Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) are one of the most common bird species both in rural and in urban areas. They are omnivores and because of the high intelligence, they are able to get food which other species cannot reach. Despite regular intervention by hunting which tries to reduce their abundance or local density, crows cause damage in cities and in the countryside. People use different techniques for deterring crows, e.g. with the use of pyrotechnics and placing bird scarecrows. One of the methods used in the past and still in use today is hanging up the crow cadavers on posts. However, this method can lead to negative public reactions in exposed places. In literature review we did not find any source which describes the efficiency and effectiveness of this method. In our experiment, we compared the performance of three methods of deterrence (with a crow’s model, a model of a buzzard, and a crow cadaver) and compared them with control situation (without a measure). A deterring test was carried out at the Ljubljana landfill site. We monitored the effects with camera traps. Successful were the methods of implementing the buzzard model and the crow cadaver, which significantly reduced the presence of crows in comparison with the method of the crow model, which was for crows more attractive than dissuasive.
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