How to Keep Crows Away from Bird Feeders?

Have you ever suffered from crow invasions on your bird feeder? Do you want to know how to keep crows away from bird feeders? They are the most persistent of all birds. They will do anything to get at that food, even attacking other smaller birds in their quest for a meal.

You may have tried many methods of keeping them away, but none seem to work overtime. This article discusses some tried and true methods that should help provide relief from this problem.

I know you must be excited to learn how to keep crows away from bird feeders. Therefore, I won’t keep you waiting anymore so let’s begin.

What Attracts Crows at Bird feeders?

Before you learn how to scare away crows from the bird feeder you need to understand what attracts them. Many people feel that crows are predators of birds, but this is not true. They will eat anything that is edible and easily available to them.

Crows prefer cracked corn, milo seed, and sunflower seeds. Therefore, they would frequent your feeder if you put out any one of these seeds. So the first thing you need to do is to see if you can change your birdseed blend.

You should be able to find a mixture that doesn’t attract the crows. If not, then consider changing it completely to safflower seed or any other crow-proof seeds.

Crows are also naturally curious creatures and would want to come close to their prey even without intending to eat it. They will come to observe, and this is where your feeder comes in.

In addition, crows are also attracted to bird feeders because of the droppings from other birds there. If you have a large number of species coming to your feeder then chances are that you need more crow-proof food for them.

So, the best way to keep them away from bird feeders is to change the food blend and stop overfeeding at your feeder.

How to Keep Crows Away from Bird Feeders?

Let’s see some methods that can help you scare away crows and get rid of them without hurting them. Always remember, just because you are annoyed doesn’t mean that you should hurt them. Below are some of the effective ways to scare away crows from bird feeders.

1) Use Bright Objects to Scare Them Away

Crows are naturally afraid of owls, eagles, hawks (the natural predators). Therefore, you can use this fact to scare them away by placing objects that mimic these predators close to the feeders or even at the feeders.

However, since they are smart creatures, they will soon realize that these objects are not predators and can no longer be intimidated by them. Don’t, therefore, expect this method to work long term if you use it alone.

Another option is to place a plastic owl in your garden close to your feeder. The idea here is to make the crows believe that a predator has moved into the area and they need to be afraid of it.

The problem with this method is that you need to move or remove the fake owl each time you refill your bird feeders. Think about how much work and effort it will take before you decide to use this method.

2) Use a “Fake” Dog to Scare Away Crows

Crows are naturally afraid of dogs and knowing this fact, you can try scaring them away by placing a life-sized dog replica close to or at your feeder. You can also place out an actual but gentle dog during the day if it is well-behaved and friendly towards strangers.

This method is the most effective way to keep crows away from bird feeders. However, it can be a little expensive to use this method all the time. In addition, you may need to take care of the dog when you are away from home during the day.

3) Use a Crow Repellent

There are a number of products available in the market to scare away crows. All you need to do is search for them and you will find many options with different scents and sounds available. You can use these products at your feeder or anywhere else where crows gather.

All you need to do is read the instructions on the label of the crow repellent to know how to use it. The advantage of using this method is that you can decide where and when to use them according to your convenience.

However, these products are not safe for human beings or animals in most cases, so always keep children away from them.

It is also important to know how to use them properly so that you can get the desired results.

4) Scare Them Away by Using Loud Noises

Crows are afraid of loud sounds and they can be easily scared away using this method. All you need to do is find an audio recording of a predator’s cry, play it loudly on your device near or at your feeder and the crows will fly away.

5) Use a Laser Light or Motion Sensor to Scare Them Away

You can also aim a laser light or motion sensor at the crow’s resting place to scare them away. Just make sure that you don’t direct it towards any human being.

This method is very effective if you are using this along with the other methods mentioned above.

6) Use a Scarecrow to Scare Away Crows

Another natural way to keep away crows is by placing scarecrows in your garden. Crows are afraid of scarecrows and they will stay away from any area where they are present. However, note that you need to place the scarecrow in a place where it can see a large area around it. If you keep them near your bird feeders, crows will soon realize that they are fake and won’t be afraid of them anymore.

7) Remove Any Trash in the Area

Crows are naturally attracted to trash, so if you leave any around your property, they will keep coming back. Make sure that there is no trash or food particles on the ground in your yard or garden. You can even spray some natural repellents to make sure that crows stay away from the area.

8) Protect Your Bird Feeder

There are many products available in the market that will help you protect your bird feeder from crows. If you take a look around, you can find out what solution is best for preventing them from reaching your feeder.

9) Feed Crows in a Different Area

If possible, try moving your feeders to another place and see if the crows are still coming around. The more time it takes for them to find your feeder, the better chance you have of them staying away from it.

Although this method can be effective, but there is a drawback of this method also that if you place your feeders far away from where they usually gather, these birds may learn to look for food in other areas.

10) Remove All Food and Water Sources

Crows are naturally attracted to places where there is food and water, so the best way to get rid of them is by removing these sources. However, before trying this method you need to make sure that you don’t discourage other birds from coming.

Therefore you need to only leave food for the type of birds that you want to attract. Make sure there’s nothing for crows near the bird feeder. Otherwise, they will keep coming and scaring away small birds.

Why You Should Scare Away Crows from the Bird Feeder?

When you have a bird feeder in your house, you will find that there are many types of birds that come to eat the food. Crows are also among them and they often come to hunt for food.

You need to understand that crows can be dangerous for small birds as they may attack them when they get the chance. This is why it is important to keep them away from the feeder.

If you follow the complete method of keeping crows away from the bird feeder, not only will you protect small birds but also make sure that these pests don’t come back and scare other birds away.

What do Crows Hate the Most?

Crows naturally hate loud noises as well as crow decoys. If you can scare them away using these two methods, it will be hard for them to come back and disturb other birds.

Besides that, crows also hate having their food source taken away or being caught by other predators. When you remove the food source, they will eventually stop coming.

Crows are smart birds and they learn very quickly. If you place a crow decoy in your yard and then move it to another location after a few days, these birds may not be scared anymore and will keep coming back.

The best way to keep crows away from your bird feeder is by trying out several methods at once. If you use sound, scarecrow, and remove food sources all at the same time, it will be difficult for them to come back again.

What Smells do Crows Hate?

Crows are naturally afraid of the smell of mothballs, peppermint, ammonia, and garlic. You can try out one or all of these products to keep crows away from your feeder.

Mothballs are poisonous to crows but they may not be able to differentiate them from other food items. When they eat it, they will become sick and eventually die.

Peppermint is another product that you can use to keep crows away from your feeder. The smell of peppermint will repel these birds. You can also try using some natural repellents that are available in the market. If they come in contact with it on their body, they may not be able to reach your feeder anymore.

Ammonia is another product that you can try out to keep crows away. It is also poisonous in nature and when these birds come into contact with it, they will not be able to reach your bird feeder.

Garlic has the same effect as peppermint does which is why you should use it to keep crows away. You can also try using some other natural products that are available in the market.

What Sound do Crows Hate?

Crows are sensitive creatures and they don’t like loud noises. Using this method, you will be able to drive them out of your yard easily. You can use other devices to make loud noises like the Electronic Scarecrow or an air horn.

These should be placed near your feeder and should be left on for several hours each day. When crows hear the noise, they will become scared and leave immediately.

Do Crows Chase other Birds Away?

Crows are known to chase other birds from the feeders that they have claimed as their own. However, this behavior is usually limited to smaller or weaker birds.

In some cases, crows may also chase away blue jays and blackbirds if they start stealing food from the same source as them. If there is enough food for all of them, they will not bother each other.

Although crows are known to steal food from smaller birds, this usually happens when there is more than one crow around. If you notice this behavior at your feeder, the best way to prevent it would be by using one of the solutions mentioned above.

Crows do not purposefully attack other birds and they usually only do it when they think that these smaller birds are a threat to their feeder.

Crows are Intelligent Creatures

You should know that crows below to the Corvidae family of birds. These are some of the most intelligent creatures and will do almost everything to get their food. They are always on alert mode and can easily get scared from loud noises etc.

However, when it comes to protecting their own life or their kids, they will do anything. They usually attack in groups and will never spare you if you try to disturb their babies in the nest.

Crows can easily recognize their friends and foes and decide accordingly. They are very sensitive to their environment and can get scared or aggressive whenever they feel that there is a threat.

Crows are very protective of their food source and won’t hesitate to scare away any other bird. But, this mostly happens with weaker birds as crows themselves are too powerful for most other species. This behavior might vary from one region to another as well which is why you need to know the behavior pattern of crows in your region.

Do Crows Use Bird Feeders?

Crows are not known to use bird feeders. They don’t like eating the food put in feeders and usually hunt for their food themselves. However, there is a chance of them using it if they think that there is enough food or in an area where they can attack smaller birds when they come close to the feeder.

However, you need to understand that if there is enough food around, crows won’t use the feeder. This is because they are smart and know that there’s no point in wasting time and energy on hunting when there is more than enough food available for them.

Will Dogs Scare Crows Away?

Dogs generally show warning signs before attacking, crows may try to attack dogs if they feel threatened. Crows may also attack dog’s eyes which could cause blindness in a single crow attack.

How to Keep Crows Away from Plants

You have to use natural methods like crows scare on top of the flower pots, hanging fake owls and using foilage that crows do not like. You can also use water sprinklers or sprays on any area where you don’t want them to congregate.

Crows are smart birds and they will quickly learn that the area is not safe for them.

How to Keep Crows Away from Garden

Use decoys that resemble owls or scarecrows in the garden, you can also use deer corn (husks) or pumpkins which crows do not like. Crows may carry away a small animal, so you need to protect the area at all times.

Last Minute Thoughts

How to keep crows away from bird feeders? There are several methods that can help you scare away crows and keep them away. One of the most effective methods to scare away crows from the bird feeders is using repellents.

However, there are some other methods too such as leaving scarecrows or loud sounds. Besides that protecting the bird feeder will also help you scare them away. So you see there are different methods and you can test them all to get rid of crows near the bird feeders.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article, if you did then please share it with your friends and family. Don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest too.

Thank you for reading!

Happy birdwatching!