Skip to main content

Fish Crow

ID Info
  • Fish Crow
  • Fish Crow
  • Fish Crow  video
Silhouette CrowsCrows
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Corvidae

Basic Description

Not everyone realizes it, but there are two kinds of crows across much of the eastern United States. Looking almost identical to the ubiquitous American Crow, Fish Crows are tough to identify until you learn their nasal calls. Look for them around bodies of water, usually in flocks and sometimes with American Crows. They are supreme generalists, eating just about anything they can find. Fish Crows have expanded their range inland and northward along major river systems in recent decades.

More ID Info
image of range map for Fish Crow
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
Explore Maps

Find This Bird

To find Fish Crows, you’ll want to listen out for them. Chances are that many of the crows around coastlines, lakes, and waterways within this species’ range are Fish Crows. It will be very hard to tell them apart from American Crows by sight, but listen for the short, nasal, often doubled cah notes to give them away.

Other Names

  • Cuervo Pescador (Spanish)
  • Corneille de rivage (French)
  • Cool Facts