The Bird Seed Choices That Are Secretly Attracting Crows To Your Yard

Crows are fascinating birds. They're wildly smart, hold funerals for each other, and can hang on to a grudge with the best of 'em. Of course, they also travel in noisy packs, can uproot your lawn, and act as predators to other feathered visitors — which is why it's understandable if you want to try some tricks to keep crows away from your bird feeder or other parts of your backyard oasis.

While you could deal with that unwanted murder of crows by making a scarecrow for your garden, you might also be able to shoo them away just by switching up your bird seed choices. Crows love peanuts, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and other mixed nuts. So if you've been luring other birds to your feeders with mixes that contain any of these ingredients, you may inadvertently be attracting crows to your yard, too. Being more selective with your bird seed could help keep these birds out for good.

Crows adore peanuts — they'll take them whole, unsalted in the shell, and then crack them open to enjoy the nuts inside. The same goes for the cracked corn that appears in some bird seed mixes. Even if the crows aren't interested in heading to your bird feeder to eat with other birds, they may be attracted to the ingredients and try to get scraps that fell to the ground. Next time you're choosing the types of bird seed to attract your favorite birds, pay attention to the labels. Peanuts in particular are found in several bird seed blends, since they're a great mix of protein and fat, but searching for "allergy-friendly" bird seeds can help you find mixes without them, or you can make your own bird seed by growing the plants in your backyard.

Along with taking a more careful look at bird seed options to avoid the snacks crows love, you can take a more active role in repelling them by looking for mixes with ingredients they dislike. They're not fans of nyjer, which is a common ingredient especially in finch blends, as well as millet, another finch favorite. Crows also don't like safflower. Like peanuts, safflower seeds are a good source of fat and protein, so finding or making a bird seed blend with this ingredient is a great way to keep crows away while still nourishing the feathered friends you want to see.