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jennifer
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CROW, common name for about 27 of the large passerine birds of the genus Corvus,
which also includes the ravens and jackdaws. Their family, Corvidae, also includes the jays,
magpies, choughs, and nutcrackers. Crows are found on every continent except South
America and Antarctica. They are among the most intelligent and adaptable of birds, and
several species have been able to thrive near humans, although others, especially on
islands, are endangered and their habits little known. Northern hemisphere crows are
sometimes migratory, but often resident the year round. Although territorial in the breeding
season, crows are gregarious at other times, and wintering flocks may number in the
thousands. Even in the breeding season, crows gather together to mob owls and other
predators. Crows in turn may be mobbed by other birds, because their omnivorous diet
includes eggs and nestlings as well as other small animals, vegetable matter, carrion, and
garbage. In some agricultural areas, crows are considered great pests, which accounts for
the invention of the scarecrow. Crow nests are large platforms of sticks, usually in tall trees.
The three to eight eggs are deeply colored, and are incubated by the female. The young are
cared for by both parents. The voices of crows are loud and usually harsh, but are
characteristic for each species.
All of the North American crows are black, with more or less of a glossy sheen, but several
species from elsewhere are conspicuously marked with white or gray.
The tiny Mexican crow, C. imparatus, is regularly seen in
southeasternmost Texas.
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000530
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