Crows are native animals and are therefore, protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. It is illegal to trap them, bait them or disturb their nests whilst they are raising their young.

Living with crows

Crows are highly intelligent animals and adapt quickly to new situations by watching, learning and communicating with each other. People and crows have always coexisted. Crows play an important role in removing dead animals and have even learnt how to kill toads.

Despite any disturbances these native animals may cause, crows play an important role in the ecosystem. A world without crows would be one where rubbish and dead animals would become food for rats, flies and other decomposers to slowly break down.

By managing the things that may attract crows to your property, the less impact they will have to your everyday life and home. Simple steps that can be taken include:

• do not feed crows or leave scraps of food or rubbish lying around
• ensure that garbage bin lids are kept closed, particularly industrial waste bins
• remove water sources and pet food from the backyard
• be aware of the breeding season of crows, and expect more noise for between August and February, while the birds nest and raise their young
• do not try to kill or cause injury to the birds
• do not remove nests or eggs
• do not disturb the birds when there are fledglings in the nest.

How do I get rid of crows?

If the crows are damaging property or affecting health and wellbeing, contact a wildlife remover or Council for advice on how to resolve the issue.

Crows are very difficult to catch, so prevention is always better than the trying to resolve a crow problem. By following the simple steps on how to minimise the impact of crows on your property, they may lose interest and move on.

Further information

If you would like further information on management of crows, please contact the Department of Environment and Science.