SEASONAL USE OF FORAGING HABITATS BY AMERICAN CROWS IN CENTRAL NEW-JERSEY

Foraging patterns of American Crows Corvus brachyrhynchos were studied in central New Jersey during a period of 21 months in 1983-1984. Weekly roadside censuses at two study sites, one suburban and the other rural, revealed seasonal changes both in the number of feeding Crows and the foraging habitats they used. The food sources used by Crows differed between years during two seasons in which food availability also differed between years. In general, Crows preferred to feed in agricultural fields rather than grassland. Foraging patterns of Crows appeared to be related both to normally occurring seasonal changes in food abundance, and to the less predictable changes in food availability that occur between years. A broad diet may enable Crows to adapt to unpredictable changes in their food supply.