CROW, a general name for several birds of the genus Corvus, of the family Corvidae. It is applied particularly in England to the carrion crow (C. corone) and hooded crow (C. cornix) and in America to the American crow (C. brachyrhynchos). The Cor vidae are the most highly developed family of birds, and include, besides the crows proper, the magpies, jays, choughs, the rook and the raven (qq.v.).
Of the true crows, the black or carrion crow is resident in Britain. It shares its range with a second species, the grey or hooded crow. Both forms migrate south in winter, a line from the Firth of Clyde to the head of the Adriatic dividing, roughly, their summer homes; the carrion crow occurs to the south-west of this, the hooded crow to the north-east. Where the ranges overlap, the two species appear to inter-breed freely, sometimes producing intermediate types. The "hoodie" differs from its congener in possessing a grey instead of a black body. Both species feed on carrion, small birds, eggs, etc.; they are some 18 or 1 g in. in length and build isolated nests in which they lay four to six bluish-green eggs blotched with brown.
The American crow is, unlike the preceding, gregarious and feeds largely on grain; hence it is very unpopular with farmers. It is smaller than the European species. The fish crow (C. ossi fragus) is also American and lives largely on fish, molluscs and garbage cast up by the sea. The Indian house crow (C. splen dens) is abundant in India, where it is very tame and useful as a scavenger. The so-called carrion crow of the United States of America is the black vulture.