Species · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

American Crow

CorvidaeGeneralistsCorvus brachyrhynchos

American Crow has edged down: down 21% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-21%Since 1968
3,710Routes
58Years Surveyed

About the American Crow

Among the most adaptable and intelligent of birds, the American Crow is an all-black omnivore at home in farmland, forest and city alike.

Size
15.5–21 in long, about 15.9 oz (40–53 cm, 450 g)
Habitat
A broad range of open and wooded habitats, often near people.
Diet
An omnivore — insects, grain, carrion, eggs and refuse, taking almost anything edible.
Range
Recorded on 3,710 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 49 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
Family
Corvidae · Generalists
Conservation
Least Concern

Notable American Crow Trends

No notable trend signals for American Crow. See the full index history below.

American Crow Population Forecast

If the recent trend holds, American Crow is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 21 (95% range 17–26). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±20.9%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

+7%Change by 2029
21Projected 2029 index
172695% range
±20.9%Backtest error
19662029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
2025211726
2026211726
2027211726
2028211726
2029211726

Where the American Crow Is Detected

BBS routes recording American Crow, sized by most recent count.

American Crow Population Trend by State

American Crow population trend by state.
Alabama+19%1968108
Alaska-39%197333
Arizona-42%197018
Arkansas+27%196962
California+40%1970176
Colorado-25%1970144
Connecticut-25%196820
Delaware+10%196817
Florida+55%1968111
Georgia+38%1968110
Idaho-4%197053
Illinois+15%1968105
Indiana+8%196869
Iowa-37%196939
Kansas+85%196965
Kentucky-16%196864
Louisiana+86%196997
Maine+75%196877
Maryland+2%196876
Massachusetts+22%196832
Michigan+19%1968108
Minnesota+11%196992
Mississippi+5%196874
Missouri+46%196995
Montana-36%197092
Nebraska-30%196973
Nevada+974%197029
New Hampshire+65%196826
New Jersey+5%196844
New Mexico+16%197038
New York+17%1968129
North Carolina+55%1968112
North Dakota-38%196950
Ohio+29%196889
Oklahoma-20%196971
Oregon-11%1970106
Pennsylvania-6%1968138
Rhode Island+41%19687
South Carolina+33%196851
South Dakota-19%196962
Tennessee+14%196855
Texas+4%1969157
Utah+38%197150
Vermont-2%196826
Virginia-13%196888
Washington-46%1970103
West Virginia-28%196863
Wisconsin+9%196898
Wyoming+202%1970108

American Crow Population Trend by Region

Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.

American Crow population trend by Bird Conservation Region.
BCR 2-55%19863
BCR 4+61%19875
Northern Pacific Rainforest-11%1970134
Great Basin+39%1970183
Northern Rockies-42%1970182
Prairie Potholes-55%1969116
Boreal Hardwood Transition-9%1968127
Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain+23%196886
Atlantic Northern Forest+40%1968155
Sierra Nevada+88%197418
Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau+101%1970159
Badlands and Prairies+41%1969114
Shortgrass Prairie-84%196999
Central Mixed Grass Prairie-28%1969128
Edwards Plateau+150%196914
Oaks and Prairies+16%196973
Eastern Tallgrass Prairie+18%1968277
Prairie Hardwood Transition+26%1968161
Central Hardwoods-2%1968166
West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas+25%1969110
Mississippi Alluvial Valley+25%196873
Southeastern Coastal Plain+40%1968343
Appalachian Mountains-1%1968405
Piedmont+6%1968172
New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast+1%1968164
Peninsular Florida+49%196867
Coastal California+38%1970106
Sonoran and Mojave Deserts+391%197310
Sierra Madre Occidental+11%197013
Chihuahuan Desert+45%19937
Gulf Coastal Prairie-7%196936

American Crow Conservation Status

Least Concern

The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 20% since 1968.

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.