Crows are well known for their noisy and gregarious behavior.
Biology
Crows are Diurnal
Crows greatly fear raptors and owls. They will harass these predatory
birds until they leave an area. Photo at right shows a crow mobbing a
marsh hawk. Photo by NebraskaLand Magazine
Damage:
Tree Damage: Occasionally very large, concentrated crow roosts can
damage trees.
Agricultural Damage: Newly sprouting grains, ripening grains,
orchard and berry crops, sprouting and ripening corn, peanuts,
sorghum, sunflowers, fruits, nuts and melons; kill or maim young
livestock; eat eggs of waterfowl and gamebirds;
Roosts are health hazards. Crows and over 60 species of other birds have been
found with the West Nile encephalomyelitis virus. Crows exhibit a
high mortality rate. Ecology of this disease is not entirely known.
SimilarSpecies
Common Raven
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Control
Habitat
netting can be placed over individual trees, shrubs or small
fields;
individual corn ears can be protected with waxed paper bags or
cups.
Decoy foods, such as whole corn kernels, softened in water, can
be scattered through small fields to protect newly planted crops.
Repellents
Recorded distress calls of crows.
Frightening Agent pyrotechnics, bright lights, pressurized water
spray, "scare crows", like human effigies, reflective tapes, such as
Mylar, and other reflective items hung in roosts or in feed areas.
Avitrol, a chemical frightening agent, may be registered for crows.
Hunting
Crows are classified as a game species in some states. In these,
it may not be legal to use lethal measures outside the game seasons.
Check your state game agency's regulations before attempting
control.
Shooting with shotguns, where legal. This technique is best used
as a repellent, rather than to reduce overall populations, where
large flocks occur.
Trapping
Where legal, Trap #0 or #1 leg hold
traps with jaws wrapped in soft cloth or rubber can capture
individual crows, that may later be used as live decoys in
Australian
Crow or similar pen traps.
