Crows: How to Identity and Get Rid of Crows in the Garden

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Crows: How to Identity and Get Rid of Crows in the Garden

Crows can cause damage not only to your garden but also your other feathered friends. Learn some tips to keep crows away from your backyard.

What Are Crows?

Crows are often unwanted neighbors, but they’re also fascinating birds. Here are some common questions and answers about these raucous pests.

What’s the difference between a raven and a crow?

Crows and ravens are in the same genus (Corvus), and they have many similarities, but they are in fact different birds. Ravens are bigger and have shaggy throat feathers, while crows are smaller. Ravens also have wedge-shaped tails, while crows do not. Ravens soar more often than crows and sometimes do somersaults in the air. One of the main differences between ravens and crows is the sounds that they make. The call of a crow is a harsh, strong caw. The sound of a raven is a deeper, more throaty croak.

What do you call a group of crows?

A group of crows is often called a murder in literature and pop culture, but sometimes they are simply called a flock.

What do crows like to eat?

Crows will eat almost anything, but they tend to feed on the ground. They eat any insects like earthworms, but they will also eat other small animals, seeds, and fruit. Crows are known for fishing through garbage, eating carrion, and robbing chicks from their nests.

Where do crows live?

Crows will live in any open place where they can perch in a tree and have a good supply of food. During the winter, crows live in communal roosts with hundreds or thousands of neighbors.

Learn more about crows and how they contribute to the ecosystem.

Identification

How to Identify Crows

Crows are large black birds with raucous calls and wide tails. Crows are very social birds, so you’ll probably see them in groups. They are omnivores, so they will eat anything. This can be a good thing, as they will clean up dead animals, but when they are attacking your other feathered friends or your garden, they can be trouble.

Crow Damage

If your seedlings, such as corn, are being pulled up, chances are you have crows. Also, be aware of any chicks that go missing from bird nests in your yard or of any visitors to your garbage cans.

Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Crows in the Garden

Here are a few tips for getting rid of crows. Try some of these methods for your garden:

Fruit crops can be protected with flexible bird netting. You can find some at a local garden center or hardware store. Four-inch mesh is recommended as it will keep the big crows out, but still allow smaller birds to slip through.
Place netting securely at the base of a shrub or the trunk of a tree. This keep crows out from the bottom of your trees. Nets can also be used for growing crops.
Use visual scare tactics. Shiny pie tins or CDs hung from trees, Mylar scare tape, Mylar balloons, scarecrows, and flags can all be used to startle crows. An old-fashioned scarecrow may also work.
Protect seedlings with covers. Corn can be protected by placing a cup or bag over each ear after the silk has turned brown.
Fishing line or cord can be placed in grid like patterns high above the garden to prevent crows from swooping in from above.
Crows are smart and will eventually learn that even Mylar balloons are no threat. Try changing the position of these items often enough to confuse the crows and keep them away.
Old folklore says that to make a scarecrow more effective, you should make its arms from hickory wood. If you build a scarecrow, be sure to move it around and change certain elements.

Prevent Crows

Crows will kill the young of other birds. Prevent this in the first steps of nest box building: make sure there is more than six inches between the entry hole and the bottom of the box. Removing the perch or ledge under the hole will also prevent crows from having a stand where they can wait for young to peep their heads out.
Try using feeders that are too small for crows but big enough for small birds.
Check our other general advice for how to keep birds out of the garden.

See more about common garden pests and problems.