Charcoal black and 17 – 21” in length, the common crow is one of the most intelligent birds. They have complex vocal chords and can vary their “caw-caw” sound to express warning, threat, taunting and cheer. They have also been known to sound out words when taught.
Opportunistic in their feeding, crows will eat mice, eggs, corn, toads, insects and carrion. They will eat their weight in food every day. In some areas, the crow has a double life. It maintains a territory year round in which the entire extended family lives and forages together. But during much of the year, individual crows leave the home territory to join large flocks at dumps and agricultural fields, and to sleep in large roosts in winter. Crows work together to harass or drive off predators like the red-tailed hawk (a behavior known as mobbing).
A female crow will lay 3-7 blue-green to gray-green eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 18 days.
