A crow is any of various, mostly glossy black birds (genus Corvus ) found worldwide, except in southern South America. The name "crow" has been applied to about 40 Corvus species, as well as to unrelated birds. Crows are smaller than ravens but share the same genus. They are ground feeders and omnivores, eating meat and sometimes killing young, weak animals, which makes them unpopular with farmers. Crows also eat berries, insects, eggs, and carrion. They store food in trees or bark crevices. These highly intelligent birds live in close-knit families, hunt, forage, defend territory, and raise young together. Crows can mimic sounds and have been trained to count and speak. They also exhibit curiosity and are known to be inventive pranksters.

What does a crow look like?

Crows are glossy black birds, generally smaller and not as thick-billed as ravens, but large crows can measure about 0.5 meters (20 inches) long, with wingspans reaching 1 meter (39 inches). They are found worldwide, except in southern South America. As omnivores, crows eat berries, insects, eggs, carrion, and meat, and they may even kill young, weak animals. They are known to store food in trees or bury seeds for later. Crows are highly intelligent and can mimic sounds; some have been trained to count and learn words. They live in large, close-knit families, foraging, hunting, and defending territories together.

Where do crows usually live?

Crows are found worldwide, excluding southern South America. They thrive in diverse habitats, such as forests, tundra, deserts, coastal areas, and mountains, and have adapted to ecosystems influenced by human activities like farming and deforestation. Crows generally live in close-knit families, hunt and forage together, defend territories, and care for their young. They build nests of sticks and twigs, typically high up in a tree, where they lay five or six greenish-to-olive eggs with darker speckles. Northern crows gather in large night-roosting groups as winter approaches for warmth, predator protection, or information exchange.

Crows are omnivorous birds that feed mainly on the ground. They consume a diverse diet of berries, insects, carrion, and the eggs of other birds. Crows are also known to eat meat and may kill young, weak animals. They also raid grain crops, which makes them unpopular with farmers. Crows are known to store food in trees and bury seeds or store them in bark crevices for later consumption. They also steal food from other animals, sometimes working with other crows to steal food from vultures, otters, and water birds. Specific bird species eat foods from their local environment and have developed physical characteristics to help them harvest food. Some birds have adapted to feasting on plants, including grass, algae, lichen, and seeds.

How do crows communicate with each other?

Crows are highly intelligent birds that live in close-knit families and use vocalizations to communicate with each other. Their repertoire includes alarm notes, food calls, and calls to maintain social groups. Crows are masterful mimics and can be trained to count aloud and learn words. The crow's call, often described as a "caw," is a harsh, raucous sound. They also exhibit mobbing behavior, using short, staccato calls to advertise the presence of a potential predator. Northern crows gather into large night-roosting groups as winter approaches, possibly for information exchange.

Why are crows considered intelligent birds?

Crows are considered intelligent birds due to their problem-solving skills, learning abilities, and complex social behaviors. They can use tools to obtain food from hard-to-reach places, and they can also discriminate between different types of objects to inform their behavior. For example, crows have been observed dropping walnuts from specific heights to crack them open, even adjusting the height based on the walnut type and the presence of other crows that might steal the contents. Additionally, crows are masterful mimics and have been trained to count, learn words, and mimic voices. They live in close-knit families, hunt, forage, defend territories, and care for their young together, demonstrating social intelligence.

Crow

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Images & Videos

Illustration of an American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), a glossy black bird, perched on a small branch.

A hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix) stands on grass, showing its gray body with black head, wings, and throat.

A brown cow in a grassy field scratches its face with a long-handled brush, with trees and a house in the background.

An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) stands on grass and dry leaves, showing its glossy black feathers and sturdy beak.

A diagram shows illustrations of five animals-herring gull, crow, spotted sandpiper, sidewinder rattlesnake, and grasshopper-each paired with a drawing of their distinctive tracks as they move across a surface.

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: Common raven; carrion crow; Daurian jackdaw; fish crow; house crow

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Crow

bird

Also known as: Corvus

Written by

Sy Montgomery

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is a crow?
A crow is any of various, mostly glossy black birds (genus Corvus) found worldwide, except in southern South America. The name "crow" has been applied to about 40 Corvus species, as well as to unrelated birds.

Crows are smaller than ravens but share the same genus. They are ground feeders and omnivores, eating meat and sometimes killing young, weak animals, which makes them unpopular with farmers. Crows also eat berries, insects, eggs, and carrion. They store food in trees or bark crevices.

These highly intelligent birds live in close-knit families, hunt, forage, defend territory, and raise young together. Crows can mimic sounds and have been trained to count and speak. They also exhibit curiosity and are known to be inventive pranksters.
2 Britannica Sources
1. crow
2. rook
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does a crow look like?
Crows are glossy black birds, generally smaller and not as thick-billed as ravens, but large crows can measure about 0.5 meters (20 inches) long, with wingspans reaching 1 meter (39 inches). They are found worldwide, except in southern South America.

As omnivores, crows eat berries, insects, eggs, carrion, and meat, and they may even kill young, weak animals. They are known to store food in trees or bury seeds for later.

Crows are highly intelligent and can mimic sounds; some have been trained to count and learn words. They live in large, close-knit families, foraging, hunting, and defending territories together.
2 Britannica Sources
1. crow
2. Corvidae
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Where do crows usually live?
Crows are found worldwide, excluding southern South America. They thrive in diverse habitats, such as forests, tundra, deserts, coastal areas, and mountains, and have adapted to ecosystems influenced by human activities like farming and deforestation.

Crows generally live in close-knit families, hunt and forage together, defend territories, and care for their young. They build nests of sticks and twigs, typically high up in a tree, where they lay five or six greenish-to-olive eggs with darker speckles. Northern crows gather in large night-roosting groups as winter approaches for warmth, predator protection, or information exchange.
2 Britannica Sources
1. crow
2. common raven
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do crows eat?
Crows are omnivorous birds that feed mainly on the ground. They consume a diverse diet of berries, insects, carrion, and the eggs of other birds. Crows are also known to eat meat and may kill young, weak animals. They also raid grain crops, which makes them unpopular with farmers.

Crows are known to store food in trees and bury seeds or store them in bark crevices for later consumption. They also steal food from other animals, sometimes working with other crows to steal food from vultures, otters, and water birds. Specific bird species eat foods from their local environment and have developed physical characteristics to help them harvest food. Some birds have adapted to feasting on plants, including grass, algae, lichen, and seeds.
2 Britannica Sources
1. 11 Questions About Birds Answered: What do birds eat?
2. crow
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How do crows communicate with each other?
Crows are highly intelligent birds that live in close-knit families and use vocalizations to communicate with each other. Their repertoire includes alarm notes, food calls, and calls to maintain social groups. Crows are masterful mimics and can be trained to count aloud and learn words.

The crow's call, often described as a "caw," is a harsh, raucous sound. They also exhibit mobbing behavior, using short, staccato calls to advertise the presence of a potential predator. Northern crows gather into large night-roosting groups as winter approaches, possibly for information exchange.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why are crows considered intelligent birds?
Crows are considered intelligent birds due to their problem-solving skills, learning abilities, and complex social behaviors. They can use tools to obtain food from hard-to-reach places, and they can also discriminate between different types of objects to inform their behavior. For example, crows have been observed dropping walnuts from specific heights to crack them open, even adjusting the height based on the walnut type and the presence of other crows that might steal the contents.

Additionally, crows are masterful mimics and have been trained to count, learn words, and mimic voices. They live in close-knit families, hunt, forage, defend territories, and care for their young together, demonstrating social intelligence.
2 Britannica Sources
1. crow
2. animal behaviour: Cognitive mechanisms
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Crow, (genus Corvus), any of various glossy black birds found in most parts of the world, with the exception of southern South America. Crows are generally smaller and not as thick-billed as ravens, which belong to the same genus. A large majority of the 40 or so Corvus species are known as crows, and the name has been applied to other, unrelated birds. Large crows measure about 0.5 metre (20 inches) long, with wingspans that can reach 1 metre (39 inches).

Crows feed chiefly on the ground, where they walk about purposefully. They are omnivores that enjoy meat and may even attack and kill young, weak animals. This habit makes them unpopular with farmers, as does the bird’s propensity to raid grain crops. Berries, insects, the eggs of other birds, and carrion are also eaten. Crows will make off with shreds of roadkill and store tidbits in trees, caching the meat like a leopard does for later consumption. Sometimes they bury seeds or store them in crevices in bark. They occasionally steal food from other animals, sometimes cooperating with other crows to raid food from otters, vultures, and water birds.

Crows live in large, close-knit families, and, like social mammals, they not only hunt and forage together but also defend territories and care for the young together. Most species, however, do not nest in colonies. Each mating pair has its own nest of sticks and twigs, usually high up in a tree. There are laid five or six greenish-to-olive eggs, with darker speckles. Young crows may spend up to six years with their parents before breeding on their own. As winter approaches, northern crows gather into large night-roosting groups. These flocks can include tens of thousands of birds and occasionally hundreds of thousands. Possible reasons for this seasonal gregariousness are warmth, protection against predators such as owls, or information exchange. A crow may live 13 years in the wild and more than 20 years in captivity.

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

Britannica Quiz

Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz

Highly intelligent, crows can be masterful mimics. They have been trained to count aloud up to seven, and some crows have learned more than 100 words and up to 50 complete sentences; others have been known to mimic their owners’ voices in order to call dogs and taunt horses. They also exhibit great curiosity, fueling a reputation as inventive pranksters and calculating thieves. They fly off with people’s mail, pull clothespins off lines, and make off with unattended objects such as car keys. Two species—the New Caledonian crow (C. moneduloides) and the ‘alalā, or Hawaiian crow (C. hawaiiensis)—use stick-type foraging tools to obtain food from small holes and crevices. Also, at least one species, the carrion crow (C. corone) has the ability to distinguish between regular and irregular geometric shapes. Such sophisticated tool use is only practiced by a handful of animal species, and, so far, only human beings and carrion crows have been shown to perceive geometric regularity.

Some common crows are the American crow (C. brachyrhynchos) of North America and the carrion crow (C. corone) of Europe and most of Asia. A subspecies of the carrion crow with gray on the back of the neck and breast is called the hooded crow (C. corone cornix). Sometimes considered a separate species, it is found between western Europe and eastern Asia and in the northern British Isles. Other crows include the house crow (C. splendens) of the Indian subcontinent (introduced in eastern Africa); the pied crow (C. albus), with white nape and breast, of tropical Africa; and the fish crow (C. ossifragus) of southeastern and central North America. Other members of the genus Corvus not called crows are the raven, jackdaw, and rook.

For birds in other families that are sometimes called crows, see currawong, or piping-crow; drongo, or king crow; kokako, or wattled crow; and rockfowl, or bald crow.

Sy Montgomery

Crow

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