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There’s a Simple Way to Protect Your Bird Feeder From Terrorizing Crows — and It Doesn’t Cost Much

Unless a birder learns to ward them off, the predatory crows can wreak havoc on their feeders and torment other birds.

PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

(L) A woman pruning her garden, (R) An aggressive crow with peanuts in its beak. (Representative Cover Image Source: (L) Freepik | (R) Pexels | Siegfried Poepperl)

When poet Edgar Allen Poe had to use a bird in his poem that constantly harassed the main character, he chose a raven, the cousin of crows. In real life, both crows and ravens, belonging to the corvid family, are notorious for their brash behavior. Not only do they steal the food of other birds, but they also terrorize them to leave their territory, per BirdWatchingDaily. Common sense says that if a birder wants to scare away these mischievous crows, they must set up a scarecrow in their garden. But oftentimes, a scarecrow doesn’t work well enough. So, expert Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, shared some tips with The Spruce, which birders can use to drive away these brazen black predators and protect the feeder.

A crow perched on a feeder bowl (Representative Image Source: Unsplash | Garv Chaplot)

One way, Carpenter said, to ward off crows is to be selective with the kind of seeds you put in the feeder. "Feed birds with nyjer (for finches) or safflower (for cardinals); crows don't really like them," Carpenter said, and recommended birders to steer clear of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Another tip is to decorate your yard or garden with shiny objects. “Reflective surfaces, in particular, can scare off crows because their reflections cause them to believe other birds are present,” the website explains.

Crows feeding on seeds scattered on a ledge (Representative Image Source: Unsplash | Fr0ggy)

Carpenter also suggested keeping track of the time when you fill your feeders. An ideal time would be the one when crows are away, so other birds can dine peacefully. “Hanging feeders early and taking them down before late afternoon can be beneficial,” explained Carpenter. Tammy Sons, founder of TN Nursery, also agreed to this suggestion and said, “If you're able to keep track of when the crows are around the most, you can plan to put the seed out during the times when they aren't as active.”

Cute bird perched on a feeder filled with seeds (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Brett Sayles)

In a thread posted by a birder on the forum AskAboutMoney, some people recommended the idea of having hanging wire baskets in the garden to deter crows. “Make sure that they are big enough in top diameter to hold your bird feeder. Now, wire the two of them together so that they hang on either side of the feeder. The end result looks like a ball with the feeder in the middle. The smaller birds have no problem getting through the holes in the baskets, but the crows cannot,” one person wrote. Another shared, “You could add a high bird table to your garden to put seed, nuts, and scraps for the larger birds. It works for my lot...magpies, collar-doves, gulls and crows eat off the flat roof.”

A crow perched on a sill (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Mike Bird)

Above and beyond all these suggestions, the best one probably takes into consideration that crows, too, are living, breathing creatures, and despite their harshness, they deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. With this idea in mind, both Sons and Carpenter recommended birdkeepers to set up a separate feeding station for crows apart from the feeder meant for other birds. An ideal spot would be an “open, unobstructed space.” When provided with their own meals, they are less likely to intrude on the feeder meant for other bird visitors.