The major differences between the two species are their range and calls. Fish crows tend to be a coastal species that spends much of its time along the Atlantic and Gulf coast from southern New England to Florida. However, it is not unlikely for them to be observed inland feeding and roosting along side large flocks of American crows. The best way to identify fish crows is by their short nasal calls car or cuh-cuh as opposed to the caw of the American crow. However, juvenile American crows do have a similar sounding call in late spring and summer.
Fish crows are similar to the American crow in coloration, body weight and length.
The diet of fish crows is also similar but with a higher intake of aquatic organisms. This is due to their preferred feeding habitat of tidal flats, beaches, rookeries, and brackish waterways. The breeding and wintering habitat of fish crows consists of wooded marine shorelines, coastal marshes and inland wetlands along tidal rivers. Nesting behavior of fish crows are also similar to American crows, however, they do nest higher at approximately 20-80 feet above the ground and build slightly smaller nests. The raven is another species uncommon to Rhode Island and is also often mistaken for an American crow, even though the raven is much larger with a body length of 21.5-26.5 inches and a wingspan of up to 4 feet.