2021 lump

Northwestern Crow is now part of American Crow

In 2020 the AOS merged Northwestern Crow into American Crow, and eBird followed in 2021. The crows of the coast from Alaska to Washington now count as American Crow.

Updated

A glossy black American Crow perched in a tree with feathery green leaves and round green fruit, above a small nest with eggs
American Crow, painted by John James Audubon. John James Audubon, The Birds of America (1827–38)

What changed

Was a species of its ownAmerican Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
Was a species of its ownNorthwestern Crow Corvus caurinus
Now one speciesAmerican Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

Across most of the US and southern Canada. It includes the crows of the coast from southern Alaska to Washington, which used to count as Northwestern Crow.

Who decided, and when

  • American Ornithological Society (AOS): the 61st Supplement to its Check-list of North American birds
  • eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2021 taxonomy update (eBird had no update in 2020)
  • AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees

Which bird is it now?

You don't need to any more. All of these crows now count as American Crow.

The studies behind the change found that the crows change little by little along the coast, and that the two interbreed freely where they meet. They found no steady difference in size, habits or calls.

What it does to your list

If you had both American Crow and Northwestern Crow on your list, your total went down by one.

If you had only one of them, your count stays the same; the bird is now American Crow. Your sightings themselves are all kept.

Check your own list. Drop your eBird download or type your birds: the free checker shows which of them this and other recent changes touched.

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