Plants You'll Want In Your Yard Or Garden To Attract Crows

Crows are often seen as problematic pests in the garden thanks to their diverse appetite for many of the plants you're growing. Why would you want to attract crows to your yard if they're such an issue? They're interesting critters to watch, for starters. Crows have predictable behaviors when it comes to foraging for food, nesting, and roosting. You can find them living in large groups that break up into smaller groups to look for food. They're omnivorous animals that will eat nearly anything: fruits and nuts, fish and shellfish, and even other birds and their eggs. Even though they'll settle for whatever, fruit and seeds are their top picks and make up most of their diet. If you want to attract crows, you'll want to plant fruit trees and bushes and seedy things like corn and sunflowers.

Although they'll catch birds mid-flight or take baby birds from nests, they prefer to scout on the ground and find scraps of this and that. Fallen fruit and seeds are ideal, so providing them with the food they're after and allowing them to have access will surely get them to come to your yard.

Planting trees is a good way to attract crows, and providing food with fruit trees and shelter with evergreens is the best way to keep them around. Fruit trees provide crows with two of their main food interests: fruit and seeds. Though you may want to keep delicious homegrown fruit to yourself, leaving a few behind for the crows or even giving them an entire tree will increase your chances of having crows become foraging regulars on your property. 

Crows commonly damage the fruit on apple and cherry trees. Fruits that are already cracked from natural damage or growth are more likely to attract the birds. Any fruit should attract crows, but they're known to be especially hungry for apples. Choose small varieties that ripen early for the best results. Even though crows usually just take a bite, they sometimes chow down on an entire apple.

A lack of shelter could be why birds are avoiding your yard, especially protective crows. They typically build their nests 60 feet above ground in tall trees, so if you lack them in your area, planting a few could entice them to call your yard their home. They prefer conifers, but they'll also accept tall deciduous trees, as well. Their nests are hard to find since they build them so high and out of sight, so don't expect to be able to watch them easily.

Crows love seeds and nuts in addition to fruit, so corn and sunflowers are a no-brainer when hoping to attract them. These two plants drop plenty of bird-sized snacks that will attract more than just crows. If you allow sunflowers to drop their seeds and corn to fall, you can expect to see crows flocking to this high-quality foraging spot. Crows prefer to eat off the ground, so you probably won't see them on top of the plant pecking, but that isn't completely out of the question. If you want to grow these crops for yourself but also want to see crows, consider growing extras for the birds to enjoy. Separate them from the rest of your garden and plant them near other crow-approved plants like fruit trees and peanut plants to hopefully keep them away from the plants you intend to eat yourself.

Crows also eat garden pests like corn borers. If your backyard corn field suffers from these pests, the crows are here to help; though, they'll probably eat the corn, too. Sunflowers attract a plethora of critters that crows like to munch on, so while they stop by for seeds, they'll probably grab up a few bugs, too.

Berry-producing bushes are a great way to attract crows to your yard, especially if fruit trees aren't an option. Crows will nest in shrubs and hedges when trees aren't around, so if you live in an area where trees are hard to come by, attracting crows isn't completely out of the question. They also like to eat berries, so if they can nest where they find food, that's all the more reason for them to keep coming back.

With so many berry options available, it's possible for you to provide food for the birds almost year-round, depending on where you live. Crows will store food for later and are smart scavengers who put our trash cans and landfills to good use. So, while they may not go hungry when plants have stopped producing, having a variety of fresh berries to harvest from spring through fall will make your yard much more enticing.