How to Avoid Being Attacked by Crows

As I meandered down the street on a sunny morning enjoying my walk, I heard a clang from somewhere above. I looked up to find a crow on top of a lamp post. What the crow had dropped or thrown against the top of the street light I didn’t know, but I was only glad it didn’t land on me. I was glad the street light this bird had chosen was over the street and not the sidewalk where I regularly walk with my family. As I contemplated if I should tell my family to walk on the other side of the street when they came near this street lamp, I remembered a friend some years ago that had a crow swoop over her shoulder through her hair. The crow had a nest nearby.

A few days later on the news was a couple in Australia that were trapped in their house because a nesting bird in their yard would attack them. The bird was shown swooping down on the news reporter and causing his face to bleed. Even though this bird was not a crow, but a butcher bird protected by the Australian government, I could easily imagine a crow doing the same thing.

I immediately started researching how to get rid of these potentially dangerous crows, so I could share my findings with others and protect the ones we love. I discovered that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved some pesticides and repellents for crows.

Cornell University’s website about birds had a different perspective. I was amazed that how to attract crows to your backyard was included. Who would want these noisy, potentially dangerous birds in their backyard? I had images of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” flashing in my imagination. Even though Hitchcock’s thriller was about ravens, I figured crows were close enough.

After studying Cornell’s website about crows, and reading the FAQs answered by Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, Cornell University, there seemed to be a much easier answer for city and suburb dwellers bothered by crows. Although farmers and ranchers may need to take a different plan of action, the following easy steps may be all that is needed for many of us to avoid being attacked by crows.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Leave the crows alone. Crows are smart and recognize people. If you harass a crow, the crow is likely to harass you back.
   
   Moving a crow is difficult because they are likely to return or others will take their place.

2. Avoid the nests of crows. Like every mother, a mother crow will defend her young. If you get too close to a nest, the mother will swoop down on you. It only takes a few days after the young hatch for them to leave the nest, and the mother will no longer swoop down on you.

3. Look for places where crows are regularly keeping their stashes, cracking nuts, and collecting trash treasures. They usually have a regular spot in a tree, on a power line, or a top a streetlamp.

4. Watch out for falling crow treasures. Once you’ve identified the crows’ hangouts, don’t walk under these places, and warn friends and family about being careful in these areas.

5. Feed the crows unsalted peanuts in a shell. They’ll remember you are a nice person. The only drawback with this course of action is that the crows may follow you wanting more peanuts.

6. Enjoy the crows. They are smart and comical. Let them entertain you with their antics, and put in ear plugs when their singing early Saturday morning is slightly unbearable.

7. Contact your local Department of Agriculture or Humane Society for information about what to do with a crow you are having problems with.

Resources

• Attacking Birds Keep Family Trapped in Home
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: American Crow
• New Scientist: Crows Make Monkeys Out of Chimps in Mental Test
• United States Department of Agriculture: Chemical Tools for Wildlife Damage Management

[rosekolowinski]

on 11/7/2009 Very entertaining article! I was almost attacked once by some robins whose baby was on the ground where I was weeding some flowers. I didn't see it or I wouldn't have been so close. Thanks for an interesting article!