Crows

Crows can be a problem for farmers. They eat crops and bother farm workers. But they also do things that help farmers. Crows eat weeds, grasshoppers, wireworms, and cutworms. When crows eat these bugs and weeds, they help the farmer!

Crows are easy to spot. Most crows are black. Some are black with white, brown, or gray. Crows have black beaks and black legs. They are usually between 8 and 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) long. Their wings are between 16 and 24 inches (40 to 60 cm) wide.

Crows can be friendly with other crows. Adults enjoy being together. In the fall, crows fly south to warm weather. This is called migrating. When they migrate, they fly with many other crows.

Crows build nests in trees, bushes, or on the tops of buildings. They make their nests by weaving twigs together like a mat. Crows use roots, grasses, and bark from the trees to put inside of the nest. This makes the nest soft for the baby crows.

The female crow lays between four and seven eggs. They are blue-green in color. The male crow sits on the eggs. He helps to keep them warm until they hatch. When crows have babies, they like to be alone. After the babies are older, the crows will mix with other crows again.

How can you keep crows away from places? Some people make scarecrows to frighten them away. The scarecrows are made to look like people. They blow in the wind to look like people are moving. Scarecrows left to stand in one place will not work. The crows think of them as a place to land or sit. Crows are quick-witted. They can tell when a trap has been set.

Some people dislike crows. Others like the black, shiny birds.