Both the male and female share incubating the eggs and caring for the young. The young leave the nest at about 5 weeks of age and forage with parents throughout the summer. Later in the fall, families join together either to migrate or to over wintering large flocks that sometimes exceed 1 million crows. Few wild crows live more than 4 to 6 years, although some have lived to 14 years in the wild and some over 20 years in captivity. One important aspect of crow behavior is their congregation into huge flocks in fall and winter.
Crows often post a sentinel to watch for danger.
The common crow, Covus brachychynchos, is one of America's best known birds. No other bird should be confused with the crow, with one exception. Ravens can be distinguished from crows by their larger size, call, wedge-shaped tail and flight pattern which commonly includes soaring or gliding. Crows have a frequent, steady wing beat with little or no gliding. The white-necked ravens nest in trees or windmills on the high plains prairie of western Kansas.