City, USDA Wildlife Services to disperse crows

The City will continue its wildlife management project today, launching follow-up work to December’s effort to disperse a winter roost of 20,000 to 30,000 crows. 

Wildlife biologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services Program will break up the roost with the use of pyrotechnics, spotlights, lasers and amplified electronic recordings of crow distress calls. These methods will not harm the birds.  

Management efforts will begin at dusk on Thursday, March 6 in the Downtown area and continue through the night. Follow-up efforts will be conducted to keep the birds from re-establishing a large roost. 

The goal of the effort is to break up and disperse the large roost from the Downtown area and minimize damage associated with the high concentrations of crows. Once the methods are in progress, the crows disperse into smaller groups that will spread out over a broader area, reducing the crows’ damage and mess. 

City and Wildlife Services representatives recognize the management project techniques may be loud and disruptive at times and respectfully request public cooperation as crews work throughout the city. 

Residents may assist the effort by calling 311 (428-5990 outside city limits) to report the locations of large groups of crows.