(Part of the) common name of many species of the family Corvidae (order Passeriformes) and in the plural the general term for the family (over100 species), but also often used in a more restricted sense for species of the genus Corvus (typical crows only). Within Corvus, 'raven' is applied to several large species, and 'rook' (also listed) and 'jackdaw' are special names, while outside this genus, the most frequent common names are 'jay' and 'magpie'. The names 'crow' and 'jay' are also used as misnomers for unrelated birds. Crows are, by the standards of the Passeriformes, large birds with a stout, fairly long bill and robust legs and feet. The nostrils are usually round and shielded by forward directed bristles. The typical crows are black with some white, brown or grey, or even wholly black including bill and legs. Jays and magpies have often bright colours. The sexes are alike in plumage and there is no clearly visible seasonal change. Many species are omnivorous and take whatever they find including eggs and young of other birds. They are among those birds that hold food with the foot while tearing it with the bill. Calls are typically loud, harsh and discordant, but some species show considerable powers of mimicry. Crows are commonly gregarious and breeding is often colonial, but not necessarily so, even in species that are gregarious at other times. In at least some species, pairing is for life. Crows, as a group, have a highly developed social life and mentality and therefore are often seen as the furthest stage reached in avian evolution. For example help (e.g. in fights) is given to a member of a corvid community by its fellows, quite apart from pair bond or parental link. The family is very successful and almost cosmopolitan (except the Pacific islands, and South America in the case of the typical crows), but most abundantly represented in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species are sedentary, but some northern ones perform regular migrations within the North Temperate Zone.

Alternative form for crows : crow.