The American Crow is a widespread, abundant and conspicuous inhabitant of Canada east of the British Columbia interior. The Breeding Bird Survey monitors the species well and results indicate that current populations are similar to those of about 1970. This species is found in a wide variety of habitats and is adaptable to human-induced changes in habitat.
With a long-term stable population, there is little cause for conservation concern for this species. Clearing and fragmenting of forests, fire suppression and planting of trees in urban areas have benefited the American Crow, while reforestation of abandoned farmland may have had a minor negative effect in some areas (Verbeek and Caffrey 2002). Overwinter survival may be enhanced by the availability of food in urban areas and landfills (Verbeek and Caffrey 2002). Although the arrival of West Nile Virus in 1999 had significant negative effects on crow populations in many parts of North America (LaDeau et al. 2007), populations in Canada today appear to have either recovered or were not widely affected.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
