preview

American Crow Research Paper

Good Essays

Corvus brachyrhynchos The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is a large bird found throughout the United States and parts of North America. All species are “two-legged, thick-necked birds with heavy, straight bills” (Vuilleumier 465). The American Crow is the largest crow in North America and is most well known for its call. Their caw is “lower than other subspecies” (465). Distribution of the American Crow differs from season to season. In the summer during breeding season, they can travel as far as the northern territories of Canada. In the fall, they are likely to spend their time in the lower 48 states and migrate as far south as the Mexico-United States border. The American Crow is known for its high intellect. This intelligence …show more content…

The WNV appeared in the United States sometime in the late 1990s and has been decimating the crow population from year to year since its first arrival to North America. The “emergence of WNV in the northeastern US has had considerable impact on the trajectory of crow populations, which declined annually between 1999 and 2004” (LaDeau 2011). Scientists have found that this data coincides with warmer winter temperatures. Generally, warmer winter weather would indicate a growth in the crow population before the emergence of the WNV. “After WNV was present […] warmer winters were associated with bigger crow declines in the following year” (LaDeau 2011). This can be explained by understanding the lifecycle of mosquitos. Mosquitos, the carriers of WNV, die off during the winter. Depending on the length and average temperature of the particular winter season, a certain portion of their eggs will survive and thaw during the following spring. Increasing global temperatures bring a rise in the total number of mosquitos, which in turn, have the potential of carrying WNV and devastating the crow populations. I wonder if the mosquito population continues to increase due to global warming, will the American Crow population decrease also? I believe that after a continuation of warm winters, the crow populations will eventually become endangered due in part to global …show more content…

Lowered breeding times adversely affect the animals’ ability to nest, reproduce, and rear their young with adequate time. Scientist have found that some “species of migratory birds are arriving at summer nesting grounds in the northern hemisphere earlier than they did before global temperatures began increasing last century” (Travers 2015). Studies have also shown that the American Crow is less likely to colonize sites that continually get warmer (Epanchin 2014). The same research found that the crow will likely go extinct at sites that have been made warmer in subsequent years. Because of this information, one can deduce that the American Crow is temperature sensitive. These findings force us to ask, if temperature increases in a region, then will American crow populations decrease accordingly? It is my contention that if an area experiences increasing temperatures, then the crow population of the area will directly decrease. Measures must be taken to stop and reverse the effects of global warming if there is any chance of preserving American crow

Get Access