American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) , watercolor and pencil sketch
About crows:
The American Crow is common throughout the U.S. and is comfortable in urban settings. They live to about 8 years in th wild. Their call is distinctive and sounds like, "cah-cah-cah". If they are tearing your trash bags open, put an old blanket or tarp over your trash bags. This worked in our neighborhood before the West Nile virus wiped them out here.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata (having a spinal chord)
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes (perching birds)
Family: Corvidae (oscine birds, songbirds)
Genus: Corvus (crows and ravens)
Species: Corvus brachyrhynchos
More information about crows:
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, American Crow