BirdBrain Academy

Corvids · Corvidae

American Crow sounds

Corvus brachyrhynchos

The American Crow is a large, common corvid found throughout much of North America.

Learn bird sounds freeMore American Crow recordings
American Crow
Photo: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Listen to the American Crow

Each recording below is a short excerpt with its spectrogram, a picture of the sound. Time runs left to right and higher pitches sit higher up. Play each one, then look for the same shape in the next. Different recordings of the same bird help you learn the bird, not one clip.

Call · recording 1 Spectrogram of a American Crow call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Robert Benson, Iola, Grimes County, Texas, 1990-01-21. XC756861 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 4.0. Five-second excerpt.

Call · recording 2 Spectrogram of a American Crow call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Doug Hynes, Big Fish Island, Nova Scotia, 2021-08-24. XC682428 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 4.0. Five-second excerpt.

Call · recording 3 Spectrogram of a American Crow call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, 2013-11-08. XC155440 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

What to listen for

The most usual call is a loud, short, rapid caaw-caaw-caaw, often given with the head thrusting up and down. American crows can make many sounds and sometimes mimic other animals, including birds such as barred owls.

Many listeners write its call as “caaw-caaw-caaw”. Treat a written sound as a memory aid; individual birds and regions vary.

What it looks like

The American Crow is a large, distinctive bird with iridescent black feathers all over; its legs, feet, and bill are also black. It measures 40–53 cm in length, with the tail making up about 40%, and males tend to be larger than females.

Where to find it

Its range extends from the Pacific to the Atlantic in Canada, south through the United States and into northern Mexico. It inhabits nearly all country types from wilderness, farmland, parks, and open woodland to towns and major cities, and often gathers in large communal roosts outside nesting season.

BirdBrain regions that include this bird

  • Alaska
  • California
  • Caribbean
  • Eastern Canada
  • Florida
  • Great Lakes
  • Mexico
  • Mid-Atlantic
  • New England
  • Northwest
  • Plains
  • Rocky Mountains
  • Southeast
  • Southwest
  • Texas
  • Western Canada

Did you know?

  • American crows can mimic noises made by other animals, including other birds such as barred owls.
  • They are among the few bird species observed modifying and using tools to obtain food.
  • Mated pairs may form large families that remain together for many years.

Learn the American Crow by ear

BirdBrain Academy teaches bird sounds with side-by-side listening and quizzes that use different recordings, so you learn the bird rather than one clip. Start with six free lessons, no signup needed. On your phone, Sound ID can name the birds singing around you.

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Related birds

Species notes are adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and checked for BirdBrain. Recordings come from xeno-canto under the licenses shown with each one. Photo: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Identification guidance is educational; birds vary, so confirm unusual sightings with local experts or eBird.