Crows at PAWS
Many young crows are brought to PAWS because people think they are orphans.  Usually these young crows are just leaving their nest and to learning to fly, and their parents are close by to care for them.  If the young crows are in good health, they are sent back to where they were found and reunited with their parents.  If they are not in good health, then they are cared for at PAWS until they are healthy then released back into the wild.

Adult crows come to PAWS after being hit by cars, attacked by cats, or intentionally harmed by humans with BB or pellet guns. PAWS gives them medical care to help them get better in order to release them back into the wild.

Fun Facts

• A group of crows is called a murder.
• The Latin name for the American Crow is Corvus brachyrhynchos.
• Crows and Ravens are part of the same family, or group of birds, called Corvids.
• Crows live in large extended families and the young will sometimes stay around to help raise baby brothers and sisters.
• You may have heard of crows flying after or attacking people and other animals. These crows are not trying to be mean, but are usually protecting their family while they are nesting.

Description
Crows have dark brown and black eyes, thick black beaks and black legs and feet.  While their feathers appear to be completely black, in sunlight you can often see other colors such as purple, green or blue.  The most common sound crows make is a harsh "caw." They also make other sounds like rattles, coos, and clear single notes. 

Home
Crows can adapt to a wide variety of habitats. They can live just about anywhere from the country to the big city. Crows especially like a mix of Habitat with open areas for finding food and trees for perching to rest, raise young and escape danger.

Crows only use nests during the spring when they are raising babies.  The rest of the year they roost, or sleep at night, in the protection of trees.

During the late summer through the winter crows will roost together in large groups in the same stand of trees.  Thousands of crows will share one roost area.

During the spring and summer, when crow families are raising young, they stay close to the nest. As the young get older and the summer ends, crows start to range farther and will spend time in larger groups. In the winter crows will travel as far as 40 miles in search of food.

Family
Crows begin nesting anytime between March and July.  Crows usually build their nests in tall trees.  In cities or farm areas they may build nests in thick brush or on buildings.  Both the male and female crows build the nest together.  It is made up of large sticks and lined with grass, and is about two feet across. 

The female usually lays 3 to 6 eggs that are pale bluish green with brown spots.  She will incubate, or keep the eggs warm while they grow.  Her mate or kids from the year before will bring her food.  The young are born with their eyes closed and have no feathers yet.

The young crows grow quickly. In about four weeks they go from helpless babies to leaving the nest.  Even when the young crows leave the nest, they still can't fly well and depend on their parents for food and protection for at least another month. Young crows have pale blue eyes that gradually change to brown during their first year of life.  The inside of their mouth is a bright reddish-pink color which fades as they become adults. One or two young from the year may stay with their parents to help care for the next set of babies.

The first year of life for crows is tough, and only about 50% will survive to adulthood.  Once crows are grown they can live for about 6 to 10 years.  Crows have few natural predators, but face many dangers from humans including cars.

Food & Water
One of the reasons crows are able to live in so many different places is they are omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals.  Crows will often eat garbage, roadkill, seeds, nuts, earthworms, bugs, mice, other birds, eggs and fruit.

Crows who live near salt water will drop mussels and clams from high in the sky to break them on the rocks below so they can eat the meat inside.

Crows need fresh water for bathing and drinking.  Sometimes crows will also use water to soften food for their young. In cities it is usually harder for crows to find clean water.

Living with Crows
If your family is having a conflict with crows, or you found a crow who you think is injured or Orphaned, you can get free help by calling the PAWS Wildlife Center at 425.787.2500 x817

Crows and other wild animals do not make good pets.  It's also against the law to keep them in your home.  To find out why, check out the wild animals as pets page.

Want to Know More?
Learn more about wildlife at PAWS' main website.