Fauna Flora Photography

American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

A large, common seen bird around Montreal. The species is well adapted to human life and can be observed in almost every park on island Montreal as well as within the city itself.

Taxonomy

Aves > Passeriformes > Corvidae

Names in different Languages

GermanAmerikanerkrähe
EnglishAmerican Crow
FrenchCorneille d'Amérique
SpanishCuervo americano

How to Identify

The species is all black. The tail is almost as long as the rest of the bird. Males are a bit larger than females. Difficult to distinguish from the Common Raven which is larger in size. If you are near central Montreal and you see this bird, it is most probably a crow. Outside of the island, look at the tail when flying, raven displays a diamond while the crow’s tail is flat.

Where When to Spot

All year long. During the warmer season, this species tends to move around in small flocks while in winter they are more often looking for food alone.

SpringSummerFallWinter
Belvédère Outremont 2 0 0 1
Boisé Des Douze 1 0 0 0
Jardin Botanique de Montréal 3 0 1 0
Mont Saint Bruno 1 0 0 0
Parc Angrignon 8 1 1 4
Parc Mont-Royal 0 0 0 1
Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies 3 0 0 0
Parc de la Frayère 2 0 0 1
Parc des Rapides 2 0 0 1
Pippy Park 0 1 0 0
Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park 0 1 0 0
  22 3 2 8

Number of times a species has been observed, identified, and recorded. A species is reported only once per visit to a park.

Photos of American Crow


Last updated on 2023-01-15. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.