A Focus on Fish Crows, and Remembering Jazzy
Article by Noah Eisengrein
Crows are among perhaps the most recognizable birds in the United States, known for their distinctive calls and rich black feathers. We may think of them as symbols of autumn or Halloween, admire them for their intelligence, or even consider them to be bad luck. Did you know there are two different species of crows commonly found in the US? They are the American crow and the fish crow which can be quite hard to differentiate unless you know their characteristics. We at Echoes of Nature particularly love fish crows, especially our beloved fish crow ambassador, Jazzy, who we very sadly said goodbye to recently. In Jazzy’s memory, we’d like to dedicate today’s blog post to fish crows!
First of all, what makes a fish crow, a fish crow? Fish crows are different species than American crows, though they are nearly identical in appearance. American crows may sometimes appear slightly larger. Fish crows tend to stick closer to water and are native to much of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US. They can also be found further inland, but even then, they will stick closely to rivers, swamps, and other bodies of water. Ironically, despite their name, they do not fish - as a matter of fact, they are not raptors or “birds of prey” at all!
While their habitat of choice may have distinctive qualities, the big difference between fish crows and American crows is their calls. American crows tend to give off a slightly deeper, throaty series of “caw” sounds, or perhaps one long “caw”. Fish crows, on the other hand, have a comparatively more nasal “cah” sound, which can often be heard in a series of two “cahs”. Some have described the fish crow as sounding like an American crow “with a bad cold”. For a better understanding of how to compare the calls of both birds, we encourage you to listen to recordings of both. For a fun activity, you can then ask yourself, how would I describe these sounds to someone who has never heard them before? Then, give it a try!
Multiple nesting pairs of fish crows may be found living near each other in small colonies. The male and female will work together to build a nest out of sticks and bark and lined with a variety of softer materials. The nest may be built anywhere from 5 feet to as much as 70 feet off the ground. The pair will have one brood of offspring per year, typically made up of 4-5 eggs, which the female will incubate for 16-19 days. Once hatched, both the male and female parents will leave the nest in search of food for their young. Luckily, there is no shortage of things fish crows are willing to eat!
Fish crows are considered generalists, which means they will eat just about anything. They will often forage in groups, walking along the water near their home in search of something to eat. Some may even carry mollusks or other shelled invertebrates high into the air and drop them to the ground so they will break. Others will invade the nests of other birds or dig up turtle eggs. If they find an especially good source of food, they may “cache” or store the leftovers for later. Much of the food they find will go to their young for 3-4 weeks until those young leave the nest.
The average lifespan of a fish crow is undecided, as there is just not enough data to say for sure. It seems that the oldest living fish crow is widely recognized to be an individual that lived to be 14 years and 6 months old, but at Echoes of Nature, we estimate that our Jazzy may have been as old as 20! He was always making sure it never got too quiet around our facility, and all the instructors loved spending time with him and feeding him peanuts. He was a hit on programs, with everyone loving his curious nature and tendency to chime in on conversations. We love you, Jazzy!