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Crow Facts & Worksheets

The Crow is a large, omnivorous black bird commonly found throughout North America and known for its intelligence and problem-solving abilities, as well as its vocalizations and social behavior.

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Crows are black birds known to possess intelligence and adaptability. They are popular even in children’s stories and are a significant symbol to some religions and cultures.

See the fact file below for more information on the Crow, or you can download our 28-page Crow worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ORIGIN OF CROWS

  • In the family Corvidae, the genus Corvus includes medium-sized to giant birds. It includes species that are popularly called crows, ravens, and rooks. 
  • The four species most frequently seen in Europe are the carrion crow, the hooded crow, the common raven, and the rook. Later, species were given the names “crow” or “raven” primarily due to their size, as crows are typically smaller.
  • Crow fossils are abundant throughout Europe; however, it is unclear how most prehistoric species are related to one another. The evolution of the present species is evident in the existence of jackdaw-, crow-, and raven-sized forms that appear to have existed for a very long time.
  • The most recent evolutionary evidence of crows points to a lineage within the Australasian family Corvidae. 
  • However, by the time the Corvus species formed, the branch that would give rise to contemporary species like jays, magpies, and huge, primarily black Corvus species had left Australasia and were focused in Asia.
  • Crows were routinely hunted by humans up until the Iron Age. Crows in America are less widely known.
  • After human settlement, a startlingly large number of animals have gone extinct; one extinct Caribbean crow may also have been a result of climate shifts during the last Ice Age.

APPEARANCE AND BEHAVIOR

  • There are numerous species of crow, all belonging to the scientific genus Corvus. Crows’ feathers are typically black in color and frequently have an iridescent sheen to them. 
  • Some crow species also have additional coloring on their feathers, like white patches. Crows also have “bills,” or relatively thick beaks.
  • Crows are among the most intelligent animals. They are renowned for their prowess in communication and problem-solving. 
  • For instance, a crow will instruct other crows how to recognize a cruel human when it comes into contact with one. Crows actually remember faces, according to studies.
  • All black crow species are common. The majority of their natural adversaries are raptors, also known as Falconiformes, who soar above the trees while hunting mainly on bright, sunny days when the contrast between light and shadow is sharpest.
  • In order to set up intricate ambush strikes, crows take advantage of this by weaving through the dappled shade of the trees, where their black hue effectively makes them invisible to their adversaries above. 
  • Adults are significantly more interesting than fledglings in terms of appearances, which is crucial from a societal perspective.

LIFE CYCLE

  • An average clutch of crows contains 3 to 9 eggs, and after 18 days of incubation, the eggs hatch. The juveniles might start leaving the nest following the nesting season, which lasts for 4-6 weeks. For two months, the older chicks help the parents take care of the younger ones.
  • Around three years old for female crows and five years old for male crows is the sexually mature stage.
  • There are roughly 35 species of birds with the word “crow” in their common name, and among them, the life expectancy in the wild ranges from 4 to 7 years to at least 22 years.
  • Carrion crows usually only survive in the wild for 4 to 7 years, but the American and Torresian crows can live up to 20 years each. Crows have a far longer life expectancy when kept in captivity.

HABITAT

  • Crows can be found throughout the world in almost any type of setting. 
  • Urban areas are also home to these incredibly adaptive birds, which make use of every habitat imaginable. 
  • They can be found in rocky cliffs, arctic tundra, grasslands, mountains, deserts, agricultural areas, and farmland.
  • Moreover, crows can frequently be seen in trees, fields, and by the sides of the road in a variety of settings, including open forests, deserted beaches, and urban areas. 
  • They typically forage on the ground and consume a wide variety of foods, such as seeds, fruit, earthworms, insects, other small animals, carrion, rubbish, and chicks that they steal from nests.
  • They can also be found in northwest Africa, the Canary Islands, northern Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Greenland; throughout Asia, from the Pacific to the Himalayas; in India and Iran; and in North and Central America, as far south as Nicaragua.

KINDS OF CROWS

Carrion Crow

  • One of the cleverest and most adaptable birds is the all-black carrion crow. These crows tend to be rather solitary and are typically found alone or in pairs; however, they occasionally form flocks. 
  • Carrion crows will visit gardens in search of food, and although they are frequently wary at first, they quickly learn when it is safe to do so and will return frequently to take advantage of whatever is available.

Hooded crow

  • The carrion crow, which was previously thought to be the same species as the hooded crow, is closely related to both. There may be occasional interbreeding in regions where the two species coexist, with hybrids displaying a mixed body plumage of black and gray. 
  • Hooded crows consume the corpses of animals, just like carrion crows do. They can have more social feeding behaviors than crows, and groups of them may be spotted together in fields.

Raven

  • The common raven is an enormous, dark bird that belongs to the crow family. It has long wings, a big bill, and is entirely black. It has a diamond-shaped tail while flying. 
  • Although they are rapidly extending their range eastward, ravens primarily breed in the west and north. The majority of bird species are residents, while some, particularly non-breeders and young birds, will stray from their breeding grounds but not very far.

Rook

  • Rooks can be distinguished from carrion crows by their naked bodies, grayish-white faces, thinner beaks, and peaks on their heads. 
  • Rooks are very gregarious birds and you’re hardly likely to see one on its own. In the winter, they gather in groups to feed and roost, frequently alongside jackdaws.

CONSERVATION

  • The majority of crows are not threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the exceptions is the Indonesian Flores crow. 
  • Its relatively small population is declining as deforestation threatens its habitat on the Indonesian islands of Flores and Rinca, which is why it is categorized as endangered. The IUCN estimates that there are 600 to 1,700 adult individuals in this population. 
  • Mariana crows in Rota Island are also categorized as critically endangered since their steady decline beginning in the 1960s.
  • Meanwhile, the Hawaiian crows became extinct in the wild around 2002.

Crow Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Crow across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Crow, a large, omnivorous black bird commonly found throughout North America and known for its intelligence and problem-solving abilities, as well as its vocalizations and social behavior.

Crow worksheets: text analysis
crow worksheets: describe the crow
Crow worksheets: crows in culture

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  • Pacific White-sided Dolphin Facts 
  • K-W-L Chart
  • Facts About Me
  • Bubble Map
  • Guess the Category
  • Sea of Words
  • A Hungry Dolphin
  • Color the Emoji!
  • See-Think-Reflect
  • Together, We Can!
  • Bring Me Back!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a crow?

A crow is a large, all-black bird that belongs to the Corvidae family, which also includes jays, magpies, and ravens. They are known for their intelligence, adaptability and versatility. They are found all over the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

What do crows look like?

Crows are large birds with glossy black feathers, a thick beak, and a distinctive fan-shaped tail. They have a wingspan of around 3 feet and weigh around 1 pound. They can be distinguished from ravens by their smaller size, and from rooks and jackdaws by their lack of a distinct facial feathering.

What do crows eat?

Crows are opportunistic feeders and will eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits, nuts, seeds, insects, carrion, and even small animals such as frogs, lizards and eggs. They are also known to scavenge for food in human-populated areas and have been observed using tools to obtain food.

What is the intelligence of crows?

Crows are considered to be among the most intelligent birds and have demonstrated advanced problem-solving and tool-using abilities. They have been observed using tools such as sticks, hooks, and even cars to obtain food. They are also known for their remarkable memory and ability to recognize individual humans.

Are crows protected by law?

In many countries, crows are protected by law, and it is illegal to kill or harm them. However, in some cases, such as when they are causing damage to crops, farmers may be granted permission to control their populations. In general, it’s always best to check the laws in your area before attempting to harm or trap a crow.

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Link will appear as Crow Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 23, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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