Northwestern Crow

Overview

Northwestern Crow: Fairly small crow , black overall with dark, stout bill, iridescent violet gloss on body, and blue-black wings. Tail is fan-shaped in flight. Feeds on marine invertebrates, insects, fish, fruits, seeds, carrion, refuse, eggs of seabirds. Direct flight on steady, stiff wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Northwestern Crow: Resident near the ocean from Alaska to Washington, very closely associated with beaches, shorelines, and islands.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Northwestern Crow may be only a subspecies of the American Crow.
The two are extremely similar, differing just in size and voice.
Outside the breeding season, they are quite sociable, roosting and foraging in large flocks. They are intelligent and opportunistic, and quickly take advantage of new sources of food.
When foraging in intertidal areas they often store extra food during low tide, when it is plentiful, and consume it during the following high tide, when the intertidal zone is under water.
A group of crows has many collective nouns, including a "cauldron", "congress", "horde", "murder", and "muster" of crows.

The Northwestern Crow has large range reaching up to 400,000 square kilometers. This bird can be found in Canada and the United States and demonstrates a preference for a wide range of habitats. It appears in forest and marine locations, including sea cliffs and offshore islands, but also appears in heavily populated urban areas as well. The global population of this bird is estimated to be around 1,400,000 individuals. Currently, it is not believed that the population trends for this species will soon approach the minimum levels that could suggest a potential decline in population. Due to this, population trends for the Northwestern Crow have a present evaluation level of Least Concern.