What Do Crows Eat?

The American crow eats just about anything, and its diet includes insects, worms, larvae, grains, nuts, fruits, young rabbits, mice, frogs, eggs, and nestlings of other birds. It also eats carrion.

• This crow is native to the North American region (Canada and the United States).
• The American crow inhabits open areas with trees nearby. It can also be found in grasslands, agricultural areas, urban parks, and suburban areas.

In the wild, the pied crow feeds on seeds, peanuts, fruits, birds, eggs, carrion, lizards, mollusks, tortoises, and at times, garbage.

• The pied crow has a wide distribution in Africa.
• It can be found in a plethora of habitats which may include rainforests, grasslands, shrublands, inland wetlands, and artificial terrestrial and aquatic areas.

The northwestern crow also feeds on a vast range of insects, crabs, fishes, nuts, berries, seeds, shellfish, bird’s eggs, garbage, and carrion.

• The northwestern crow is endemic to the northern Pacific coasts.
• This crow mostly inhabits urban areas and intertidal shores.
• It can also be found in open woodlands and forests.

Cape crow feeds on a varied diet that includes bulbs, fruit, seeds, dung-beetles, small amphibians, and chicks.

• The cape crow is also known as the black crow.
• Its habitat types include shrublands, grasslands, inland wetlands, mountain peaks, and artificial/terrestrial lands.

As the name suggests, the fish crow feeds on fish, crabs, carrion, shrimp, crayfish, berries, nuts, insects, seeds, nuts, bird and turtle eggs, and garbage.

• This crow species is small and is native to the southeastern parts of the United States.
• It inhabits farmlands, woodlands, swamps, river valleys, and tidewaters.
• This species is commonly found beside water bodies, primarily along the coasts. These areas are good foraging sites for this type of crow.

Crows forage for their prey using various techniques. Some crows stab the ground to find and capture insects while others dig the sand to find prey like clams.

• Some crows wade into shallow water to ambush their aquatic prey.
• Some species like the American crow walks on the ground and pick any prey they spot.
• They also ramble along trees and their branches to pick eggs and ambush other birds’ nestlings.

Crows are diurnal meaning they will tend to be active during the daylight hours. They will be found foraging for food and eating during the day.

Crows will be seen actively foraging for food in the morning and the afternoon and easily search for food in between. This eating pattern confirms they will feed very often during the periods when they are the most active.

Throughout their life stages, crows are predated on by many organisms.

• Some of the common predators that feed on crows include some snake species (garter snakes), some hawks (red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, and sharp-shinned hawks), squirrels (eastern gray species), and raccoons.
• Other predators include domesticated cats, and dogs, humans, some owl species (long-eared owls), and eagles.

Crows play a vital role in the animal food chain.

• They prey on a large number of small organisms which include frogs, mice, worms, larvae, road-kill, and nestlings, thus impacting their local population.
• This wide array of diets ensures that these small organisms do not overpopulate their ecosystems.
• Crows are also a food source for various organisms like hawks, owls, humans, raccoons, and snakes, thus promoting survival.
• Crows are scavengers, and this role is instrumental to the food chain because it helps rid the ecosystem of the bodies of dead organisms.