A Simple Solution That'll Help Keep Crows Away From Your Birdbath

Crows are among the most recognizable birds in North America, with their pitch black feathering and loud vocalizations. Although they are considered to be among the smartest animals in nature, they are also among the birds you don't want near your feeders or birdbaths. Besides being loud and messy, they also frequently raid the nests of other birds, spread disease, damage property, horde food, and, at times, even attack the migrating songbirds that you do want to attract to your yard. However, there is a simple solution that'll keep crows away from your birdbath — keep it clean and away from food sources.

The first step is to make sure there are no food sources near the birdbath that could attract crows in the first place. While this obviously applies to the placement of bird feeders in your yard, it also pertains to other potential food sources. These include trash cans, pet food bowls, and trees producing berries or nuts. Additionally, regardless of how far they are from your birdbath, you want to keep your bird feeders mess-free and pay attention to what you fill them with (spilled birdseed can attract both crows and raccoons). Avoid using items in the feed that crows are particularly fond of, such as peanuts and sunflowers. Instead, add seeds such as nyjer and safflower, which attract other birds but are less enticing to crows.

In addition to keeping food sources away from your birdbath, it's a good idea to make you yard less attractive to crows in general. That starts with making sure it is kept neat and tidy. For not only do crows make a mess, they are also attracted to messy areas. To them, a cluttered yard holds the potential for food (think burger wrappers, tin cans, food waste, and other hidden treats). So keeping your yard neat and clean — along with placing bird feeders away from the water — will help diminish the attractiveness of your backyard, and provide little reason for passing crows to swing by the birdbath.

Another way to make crows wary of entering your yard is to utilize deterrents. Decoys are one example of this (there's a reason we have scarecrows). Owl decoys, such as the Dalen fake owl decoy, are one option. Ironically, you can use crow decoys for this purpose as well. While crow decoys are usually used to attract crows, hanging the decoys upside down can scare away the real thing. The thought here is crows are smart enough to know they don't want whatever happened to their buddies to happen to them.

Other deterrents include hanging bright or reflective objects, such as wind chimes with dangling, shiny pieces, near the birdbath. Crows are also scared off by a number of noises, like metal pots banging together, although this approach may not sit well with your neighbors. Finally, remove or modify any convenient perches located close to your birdbath so crows don't have a convenient spot to lounge. If a potential perch cannot be removed, try placing bird spikes atop it.