John James Audubon wrote about the American Crow that “Almost every person has an antipathy to him, and scarcely one of his race would be left in the land, did he not employ all his ingenuity, and take advantage of all his experience, in counteracting the evil machinations of his enemies.” Yet, it is arguable that the American Crow has risen above the evil machinations of his enemies to be the one species that most people in North America could say that they can identify. Its numbers, distribution, vocalizations, visibility, and level of intelligence has placed the American crow above all others in the seeing, hearing, learning, and reading for practically every child on the continent.
Plate 156 – American Crow
Plate 156 of the first edition of "Birds of America" by John James Audubon.