Fish Crow behavior

[Cheryl Hogue]

Fish Crows are regulars in my Silver Spring neighborhood near Georgia Avenue and the Capital Beltway. I mainly see them in spread out flying in a stream northwest to a roost during the evening.

But yesterday, mid-afternoon, I saw a new behavior. A globular flock of about 40 Fish Crow noisily calling  flew west, then met up in the sky with a similar-size glob of another 40 Fish Crows, also calling. They eventually, as a group, flew south.

I've never seen so many Fish Crows in a group more like starlings or blackbirds.

Can anyone shine light on what's happening here? Is this some sort of pre-breeding group? Or a migration, though this species is here year-round?

Thanks,

Cheryl Hogue

Silver Spring

[Jim Nelson]

Cheryl,

The Birds of the World online species account for Fish Crow says they hang out in large aggregations throughout the winter until breaking up into breeding pairs.  It also states:  "Where sympatric, Fish Crows begin nesting 1–2 mo later than American Crows .... Fish Crows show little difference in timing of breeding with differing latitude, unlike American Crows, which begin breeding earlier in more southern states."  

According to the 2nd MD Breeding Bird Atlas, Fish Crow egg dates generally ranged from March 30 to June 8.  So they probably have not begun nesting in our area yet.  All my winter encounters with Fish Crows have tended to be with larger groups flying over me here in Bethesda, Mont. Co.

The 2nd Atlas reported American Crow nests with eggs from March 13 to May 21, so they probably have begun nesting already.  I think that makes it more likely that any large groups of crows together during the day now are more likely going to be Fish Crows.

Jim Nelson

Bethesda

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[JAMES SPEICHER]

Interesting info on both crow species in this link, but nothing in regards to flocking characteristics:

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/hatchrep.html

Jim S

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[Paul O'Brien]

Both American and Fish Crows use a roost area around what used to be White Flint Shopping Center.  They have been flying in and out of the roost right over my house in Rockville for the past 51-plus years.  What I have noticed is that the Fish Crows are the first to begin using the roost in the fall and the last the stop using it in the spring, which matches up nicely with the nest dates.

Paul O'Brien

Rockville, MD

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