BirdNote Archives


Why the Crow Is Black

Why the Crow Is Black

Out of the 810 species of North American birds, only two are completely black: the American Crow and the Common Raven. Here’s a story that explains why the crow is black, according to Native American tradition. When Crow came into the world, he wore all the colors of the rainbow, but the other animals and birds were black. To look more like them, Crow shook himself until all the colors flew out and landed on all the other birds and animals. The only color left on Crow was black, and he has stayed black to this day.
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