Families urged to take action if they see crows in garden

Families are being urged to take action if they see crows in their gardens this summer.

That's because the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has confirmed that the number of carrion crows in the UK has dropped year on year, by as much as 4.8% across the UK.

They were one of several bird species which has seen its population decline year on year, along with starlings, house sparrows, greenfinches and goldfinches, in the RSPB's latest release.

The RSPB says that carrion crows are one of the 'cleverest' birds seen in UK gardens and can be spotted in any part of the country. It says: "The all-black Carrion Crow is one of the cleverest, most adaptable of our birds. It's often quite fearless, although it can be wary of humans. They're fairly solitary, usually found alone or in pairs, although they may sometimes form flocks. The closely related Hooded Crow has recently been split as a separate species.

"Carrion Crows will come to gardens for food and although often cautious initially, they soon learn when it's safe, and will return repeatedly to snack on whatever's on offer.

"They're opportunistic birds and have a broad diet, eating everything from scraps on city streets, to seeds and fruits, carrion (hence their name), eggs and young birds. They will visit garden feeders, most often making nervous hit-and-run raids on open bird tables."

The charity says birds which have seen their populations drop are struggling for all sorts of reasons, and is urging people to take action.

This year, almost 600,000 people took part in the scheme to spend an hour counting birds in their garden or local green space during the last weekend in January, to help conservationists find out how the country's bird life is faring.

It said: "The problems faced by birds are many and varied, which means we need to take action in all sorts of areas. From gardening for wildlife to the way we farm and manage our rivers, it all impacts on nature.

"That's why we work tirelessly to save, protect and fight for nature. And when we come together for nature, it works. Birds that were almost lost from the UK have been brought back."

The charity urges householders to take simple steps to help starlings and other at risk birds in their back gardens, including avoiding the use of pesticides and keeping a natural lawn which allows the birds to forage for bugs such as crane fly larvae, known as leatherjackets.