The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is black with iridescent feathers. There are four subspecies: (1) the eastern crow (C. b. brachyrhynchos), found in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, which is the largest subspecies; (2) the western crow (C. b. hesperis), found in western North America, except the Arctic north, the Pacific Northwest and the extreme south, which is smaller, has a low-pitched voice and a proportionally more slender bill; (3) the southern crow (C. b. paulus), found in the southern U.S., smaller overall and a small bill; and (4) the Florida crow (C. b. pascuus), found in Florida, mid-sized, short-winged and long bill and legs.
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| American crow range from Wikipedia |
The fish crow is also found in Florida and is differentiated as follows: (a) it is smaller; (b) the upperparts have a blue or blue/green sheen, while the underparts have a more greenish tint to the back; (c) tends to have a more slender bill and feet; (d) often has a small sharp hook at the end of the upper bill; and (e) has a more nasal call.
The photos are of a crow I saw at the Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland, Florida. I'm not certain it is the Florda crow, but believe it is.
To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, "A crow is a crow is a crow." I certainly can't tell them apart.
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