledged after 35 days. Crows do not breed until they are at least two years old, and most do not breed until they more than four years old. Many crows stay with their parents and help them raise young in subsequent years. Crows mate and Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain crows from many years of breeding.

Crows are one of the largest victims of West Nile virus, a mosquito-born disease. It is estimated that up to 45% of the North American population of crows has died of this disease since 1999.

In the winter time, crows congregate into very large groups called roosts. These roosts can be of a hundreds or even thousands of crows. These roosts are returned to every year, over many, many years.

The crow is highly intelligent. It is the only bird to have been observed using sticks or grass as a tool to gather food.