Crows eat fish, yes. Crows are omnivorous, which means they can eat anything, including fishes, crabs, or shrimps literally. In the end, it has nutritional value for them, which is the most crucial thing for wild birds to survive.
The thing about crows is that they are opportunists. It means that they feed on whatever is available.
Thus, for crows living near the sea or other water bodies, they are likely to enjoy a regular fish meal.
But then, is it OK for these birds to do so?
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Is it OK for crows to eat fish?
It is quite alright for crows to eat fish. These birds, as I said, are opportunists.
As long as these corvids see anything that serves as a potential meal, they’ll likely grab it.
Indeed, these birds aren’t suited to water. Nevertheless, they are intelligent animals that can develop a tactic to catch an animal in the water.
When it comes to hazards, fishes don’t usually bring harm. Instead, they are a good source of nutrients for crows.
According to a study, fish makes up a good source of diet for humans. Thus, with their high protein with low-fat content, even crows would gain a lot of the energy they need with fish.
It would be quite a challenge, though, since crows can’t play their game well in water, especially in deep bodies of water.
For this reason, a lot of crows usually feed on fish available in the shallows. So yes, they do eat fish from ponds.
Related – Do crows eat frogs?
Do crows eat fish from ponds?
Most crows wouldn’t take on a fish that swims in the depths of the sea.
They can hunt those available in the shallows, and these fishes are usually the ones in ponds.
Fishes in ponds are a good source of their diet. The reason is that fish in ponds come on the surface often to get food.
These fishes rely mostly on food found in the surface, such as insects and people’s feed. Thus, they come out more often than they want.
With their heads and bodies visible in ponds, they likely get crows’ attention quickly.
Now, the tricky question about crows eating fish is how they do get to catch one.
Related – Do crows eat corn?
Do crows catch fish?
Although crows will go for the easy hunt, they’ll try to catch a fish if they see one.
The easiest way a corvid would get its beak on a fish is through a dead one.
Whatever the cause, fishes that die always float in the water and even get driven on the shores.
As a result, these dead fishes tend to be a fantastic sight for scavenger birds. Since these birds eat even roadkills, a dead fish isn’t something they’ll decline.
Still, for those birds enticed upon seeing a lively one, it will try to catch it.
What makes these birds interesting is that they are smart enough to catch fishes, even in their best health.
A particular video depicts such an act of these intelligent birds. It shows how a specific crow was able to catch a live fish.
Still, some corvids make fish their regular diet.
Be it near lakes, ponds, or shores; these crows know how to catch fish swiftly.
Crows are intelligent birds, and from the video, they can devise many ways to catch their prey.
Fishes should be afraid not only of water predators but also of smart birds like these.
What species of fish do crows eat?
Crows aren’t picky eaters, meaning they’ll feast on whatever is available for them to eat.
As such, when it comes to fish, they’ll likely eat every fish they can catch.
They can eat live ones and also the dead ones. Some fishes die due to poisoning. In such cases, crows might sense the poison and refrain from eating these.
Further, these birds have an enhanced digestive system. As a result, almost everything is tolerable for them.
Thus, these birds will likely suffer from eating poisoned dead fish. They would also feast on rejected fish near ports and docks like pigeons and pelicans would.
However, since the competition is there, they’ll less likely pursue it big time.
Aside from fishes, they are also avid eaters of other seafood. Among these are crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps.
The shells of shrimps are soft enough for them to peck. However, for crabs, they either take it high and drop it to crack the shells.
Indeed, crows show their intelligence in how they live their days.
Do you want to know if crows eat chocolate or hummingbirds? Check it out!
In Summary
Fishes don’t get exempted from the threats of crows. These birds are scavengers, and they’ll hunt even a fish in the water as long as they see one.
With their intelligence, it’s quite impressive how they catch an animal in the water.
In the eyes of many, crows are often pests that destroy crops and steal food.
Nevertheless, it’s still quite fascinating how they interact and forage their food to survive.
Resources
Washington State Department of Health study about health benefits of fish
Image credits – Photo by Aneth Charles on Unsplash
