Damage
Crows are
frequently a big agricultural pest bird due to their fondness for corn and
other farm crops, but they are a minor urban pest compared to the pigeon,
starling or house sparrow. These birds can overwhelm trees, creating a lot
of noise and harassing people and animals in the vicinity which can be a
nuisance to the suburban resident. Furthermore, like any pest bird, dropping
buildup can lead to structural
damage from the uric acid while also posing a health risk due
to the harborage of
disease.
Control
It is possible to drive away large flocks of Crows
and other blackbirds with
audio/visual scare devices such as the
Bird-Gard unit combined with visual scare devices like
Scare Eye Balloons,
Octopus and
Flash Tape. To maximize effectiveness, hang visual products
in trees before commencing noise campaign. They can be kept off ledges using
5” Bird Coil,
Birdwire,
Bird-Flite spikes or
Bird-Shock electrical track. Two inch mesh
StealthNet will exclude crows completely from most areas.
Advanced predator kites like the
Avikite and fogging with
ReJeX-iT are new effective deterrent methods that can be
effective against crows.
Nesting
Crows
are committed nest builders. They typically build nests in trees, twenty to
sixty feet off the ground. The nest consists of sticks and twigs with
shredded bark, grass or a similar material lining it.
Breeding
Crows have one or two broods a year, averaging four to seven eggs per brood.
Incubation takes eighteen days with a four to five week fledgling period
before the young leave the nest. The eggs range from pale bluish-green to
olive green or greenish-brown with splotches of brown and olive-gray.
Cycles
Migratory in upper parts of the country. Northern birds will fly thousands
of miles south during the winter, while southern birds stay put year round.
One notable characteristic about Crows is their flocking behavior. In fall
and winter they will move to better feeding areas where they will coalesce
into massive feeding flocks. These feeding flocks in turn, join up with
other flocks at night to form enormous communal roosts numbering from a
couple thousand to tens of thousands.
Height/Weight
18”-21”/15oz-22oz
Life Span
6-7 years in the
wild; up to 20 captivity
Flight Speed
25-32 mph
Range
Continental U.S. Suburban/ Rural areas near water
Food
Scavenger, eats almost anything: insects, snakes, dead animals,
human food scraps, eggs, & garbage
Habitat
Tall trees and buildings 20 to 100 feet up
Effective Control Products
2" StealthNet,
audio/visual scare devices,
5” Bird Coil,
Bird-Flite,
Birdwire,
Bird-Shock, fogging
with
ReJeX-iT