Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
About This Species
This all-black crow is best told from its larger relative by its higher, more nasal double call, often given in flight over rivers, marshes, and coastal areas. It forages opportunistically on beaches, mudflats, and open ground, frequently in small vocal groups. Coastal areas of the southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States offer year-round viewing, with activity most conspicuous around dawn and dusk feeding bouts.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- These are wary, adaptable birds that tolerate a reasonable working distance from roads, boardwalks, or parked vehicles without difficulty.
- As with other native wild birds, nests and eggs are protected under federal law in the United States, so climbing to or disturbing an active nest is prohibited.
- Watching from a stationary position rather than approaching a foraging group directly will keep birds calm and behaving naturally.
LCAvesPasseriformesCorvidae
Seasonal Activity
3,374,342 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.