# Hawk Enemy



## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

http://www.albertaclassic.com/hawks/hawks.php

owls can protect the pigeons in one way... they hunt hawks and kill pigeons ..but only at night so then you dont have to worry about night time since they are all in the loft

Read this:
http://www.albertaclassic.com/hawks/hawks.php


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

*Eagle Hawk*

We've heard a great horned owl on our evening walk several times recently, but it's probably too far away from home to directly help. However, we do have several vigilant groups of crows in the area and they are very effective!

If a bald eagle or red tailed hawk is nearby, the crow maintain a steady presence. However, if a sharp-shinned or cooper's hawk is around, the crows go into overdrive!!!


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## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

I was wondering if i could buy a pair of crows and raise them here, or do they not sell them?. Becasue they have so minimium enemies and they could be realesed with less fear of them getting killed. But then crows do not home and when they make babies i think they leave. But i think the crows stay in the same nest or just a little bit further from the original nest that right?


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## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

I've seen my bird get attacked by a family of magpies and a crow come i wasnt sure what he was doing but they left when he and his mate arrived. i also heard that the crow is the smartest bird in the world.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Elvis,

Crows are a protected species of bird both in Canada and the U.S. .. you can't legally have them as pets. You can, however, purchase "exotic" crows from breeders. If you are seriously interested, post back, and I'll see if I can find you some folks to help you out.

Terry


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Elvis, 

Just to echo Terry's words, Crows (corvids) are illegal birds to keep in Canada and the USA. They are very different from pigeons in their needs and requirements. Yes, you are right that they are amoung the most intelligent avians (birds) but with intelligence comes massive committment. I admire your love and interest in birds and animals but think about what you are capable of handling right now


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## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

*Yep!*

Yeah, i see that..and i wouldnt get into crows just yet. Only thing that i know about them is that they scavenge and scream a lot. I would still love to learn more about them. And i know most of dont know much about crows. I really dont want to get a completely new species of birds. but i got a question.
2 days ago i noticed about 120 metres away from my house is 2 big coniferous trees and i notice 2 crows every time i look out the window. Do you think they're close enough to scare off the hawks, or even so do you think they live there now? i also was thinking of getting a decoy. One question...this local pigeon fancier actually shoots hawks that come to his farm. Is this activity legal? I heard from someone that in canada if a hawk is indangering your livestock you have the right to shoot. When i was there he had so many hawks...some of the hawks were HUGE!

Elvis


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## phantom (Dec 10, 2004)

I am not sure about Canadian law, but in the US, it is illegal to kill any protected species of bird. All birds except pigeons, house sparrows and starlings are protected. You must obtain a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to kill birds that are killing livestock. 

There are two very good books on crows and their close relative the raven. "Mind of the Raven" by Bernd Heinrich and "The American Crow and the Common Raven" by Kilham, Texas A&M. They are very interesting birds.

"We give comfort and receive comfort, sometimes at the same time"


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

elvis_911 said:


> 2 days ago i noticed about 120 metres away from my house is 2 big coniferous trees and i notice 2 crows every time i look out the window. Do you think they're close enough to scare off the hawks, or even so do you think they live there now? i also was thinking of getting a decoy. One question...this local pigeon fancier actually shoots hawks that come to his farm. Is this activity legal? I heard from someone that in canada if a hawk is indangering your livestock you have the right to shoot. When i was there he had so many hawks...some of the hawks were HUGE!
> 
> 
> Elvis



Hi Elvis, 

Yes it is possible that those crows have set up house in that large tree. Tall coniferous trees are a crow's idea of a perfect family condo. This is also the time of year when pairs are actively seeking nesting spots because egg laying will begin very soon. If the crows have decided to build a nest in that tree, they will protect a very large territory around it.

As for that fancier you mentioned, I suspect he's shooting hawks figuring he won't get caught. It is also illegal in Canada to shoot any raptors. It doesn't matter that they are interfering with his birds, they are a protected species. This is the wrong way for a person to deal with the situation and he's lucky he hasn't been caught yet.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Around this part of the country. Crows prefure a cedar tree to help conceal there nest site. And when leaveing te nest they fly out low to the ground aways as not to be seen then up Kinda smart that way. But crows do chase hawks off. depending on local they prefure to nest hidden and away from near by homes. Most hawks move on to nest and hunt in the warmer weather.


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## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

SO if hawks do come i dont have to worry at all?


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

elvis_911 said:


> SO if hawks do come i dont have to worry at all?



You can never put all your eggs in one basket, nothing is for sure. Having crows nearby will help keep the hawks away though.


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## Andy777 (Sep 1, 2010)

How to attract crows?


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## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

I have a lot of crows in my neighborhood. How do you attract them. I saw them the other day trying to steal food from a hawk. The hawk was trying to go away but it let go of its food. It was a poor small rabbit.  Crows ate them though.


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## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

Look at what I found.
http://www.birdfarm.com/sale/pied-crows-for-sale.asp

Isn't that kind of expensive for a crow?


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

Andy777 said:


> How to attract crows?


Feed um whole corn, bread & table scraps to attract them.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

elvis_911 said:


> I've seen my bird get attacked by a family of magpies and a crow come i wasnt sure what he was doing but they left when he and his mate arrived. i also heard that the crow is the smartest bird in the world.


We have a lot of crows here in the UK, and boy are they smart.
Theres ALWAYS loads of them, seagulls & starlings hanging around nearly every McDonalds drive thru.
Its fun to watch them when folk in the car park throw their stuff out the car windows, seagulls are daredevils, quick in - grab scraps and out, some even catch the stuff before it hits the ground. The Starlings sort of hang about, wait for whatevers left, but the crows cautiously sidestep forward, looking every direction, then grab, run back about 6 feet and look to see what theyve got.
They even grab bags and cartons, and systematically get it under their feet so its held firm & use their beaks to open the bags and get the leftovers out.
They love Mcflurrys lol


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## Flapdoodle (Nov 8, 2009)

I would worry about getting a crow to scare away hawks. I once watched a coopers chase a crow through a parking lot. Crazy to see the crow was cawing like crazy. Flying under and in between cars. I don't know how it ended up. The coopers was half the size of the crow. As a group crows chase raptors owls and hawks. I don't think that is the case when they don't have numbers.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

We have Ravens around here...they also enjoy giving hawks hell. I love 'em...very cool creatures...hella smart.

If you have any Corvids in your vicinity...making a recording of Raven/Crow calls and turning it on sporadically DOES tend to draw them to your vicinity. Just downloaded some MP3's of the calls online and made a half-hour CD which I would turn on 4 or 5 times/day.......

I also picked up a couple of Raven models online somewhere once, and put one each near where my neighborhood pals sleep/roost. Can't say it helped...but it didn't hurt.

Crows and Ravens also love hardboiled eggs....

Eurasian Owls are also hawk predators...but I'd imagine pricier than a Corvid....


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

I found remnants of a crow at my place so I suppose a pissed off hawk killed it. The crow was probably a young one. But, crows, definitely helped me lot of times. They annoy hawks by chasing them or some simulated dive bomb attack.


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## pattersonk2002 (Jun 1, 2008)

*Crow alarm*



RodSD said:


> I found remnants of a crow at my place so I suppose a pissed off hawk killed it. The crow was probably a young one. But, crows, definitely helped me lot of times. They annoy hawks by chasing them or some simulated dive bomb attack.



I to have pictures of what the cooper can and will do to a crow. They are ambush preditors and even though you feed them, you can also be setting them up for the attack. I have a group of crows that nest every year in the pines out back, I used to spill out a 100# bag of whole corn for them and all the other animals (deer,turkey,pheasents) you name it they would come, In doing this I also invited all the preditors for lunch to. 

Now I just put a can full out a few times a week, it is normally gone by the end of the day no matter where I put it, but never again in the same spot. I love having the crows around and if you listen to there calls you can definetly tell when they are warning others of a preditor threat. This time of year I can always hear them calling and I know if I don't want to loose a bird I just don't let them out. >Kevin


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Here is a documentary on crow behavior. It is very informative. 
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/full-episode/5977/

By the way, as seen in this episode of nature, some people use falconry to scare away hawks. I do not think that they would be effective at keeping hawks away from your birds.

If you end up wanting one as a pet, (a legal exotic one), please keep in mind that they are at least as intelligent as an African Grey parrot, and perhaps even smarter. That is a big commitment.


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## SmplySooz (Oct 21, 2012)

*My 1st Bird was a Crow*

He was only a couple of weeks old, fell out of a palm tree that was in my back yard and broke his leg. Even though it was "against the law", I took him to a vet, had the leg set and took care of him while he healed. He got better and flew away one day which was a good thing but left a huge hole in my heart and in my day. Very intelligent birds and they have so many other sounds than just the "caw-caw" we hear. He was just about to talk when he flew off. There is a Yahoo Group for Crows and Crow lovers. I think the guy (somewhere in the States, maybe in So Calif) that raises the African kind - that you can raise as a pet - posts to that group. If not, someone can point you to him. They are magnificent birds, huge and black and white. I have parrots now and have had for at least 15 yrs. I also have 3 hens and just got 2 pigeons. So I'm learning about them now. This is a very good site for that. And yes, crows do keep hawks away. I've watched a group of maybe 4 or 5 crows drive a hawk away. They weren't aggressive but just kept the hawk flying, wouldn't let the hawk land anywhere, until finally the hawk flew off. I've also watched a crow from my front yard, snatch up a nut, zoom up real high, drop it on the concrete to break it open. Incredible birds and very smart.


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## Jason Heidlauf (Apr 2, 2012)

please remove


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

There is also a hunting season for crows in NY. They are not a protected bird in NY. We have tons of them. They are very protective of their nest and will chase hawks away but I have seen them both in the same area. So I really dont know how good they are of keeping hawks away from pigeons. Also crows are super smart. I have seen them raid wild birds nest as they eat eggs and baby birds. I actually saw one teaching its baby how to kill a baby blue jay. All the while mommy and daddy blue jay were dive bombing the crows. Blue jay are not a small bird so I would be afraid a crow would try to get into a loft to get easy eggs and babies. With them being so smart they probably can figure a way into a loft real easy.


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

I do not hunt them. I am not a hunter but I do fish so I saw the open season on them in the NY outdoor site. My daughter loves crows and ravens so she would probably kill me if I hurt them. Just to let you know I dont kill crows. LOL


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