Crows are among the most fascinating birds in the world, renowned for their intelligence, resourcefulness, and adaptability. Their dietary habits are a testament to their survival skills. Crows are omnivorous and opportunistic eaters, meaning they consume a wide variety of foods, both plant and animal matter. They are incredibly crafty, intelligent, and masters at gathering food. They have been known to crack nuts by taking them high up and dropping them, and they will often work in teams to distract fish and other small creatures so they can eat them.
What Do Crows Eat? A Detailed Look
American Crows are omnivorous opportunists, and a better question might be: “What do crows not eat?” They eat nearly all edible foods, from crabs and crabapples to birds, french fries, frogs, and carrion. Crows eat foods ranging from worms to snakes, to seeds, fruits, and vegetable crops.
Insects and Invertebrates
Whether they are flying insects or ones you find on the ground, crows will eat them all! Crows are also known to eat invertebrates.
Fruits and Seeds
Crows are also quite happy to eat seeds and fruits. Seeds and fruits make up nearly three-quarters of the American Crow's diet. Over 70% of their diet consists of fruits and seeds such as watermelons, grapes, chokecherries, red osier dogwood fruits, bittersweet nightshade berries, watermelon, wheat, corn, oats, poison ivy, pistachios, and pecans. This might be a shock to some, but yes, crows will and do eat other birds!
Amphibians and Reptiles
Crows will eat practically any amphibians and reptiles. They have been known to prey on snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, and toads. Turtles in all stages of life - eggs, hatchlings, adults - are prey for American Crows.
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Bird Eggs and Other Birds
Crows are also known to invade and raid the nests of other birds that live in their territory. Crows raid the nests of many bird species, including Common Loons, Least Terns, Pinyon Jays, scrub-jays, American Robins, Savannah Sparrows, and Mallards, for this protein-rich food. Bird eggs are filled with protein that is incredibly beneficial to crows, and they have no reservations about stealing eggs! Crows don't only eat bird eggs: They also hunt nestlings, fledglings, and adults of at least several species of birds (including European Starlings and House Sparrows), sometimes catching them in mid-flight.
Mammals and Fish
Given their modest size, American Crows typically prey upon small mammals, including deer mice, voles, bats, and shrews. As we have previously mentioned, crows will work in teams to distract fish so they can pick them off and eat them. Crows wade into belly-deep water to snatch out passing prey, including Gizzard Shad. They have also been known to feast upon the carcasses of post-spawn salmon and trout at fish hatcheries.
Carrion and Human Food
Similar to their raven cousins and vultures, crows are not opposed to feeding on carcasses when they have to. Along with vultures, eagles, gulls, and ravens, American Crows feed upon animal carcasses, including roadkill. They will happily scavenge if their other food sources are not yielding any results. It should come as no surprise at this stage that crows will happily eat human food too. Crows will eat almost any human foods they can find. Human food, bread in this case, is a part of the American Crow's diet. In recent decades, they have been drawn to urban and suburban areas due, in part, to the availability of trash and other easy food sources, such as dog food. They will pick at the eyes of dead animals as they are soft and easy to rip out.
How Crows Gather Food: Intelligence and Adaptability
Armed with exceptional ingenuity and a remarkably varied skill set, American Crows are able to forage successfully in a multitude of landscapes and conditions. Crows are one of those birds that will eat almost anything, and we really mean anything. The majority of food American Crows gather comes from the ground. They use their bills to probe surfaces, flick away unwanted items, tilt or lift objects, and dig through sand or soil. When pursuing ground-based prey such as grasshoppers, American Crows will run, hop, and fly erratically. Crows also perch in elevated spots, patiently awaiting advantageous dining opportunities, such as an unguarded duck nest. When it comes to eating foods with protective shells, American Crows have learned there's more than one way to crack the nut. They have been observed dropping clams, nuts, walnuts, pecans, and even turtles, onto hard surfaces while in flight. Although disputed, the claim that crows intentionally drop nuts in the path of passing cars has been supported by subsequent studies.
Transporting and Storing Food
You might be wondering how crows transport their food, and the answer is a lot more simple than you might originally think. Crows have three ways to carry food, depending on its size and their purpose. To feed chicks or carry small food items, they sometimes stow food in an extensible pouch at the base of the throat. Smaller food is easier for crows to carry because they have an extendable pouch located at the base of their throats, so they just put it in there. Food too big to be carried this way can be transported in their bills, or, occasionally, when even larger, in their feet. Crows really use their brains, and they are known for hiding food in secret locations so they can come back and consume it later! Yes, American Crows hide food for later consumption in trees, under snow, or on the ground. They have been known to cache fish, clams, pecans, corn, frogs, snakes, carrion, and dung. When dealing with larger items such as frogs, American Crows will dismember the animal, often hiding pieces in various places.
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Dietary Preferences and Seasonal Variation
American Crows are not picky eaters! However, we do know that they tend to eat plants more often than they do animals. One study found that, on average, their diet consists of 72 percent plant and 28 percent animal matter. Among the most popular plant foods are corn, miscellaneous other grains, and wild fruits. It's also important to note that their consumption patterns are not static: Crows capitalize on feeding opportunities as they arise, and their diet varies by season and location.
What Do Baby Crows Eat?
Now you know what adult crows eat, you might be wondering what the babies eat too. During their nestlings' first few weeks of life, American Crows feed their young partially digested food. Primarily consisting of animal matter, this protein-heavy diet is critical for the fast-growing chicks, which typically leave nests after only four weeks. As nestlings grow, they are fed larger animal scraps. The most commonly consumed foods include: beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, millipedes, amphibians, and reptiles.
Social Behavior and Cooperative Feeding
American Crows are flexible when it comes to gathering food. They work alone, in pairs, in family groups, and also in small and large flocks. Highly intelligent and social, crows tend to hunt and forage in family groups. These family groups usually consist of a breeding pair and their offspring from the past two to three years! When necessary, they can cooperate in surprisingly complex ways, and have been observed teaming up to distract and steal food from other animals. Amazingly, some crows have even learned how to use rudimentary tools to make catching prey and foraging even easier for them! A 2005 study showed how New Caledonian crows commonly use items like modified twigs, rocks, and other items to retrieve and tear into their food. This is a pretty incredible discovery, considering very few animals are intelligent enough to understand how to use objects in this way.
Crows and Their Habitat
Crows are found in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. They exist on every continent except South America and Antarctica. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, such as urban areas, farmland, woodlands, grassland savannas, wetlands, and coastal marshes. They tend to prefer open spaces with access to water sources and plenty of trees for nesting materials. Crows can even be seen living near human settlements, where they scavenge leftovers from gardens or garbage cans. Crows build their nests in a wide variety of habitats, including woodlands, fields, urban areas, and wetlands. Crows tend to make their nests in a V-shaped area close to the trunk of a tree, usually situated in the upper third or quarter of the tree. A breeding pair of crows work together to build the nest and usually have assistance from their children from the last season. Apparently, building a cozy nest is a family affair! This nest is usually composed of medium-sized twigs, with the interior being filled with materials such as pine needles, weeds, soft bark, or animal hair.
Crows: A Benefit or Nuisance?
The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Some people find crows to be a nuisance, while others appreciate their presence in the area. Crows are known for being intelligent and vocal birds, so they can be quite loud at times. They can also cause some damage to gardens and crops with their scavenging habits. On the other hand, crows can be beneficial as they consume a lot of waste each year, which helps to prevent the spread of diseases and bad odors. Crows tend to favor meat over plants and are often seen near gardens snacking on grubs and bugs rather than fruits and vegetables. Their capacity to take care of pests and parasites from farms is a major advantage when compared to the little damage they cause to the vegetation. A large crow family can consume more than forty thousand grubs, armyworms, and caterpillars during nesting season. Additionally, they help with pollination by transferring pollen from one plant to another.
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Crow vs. Raven
The difference between a raven and a crow may not seem obvious to the casual observer, but there are distinct differences between them. Both are members of the Corvidae family, which includes crows, ravens, magpies, jays, and more. Ravens tend to be larger than crows, with longer wings and thicker bills. In addition to size differences, their calls can be distinguished as well. Behaviorally speaking, they have a few differences. Ravens are known for being curious and playful animals that engage in activities such as somersaulting mid-flight or playing games with sticks on the ground. Crows are highly social birds and often always stay together in family groups.
The Symbolism of Crows
Having one visit you may be a sign that you need to keep in touch with your loved ones. There are many things associated with seeing crows or having them visit you. While oftentimes they are thought of as a bad omen, and harbingers of death, there are also positive aspects to this bird’s visit, like a change in your life. Crows can be found just about everywhere, as they live on every continent on Earth except Antarctica. The odds of one visiting you are high. When a crow is visiting, it is often thought to be a foreshadowing of impending death or doom. However, this can be interpreted in many ways, not just negatively. Death can be interpreted as something ending or changing. They may also represent communicating, being connected to your family and friends, or even messages. It can be thought that they are trying to tell you that you should pay more attention to these relationships. Next time you receive a visit from a crow, think of what new direction your life may be taking or reach out to a loved one.