1. What's in a name?
2. What does it look like?
3. What does it sound like?
4. How does it behave?
5. Where does it live?
6. Cool facts

WHAT'S IN A NAME? 

Common name: Fish Crow

Scientific name: Corvus ossifragus

Spanish name: Cuervo pescador

French name: Corneille de rivage

"Family Tree" (Taxonomy)

Family: Corvidae

Order: Passeriformes

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Description:

• Black, with bluish-violet or green iridescence on head, neck, wings, tail, back, and chest. 
• Stout, glossy black bill
• Nares covered with stiff, bristle like feathers. 
• Sturdy black legs, large-scaled in front and smooth behind. 
• Tail slightly rounded at end. 
• Sexes alike
• male slightly larger than female. 
• Immatures (3-15 months old) are black. 
• Juveniles (1-3 mo after fledging) dull black, with looser and fluffier feathers than on adults and immatures.

Size: A smallish crow, all black, about 14 -16 inches.

Similar species: Similar in appearance to American Crow. Key feature distinguishing Fish Crow is its distinctive nasal voice, especially the double-noted "Uh-uh" call. But, newly fledged American Crows sound similar to Fish Crow. Although both species are all black and similarly proportioned, physical differences do exist. Fish Crow is substantially smaller than American Crow but size difference is difficult to detect, even when the two species are observed together.

Differs from Northwestern Crow (with which it does not overlap) by smaller bill and feet, presence of iridescence on chest-feathers, lack of scaled effect on upper back.

WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?

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Sounds provided by the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds.

HOW DOES IT BEHAVE?

What does it eat? Omnivorous. Takes carrion, crabs, and other marine invertebrates, waste grain, eggs of birds and turtles, nestling birds, insects, and fruits. In urban areas, takes much garbage. Important predator of turtle eggs.

Where does it eat? Often on ground and around edge of water. Also forages in trees, especially for birds' nests. In urban areas, frequents dumpsters, parking lots, and dumps. In occasional aerial sallies to catch flying insects, may take off from ground or elevated perch. Picks small spiders from webs.

Who eats it? Large owls and hawks. Rat snakes may take eggs. Eggs and nestlings taken by raccoons. Fish Crows are harassed by other bird species; American Crow, Blue Jay, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Mockingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle.

Nesting: 2 - 6 eggs, pale bluish green, with brown markings of varying intensity. Both sexes build. Male may follow building female without bringing materials of his own. Third bird often present, but mostly disruptive and often chased away. Nest bulky, with outer structure of fresh plucked sticks and some filling of bowl with soil or plant material. Inner bowl of softer materials, often red-cedar bark, Spanish moss, grape vine bark, cabbage palm fibers, palmetto fibers, paper, mammal hair, or pine needles.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

Range: Endemic to the United States and living primarily in coastal and tidewater regions of the Southeast, the Fish Crow has greatly expanded its range especially along large rivers and in urban areas in the last few decades.

Habitat: Primarily coastal, along beaches, marshes, and estuaries into pine flatwoods and riverine forests. Usually found near water, fresh or salt, rivers or lakes. Has become common in urban areas in recent decades over much of the range. May prefer urban parks, golf courses, and wooded residential areas over rural agricultural or wild lands. Winter similar to breeding range, but congregates near abundant food sources such as estuaries, rubbish dumps, and feedlots.

COOL FACTS

• Over the last century, Fish Crows have been expanding their range in what has been called a "leapfrog" pattern. Much like the children's game, some groups of crows seemed to have "jumped," all at once, from an area where they already are established, skipping across an area they ignore, and into an new area. Scientists have one possible explanation for why this happens: the crows moved into areas where bird colonies, perhaps of herons or grackles, had moved earlier during their own range expansions. Also, Fish Crows seem to live very well in cities.
• 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.
• One nesting pair of Fish Crows adopted a fledgling Blue Jay that appeared in their nest. The crows fed the jay for two weeks before it disappeared.
• Members of a mated pair frequently preen the back of each other's head.
• Drinks by dipping bill into water and lifting it up. Not observed drinking salt water. May dunk food in water before giving it to nestlings. May take water directly to nestlings. May drink water from undersides of tree branches (rain or dew), and probably from leaves, as well.
• Walks in plowed fields to eat grubs, waste grain, and peanuts. Observed visiting flower of tiger's claw tree, presumably for nectar. Drops from perch to catch terrestrial insects.
• May use prying motion (spreading of bill-tips) to open balls of dirt; digs in dirt or litter with side-ways sweep of head with bill slightly open; carries large items in bill. Holds food down on ground or perch with one or both feet while pecking it. Pecks with bill partly open and strikes with lower mandible.
• Not recorded dropping shells or nuts on hard surfaces, as is noted for American crows and other crows.
• As a form of play, first-year birds engage in much manipulation of objects with no food value, as is typical of young corvids. One individual, possibly a yearling, was observed repeatedly hanging upside down from branch of weeping willow and pulling on leaves while swinging. May chase swallows as form of play.
• Third crow regularly observed in vicinity of nest, occasionally seen attending nest-building, feeding of brooding female and/or feeding of nestlings. Presence of third individual is frequent and disruptive; these birds are probably unrelated nonbreeders. Nesting pair shows aggression toward auxiliary bird with much chasing; third bird is probably not a true helper.
• Aggressive actions, as occur in territory defense or at food sources, are typical of Corvidae. Bird pecks at others with open bill. In escalated fight, grabs at opponent's feet with its own feet, and tries to grasp and peck at head. Grappling birds may fall from tree. At food source (garbage), one individual was seen to pull tail of other Fish Crow, which left the area. Also observed pulling tail of an American Crow and wing-tips of a Ring-billed Gull at food source.
• Occasionally collides with automobiles, usually the young in first summer.
• Sympatric throughout most of its range with the similar American Crow, the Fish Crow is often confused with its larger relative. The only reliable difference between the two is vocal: The Fish Crow sounds like an American Crow with a bad cold.
• Over the last century, Fish Crows have been expanding their range in what has been called a "leapfrog" pattern. Much like the children's game, some groups of crows seemed to have "jumped," all at once, from an area where they already are established, skipping across an area they ignore, and into an new area. Scientists have one possible explanation for why this happens: the crows moved into areas where bird colonies, perhaps of herons or grackles, had moved earlier during their own range expansions. Also, Fish Crows seem to live very well in cities.
• Oldest known individual was 14 years, 6 months.

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Sources used to contruct this page

McGowan, K. J. 2001. Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus). In The Birds of North America, No. 589 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.