Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)
Fish Crow

Fish Crow

Corvus ossifragus

The Fish Crow, Corvus ossifragus, is a member of the crow family associated with wetland habitats in the eastern and southeastern United States. It is a smaller counterpart to the American Crow, with males averaging between 280-320 grams and females slightly lighter at 247-293 grams. The wingspan of males ranges from 278-292 millimeters, while females span 264-277 millimeters. The total body length of this species is between 36-40 centimeters.

Identification Tips

Distinguishing the Fish Crow from the American Crow can be quite challenging. The Fish Crow is generally smaller with a silkier, smoother plumage that has a blue or blue-green sheen on the upperparts and a greenish tint to the black underparts. The eyes are dark brown. The bill is typically slimmer, and there may be a small sharp hook at the end of the upper bill. When calling, Fish Crows tend to hunch and fluff their throat feathers, which can be a helpful identification cue.

Habitat

Fish Crows are found in a variety of wetland habitats including coastal marshes and beaches, rivers, inland lakes and marshes, and river banks. They have also been known to frequent the land immediately surrounding these water bodies.

Distribution

This species is prevalent along the eastern seaboard of the United States from Rhode Island to Key West, and west along the Gulf of Mexico's northern coastline. They have expanded their range along rivers since the early 1900s and have recently established breeding populations in Canada along Lake Ontario.

Behaviour

Fish Crows are known for their adaptability and intelligence, common traits within the Corvidae family. They are often seen foraging in small groups and can be quite vocal, especially when in the company of other crows.

Song & Calls

The call of the Fish Crow is distinct from that of the American Crow. It has been described as a nasal "ark-ark-ark" or a begging "waw-waw". A mnemonic used by birders to distinguish the two species is based on the Fish Crow's nasal "nyuh unh" in contrast to the American Crow's "caw caw". Additionally, the Fish Crow may emit a single "cahrrr" call.

Breeding

Fish Crows build their nests high in trees, often forming small, loose colonies. The nests are constructed anew for each breeding attempt. The eggs are pale blue-green with blotches of olive-brown, typically numbering four or five per clutch. There has been an intriguing observation of a pair of Fish Crows raising a young Blue Jay.

Diet and Feeding

An omnivorous bird, the Fish Crow's diet includes small crustaceans, invertebrates, stranded or live fish, eggs and nestlings of other birds, small reptiles, fruits, peanuts, grains, and human scraps when available. They are adept at foraging both on the ground and in shallow water.

Conservation status

The Fish Crow is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. It has shown some resistance to the West Nile virus, with survival rates significantly higher than those of the American Crow.

Fish Crow Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Fish Crows on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Crows, Jays

A photo of a California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

California Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.