Fish Crow
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Corvus ossifragus
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
6-14 years
Weight
247-320
8.7-11.3
goz
g oz 
Length
36-40
14.2-15.7
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
264-292
10.4-11.5
mminch
mm inch 

The Fish crow (Corvus ossifragus) is a species of crow that lives in wetland habitats in the eastern and southeastern United States. It was given its binomial name by the Scottish ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1812. The common name of this bird also derives from Wilson, who ascribed the name to the crow's aquatic diet, as described to him by local fishermen.

Di

Diurnal

Om

Omnivore

Ar

Arboreal

Zo

Zoochory

Gl

Gliding

Te

Terrestrial

Te

Territorial

Ov

Oviparous

Al

Altricial

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Fl

Flocking

F

starts with

Appearance

The Fish crow is superficially similar to the American crow, but is smaller and has a silkier, smoother plumage by comparison. The upperparts have a blue or blue-green sheen, while the underparts have a more greenish tint to the black. The eyes are dark brown. The differences are often only really apparent between the two species when seen side by side or when heard calling. The bill is usually somewhat slimmer than the American crow but is only readily distinguishable if both species are seen together. Visual differentiation from the American crow is extremely difficult and often inaccurate. Nonetheless, differences apart from size do exist. Fish crows tend to have more slender bills and feet. There may also be a small sharp hook at the end of the upper bill. Fish crows also appear as if they have shorter legs when walking. More dramatically, when calling, fish crows tend to hunch and fluff their throat feathers.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

Fish crows are found on the eastern seaboard of the United States from Rhode Island south to Key West, and west along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. They inhabit coastal marshes and beaches, rivers, inland lakes, marshes, and river banks. Since 2012, Fish crows have rapidly expanded into Canada, with breeding populations along Lake Ontario. Fish crows are not true migratory birds but they travel further inland during warmer seasons and return to the shores during colder seasons.

Fish Crow habitat map

Climate zones

Fish Crow habitat map

Habits and Lifestyle

Fish crows are gregarious but during the breeding season, they become territorial. They forage in flocks and in winter may gather in flocks that contain hundreds to thousands of crows. They feed during the day taking food mainly from the ground or shallow water where they hover and pluck food items out of the water with their feet. They are intelligent and curious. The call of Fish crows has been described as a nasal 'ark-ark-ark' or a begging 'waw-waw'. They also have a single call sounding like 'cahrrr'.

Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Fish crows are omnivorous. They feed on small crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimps, other invertebrates, stranded fish, and live fish if the situation favors their capture, eggs, and nestlings of birds, small reptiles, the fruits of many trees, peanuts, and grains, as well as human scraps where available and carrion.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
late March to mid-June
INCUBATION PERIOD
16-19 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
62-70 days
FEMALE NAME
hen
MALE NAME
cock
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
4-5 eggs

Fish crows are monogamous and form pairs. They breed from late March to mid-June and raise only one brood per season. The nest is usually built high in a tree and is often accompanied in nearby trees with other nests of Fish crows forming small, loose colonies. Usually, 4 or 5 eggs are laid. Pale blue-green in color, they bear blotches of olive-brown. Incubation lasts for 16-19 days. The chicks are altricial; they hatch blind and naked. They remain in the nest for 32-40 days and become independent a month after fledging. Young Fish crows usually become reproductively mature at about 15 months of age.

Population

Population threats

There are no major threats to this species at present.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Fish crow total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are increasing.

References

1. Fish crow Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_crow
2. Fish crow on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22705993/94045235
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/661002

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