The young American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) that has recently fledged out of its nest can fly well and is almost the size of an adult. However, it’s still a baby that can’t feed itself well and demands – with outlandish vocal and bodily expressions – almost constant attention from its parents and relatives. If you see one and don’t look closely, you might think that this youngster is an adult sounding a crow alarm about a nearby owl or some similar threat. But, no; its all about himself or herself.
We were lucky to see the above youngster land on a dock railing about 50 yards from us on Monday (July 13). It screamed and moaned and swayed its body until an adult crow came and warned it to get away from that human. (That’s one of the things that many young crows don’t seem to understand instinctively.)
There are three significant things to look for in deciding whether a crow is immature or adult. First, the babes have cloudy blue eyes; the adults’ eyes are very black. Second, the black painting on the youngsters’ beaks is not finished – it’s still white and pink at the bases; the adults’ beaks are all black. Third, and easiest to see, the youngsters seem to beg for food or other attention from adults almost all the time.
For comparison purposes, here’s an image from our archive of an adult crow:
(Brooklin, Maine)