Again, not an expert on corvids, but my best guess is that this is just a local dialect developed by some American Crows.

Birds can have inherited (genetic or learned) dialects, but I'm guessing the highly intelligent crows are flexible enough to also just adjust to the local vibe.

April 10, 2026 - 15:25 UTC

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This is the tonal quality I most associate with American Crows. I hear it occasionally around the neighborhood, not sure if it's my local birds sometimes switching to the more typical calls, or a visitor passing through

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkd2Nvv8RRo
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We have American Crows and Fish Crows (who are newer residents drawn in by two large lakes but stayed very localized), and the Americans have over the years adopted some of the lower, croaky vocalizations. So much so I’m not sure which I’m hearing unless I’m also watching them. Cool stuff.
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Do you think the presence of fish crows in the area has influenced them? Or do you think it's just a coincidence?
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I'm not sure-- I know there's some Fish Crows around, but I've not heard them in town yet, so they're not especially plentiful.

We (my colleagues and I) are also considering the hypothesis that perhaps these calls carry better over the noise pollution in this neighborhood
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