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Fish crow

Corvus ossifragus · Crows · Migratory game birds

Fish crow (Corvus ossifragus): All-black crow, 36-41 cm, slightly smaller than the American crow with slightly more pointed wingtips. Identified with certainty only by voice: a nasal 'kwok' and a nasal two-noted 'ah-ah'. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the fish crow map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Fish crow perched on a post
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 490938056)
Scientific name
Corvus ossifragus
Family
Corvidae
Range
Eastern and southeastern United States: Florida, the Southeast, Texas, the Mid-Atlantic and New England, extending up river valleys into the Plains and Great Lakes region.
Biology

How to identify it

All-black crow, 36-41 cm, slightly smaller than the American crow with slightly more pointed wingtips. [1]

Identified with certainty only by voice: a nasal 'kwok' and a nasal two-noted 'ah-ah'. [1]

Sexes similar. [1]

Compared with the american crow: The American crow gives a familiar 'caw' rather than a nasal 'kwok' or 'ah-ah', though young American crows also make nasal calls in breeding season. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Fish crow from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Tidewater, river valleys, swamps, woodland and farmland, usually nearer water than the American crow, especially beaches, marshes and estuaries. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mostly a permanent resident; withdraws from some inland parts of its range in winter. [1]

On the coast hunts salt marshes and tidal flats and scavenges on beaches; inland follows swamps and large river drainages. [1]

Often nests in loose colonies of a few pairs. [1]

Has expanded its range farther inland and north, notably on the Atlantic coastal plain and up the Mississippi Valley. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Eastern and southeastern United States: Florida, the Southeast, Texas, the Mid-Atlantic and New England, extending up river valleys into the Plains and Great Lakes region.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society