If you live in an area where crows are common, you may have wondered how to get rid of them. Well then, you are in the right place. In this article we present 11 effective techniques to keep crows away from your property. From simple measures to more elaborate methods, find out how to keep crows out of your garden or balcony!
Crows are one of the top nuisance species known to cause a variety of damage such as destroying garden crops, harassing other birds and animals, making loud and obnoxious caws, and many more. This is why repelling crows should be a top priority when you first see signs of increased activity.
So how do you get rid of crows? Use bird netting, predatory crow decoys, unique feeders, motion sensor sprinklers, ultrasonic bird repellent, shiny objects, and bird spikes. Additionally, you can also sanitize your yards by removing food and water sources, as well as existing or potential nesting areas.
This article looks at everything you need to know about crows, identifying them, their pros and cons, and the best ways to keep crows away. Read more for details!
WHAT IS A RAVEN?
Keeping crows away first requires substantial knowledge about these birds. Ravens are members of the genus Corvus , to which ravens and jackdaws also belong. There are two more widespread species in the United States: the American crow, which is estimated to have more than 31 million individual birds in the country, and the fish crow.
Here are more ways you can correctly identify them:
APPEARANCE
Entirely black in plumage, legs and bill with a glossy, slightly iridescent appearance, ravens are 36-53 centimeters long, weigh 195-620 grams, and have a wingspan of 85-100 centimeters. They have an average lifespan of 6-7 years, but can live up to 17 years.
They are often mistaken for ravens, but ravens are much smaller, have a less hoarse voice, slightly hooked bills, and pointed wings and tails.
HABITAT
Ravens are well adapted to a wide variety of habitats, but prefer open areas with trees nearby. They can be found inhabiting and nesting in agricultural areas, grasslands, forest edges, groves, urban parks, suburban neighborhoods, and even coastal habitats like empty beaches.
You can search for them by listening to their loud squawk. They can also be easily seen near man-made landscapes such as garbage dumps, urban parks, manicured lawns, campgrounds, cemeteries, sports fields, and parking lots.
FEEDING BEHAVIOR
Ravens follow an omnivorous diet and are considered opportunistic feeders, as they can eat a wide variety of foods, including cereal crops, fruits and seeds, insects, small animals and/or their eggs, and even pet food, garbage, and carrion. .
These birds are also quite intelligent when it comes to feeding. For example, if they come across a food item that has a heavy shell, such as a nut, the crow will first fly through the air, then drop the food item on a hard surface to crack it open.
NESTING BEHAVIOR
They typically build nests made of sticks, twigs, and other soft plant material such as hair, bark fibers, grass, pine needles, or moss on tree trunks or crowns. Both adult males and females build nests and take about 9 days or more to complete.
Although ravens do not typically re-nest each breeding season, it is still possible for them to do so if disturbed early on. Ravens also like to nest near other individuals and are cooperative breeders. However, they are not generally considered a colonial species.
THE PROS AND CONS OF CROWS
ADVANTAGES
- Effective pest control. Ravens are essential in reducing insect and rodent populations. They generally forage in groups near garbage, feeding on surrounding insects, larvae, and grains.
- importance in science. They are good topics for research studies and journals. A recent 2022 study published by Washington University in St. Louis shows how ravens and ravens spread rapidly across the globe due to their long wings, large brains, body composition, and adaptability to different environments.
- West Nile virus indicator. According to the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, since the virus attacks ravens and other corvid species fairly easily, their increasing mortality rate is used as an early indicator of the prevalence of the virus in various areas within and outside of the United States. the United States.
- Seed dispersal. Ravens have been known to disperse seeds and effectively establish seedlings in their respective habitats by frugivorous methods, dispersal accumulation, and seed caching. In fact, Sven August Heintze , a Swedish researcher, discovered that crows helped disperse seeds from 157 different plant groups.
CONS
- Damage crops. Crows have been known to raid both garden and farm crops and consequently damage them. They have been documented to severely destroy fruits and vegetables such as guava, grapes, mangoes, apples, papayas, pears, stone fruits, and figs.
- predators. Ravens are notorious predators of small birds and their eggs and young, which has contributed to the population decline of these birds. They have also been known to harass, attack, and kill livestock such as newborn calves, poultry, and kids.
- Attack people. Ravens can also attack people in an attempt to steal food. In 2023, a group of crows attacked 10 people in just 20 minutes in a neighborhood in Singapore. This aroused the concern of the neighbors since they can injure children and the elderly.
- Nuisance in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Crows scatter trash, block drain pipes, tear up power lines, shut off power, and release unsightly fecal droppings. Also, they tend to congregate in large groups, which can be quite noisy and pose a hazard to passing planes.
- Spread disease. These birds have been found to carry contagious histoplasmosis and gastroenteritis in their droppings.
WHY DO YOU HAVE CROWS CIRCLING?
Do you see multiple crows in your yard, lawn, garden, or property? It may be because you have potential sources of food, water, nesting, and roosting areas for birds in your area. . This includes trash, composted food waste in the open air, and tall trees.
HOW TO GET RID OF CROWS?
Hopefully, by now you know a lot of essential information about crows. Let’s move on to the best ways to get rid of crows:
1. USE BIRD NETTING
Install bird netting preferably made of mesh, nylon or polypropylene around crops, trees and shrubs in your garden. Tie it at the base of your desired plants so crows can’t access them from below. Support the net with wires, plastic tubes or poles.
2. USE KING RAVEN DECOYS OR PREDATORS
Predatory lures that resemble hawks, owls, eagles, raccoons, or snakes can scare away crows. However, they are an intelligent species and could immediately tell that they are fake. As such, this method should be used in combination with other methods on this list.
3. USE FEEDERS THAT EXCLUDE LARGE BIRDS
Purchase feeders that have smaller openings, perches, or cages to keep crows out. They should be large enough for other desirable bird species, but too small for crows.
4. USE MOTION SENSOR SPRINKLERS
Motion-sensing sprinklers are devices attached to a hose and release high-pressure water when bird movement is detected. This is a humane way of harassing birds from returning to your property.
5. ULTRASONIC BIRD AND PEST REPELLENT
These devices emit high-frequency crow deterrent sounds that are irritating to crows and even other birds, but are otherwise inaudible to humans. Use products that offer a range below 20 kHz, as birds cannot hear sounds beyond this frequency and those that can cover a wide range of areas.
Other frightening hearing devices are recorded bird distress sound dispersal systems that can play crow alarm calls or frightening predator sounds. This informs the birds that your property is not safe for them to enter.
6. HANG SOMETHING SHINY IN YOUR GARDEN.
Objects with shiny or reflective material can be used as a visual deterrent to crows, so hang them all over your property to keep crows out. You can use mirrors, CDs, eyeballs, aluminum foil, or reflective tape. Since the birds get used to these, be sure to relocate them from time to time to ensure their effectiveness.
7. INSTALL BIRD SPIKES
Bird spikes work as physical deterrents to crows by preventing them from landing and perching on surfaces such as window frames, ceilings, and ledges. They can be made of plastic or stainless steel and are quite easy to install. Don’t worry, these are harmless devices that will not harm the birds.
8. KEEP YOUR YARD CLEAN
Keep your property free of potential food sources by cleaning and disposing of them if necessary. This also includes closing trash cans and compost pits, as crows are opportunistic eaters.
9. MAKE LOUD SOUNDS AND NOISES
Deter crows by making loud noises using air horns, whistles, banging on pots and pants, banging on sheets of tin, or hitting with sticks. These, however, only provide short-term relief from birds, so use them in combination with other methods.
10. ELIMINATE ALL SOURCES OF FOOD AND WATER
As mentioned above, removing existing and potential food and water sources on your property is a great way to get rid of crows in gardens.
11. ELIMINATE NESTING AREAS
Crows nest removal is essential if you spot any of their nesting sites on your property. This is because they tend to return to the same nest on a yearly basis. Make sure nests are free of eggs or hatchlings before discarding.
HOW TO GET RID OF CROWS BUT NOT OTHER BIRDS?
Wanting to feed other bird species or just want anything but crows on your property, some of the methods you can use to do so are using bird spikes, netting, cage-style feeders, and predator lures to keep them away.
HOW TO GET RID OF CROW PECKS IN WINDOWS?
Crows can suddenly hit or peck them when they mistake their reflection for another crow. These birds are very territorial which makes more sense why they would attack their own reflection. To prevent this from happening, use curtains, blinds, tape, or blinds to adequately cover your windows. .
HOW TO GET RID OF A CROW’S NEST?
Ravens are under the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which makes removal of nests illegal during the breeding season, but you can remove them once the ravens leave the nest and there are no more eggs or young inside.
To remove, simply cut off the tree branch it is attached to. You can also knock down the entire nest with a long stick. Make sure you don’t catch any of the debris when doing these methods, as the nests are unsanitary and can be a center of disease.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO GET RID OF CROWS?
It is imperative to remove crows from your gardens, yards and property using humane methods, as they are known to damage gardens and agricultural crops, are notorious stalkers and predators of birds and other animals, can attack people, cause disturbances in neighborhoods peaceful urban and suburban areas, and transmit disease.
However, this does not mean that we should totally discredit their vital ecological roles in controlling insect and rodent populations, scientific research, as virus indicators, and in seed dispersal.