Crows can be found on almost every continent, making many people subject to their curious behaviors. With crows being one of my favorite birds, I often find myself reading about them and their antics. Many have observed crows gathering around tall trees, buildings, or parking lots, so what does it mean when crows gather around your house?
Crows are highly social birds, so when there is one, there are many more nearby. They will flock to areas where they have access to good food, water, and tall trees to nest in. From grieving to roosting and sharing information, crows gather for a variety of social and survival reasons.
Crows, being the highly intelligent birds they are, have many behaviors which most people may not pay attention to but are more interesting than they seem.
If you’re finding that crows are often visiting your home, it will be useful to understand why they gather in the first place.
You may be curious about how to create a good environment for crows, or you might want to repel them if they become a nuisance.
Why Do Crows Gather?
Crows gather for various reasons, from mourning their dead to sharing information and tools and roosting; their behaviors are more complex and interesting than many may believe.
One of the reasons crows gather is to grieve. Few animals have been observed to have grieving rituals, but crows have been known to flock together when one of their own dies and interact with the deceased bird in numerous ways.
While crows have also been observed to ‘hold funerals,’ it is believed that they are doing more than mourning. Crows observe their dead to assess what caused the birds’ death and if there is an active threat to the rest of their flock.
Crows are also known to congregate into a large group to sleep; this is known as roosting.
Gathering in these large groups provides warmth, protection, social opportunities, and a chance to share information about food and resources, as well as what people and places to avoid.
Before all coming together to the roost, they collect in smaller groups called staging areas and then fly together. Roosts are often made up of younger, unmated birds who do not have their own territory.
Unfortunately, crows can also gather around your house if they wish you harm. Crows have the remarkable ability to not only remember human faces but to hold grudges.
If you wrong a crow, they will gather their friends and family and collect around your house to mob you. They are known for sharing information, including which humans have wronged them.
What Does It Mean When Crows Gather Around Your House?
Like most animals, crows will gather where they can find a good source of food, water and nesting areas. If your house proves to be a good, reliable source of food to them, they will often return to your home for food out of habit.
Your house may also be a reliable source of food. Crows are omnivores and will eat small animals, nuts, fruits, and eggs, among other things. (Check here what do crows eat?)
If you have a compost pile, fruit, or food bowls for pets outside, crows will identify your house as a place with food, and they will share the information with other crows, potentially causing your home to become popular amongst these birds.
Having a source of water, such as a pond or birdbath at your house, is inviting to crows – like any other birds – for when they get thirsty or want to take a bath.
If a water source is attracting them, you may witness an increase in their visits during the hotter months when they are in extra need of the coolness water provides.
Furthermore, if you see lots of crows, there could be a nesting site near you. Although if you see more than two, then it is likely that they are gathering for food rather than shelter.
Despite being social birds, crows tend to be solitary and live alone or with a mate.
If crows are gathering around your house, you should check your yard or the area around your house for any dead crows.
These birds will flock to their dead to grieve together and participate in their own mourning rituals.
Crow Symbolism
While many cultures paint crows as omens of death and negativity, they don’t deserve the bad reputation that seemingly follows them. (Read our full guide on Crow Symbolism)
In some cultures, crows represent a connection between our world and the spiritual world, assisting spirits in passing from this world to the next and being messengers between the realms.
These beliefs are what created the strong correlation between crows and the idea of death.
They also have strong correlations to magic and unseen powers – depicted through their common appearances with witches and magicians in movies and tv shows. Following this, they may also represent creativity and untouched potential.
Seeing a crow can be interpreted in many ways, either as messages from spirits, warnings, or omens.
From predicting death to foreshadowing change or bringing good fortune, a person’s personal beliefs about these birds are likely to hold a large influence on how they interpret the presence of crows.
Repelling and Attracting Crows
Whether you are trying to repel all of the crows gathering around your home, or you want to show them they are welcome and possibly attract more, there are simple, general rules you can follow to achieve your goal.
If you want to repel crows, the key is to frighten them away by leading them to believe there are dangers around your home.
Whereas, if you want to attract crows, you must show them that your home is a safe space and that it can provide them with the resources they require to survive.
How To Repel Crows?
Crows can be very noisy and messy when collecting in large groups. So, whether they’re becoming a nuisance or you just really hate crows, there are many different things you can do to repel them.
Despite popular belief, crows collecting shiny objects like; keys, coins, and jewelry, is a myth. If anything, crows dislike shiny objects.
This makes it easy to repel crows by hanging shiny objects in your yard, like CDs or aluminum plates. Additionally, hanging streamers or devices that spin or flap in the wind may frighten crows away as well.
Installing bird spikes on fences and rooflines will not only deter crows but other birds as well – but if there are trees or telephone wires nearby, they may resort to perching on those instead.
Moreover, there are various recorded crow distress calls online, allowing you to send out a false message of predators to any nearby crows.
Using rubber snakes, statues of owls or anything else which may frighten crows are usually only temporary solutions.
Although they may work well at first, if a crow notices that your scare tactics are all a trick and causing them no harm, they will quickly return to their previous behavior.
Crows are highly intelligent birds, so all frightening devices you use will work better when used consistently, moved around, so the crows don’t become accustomed to them, and combined with other devices.
How To Attract Crows?
When it comes to wanting to attract crows, you must remember that although these birds have a reputation of being fearless – known to chase after eagles, dogs, and other animals – they don’t get along with humans.
Since humans are the crows’ largest predators, they are often wary around people, which is why you may be unsuccessful in approaching one.
If you’re looking to attract crows to your home, you need to present it as a good food source. Putting out bird feeders and leaving out snacks like peanuts and apples is bound to attract many birds, and hopefully crows too.
Water sources like birdbaths are another thing that is attractive to crows. However, if the birdbath is small, then it may not work for them considering their larger size than the songbirds, which may choose to play in the water.
Of course, you can get more creative and place decoy crows around your home, which would lead crows to believe that it is a safe area.
This works well when combined by using friendly crow calls from the internet, yet again making it seem like your home can provide essential resources.
Conclusion
If crows are gathering around your house, it is likely that you are inadvertently providing something they need, whether it is food, water, or a good area for nesting. Since they are very social, they will inform other crows of the resources they found to be available at your house, meaning that you may find groups of them visiting you.
Crows are extremely adaptable to change, showing their resilience and explaining how they have been able to survive so well in a human-dominated world.
So, the chances are that they are gathering for reasons related to safety, security, and survival.
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