Crows in Portland, Oregon

There is a large population of crows in the American city of Portland, Oregon.[1] While some of the birds are migratory, most are residents of the region. According to Bird Alliance of Oregon, crows gather along the Willamette River because there are "fewer conflicts".[2] There are also fewer predators in downtown Portland.[3] The crow population in Portland can reach as high as 15,000 to 23,000.[2][4][5][6] The population has increased in the last decade.[7]

There is a seasonal pattern to the crow roosting.[8][9] During the fall season (August to October), crows return to the city for "pre-roost". Peak urban roosting takes places during the winter season (November to February). There is a population decrease during the spring season (March and April), before peak breeding occurs during the summer season (May to July).[10]

The Portland Crow Roost is a project to count and document the roosting locations of the local crow population.[11][12]

While the use of bird poison on public property has been banned since 2019, some dead crows have been found with the neurotoxin Avitrol in their system.[2] The city has a small team of falconers who use hawks to move crows out of a focused 72-block radius.[13][5][14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Over 22,000 Crows Roosted in Downtown Portland Last Winter, Researchers Find". Willamette Week. 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  2. ^ a b c "'There's intentionality': Crows flock to Portland's waterfront for another roosting season". KOIN.
  3. ^ "City of 'Crowses': Why do crows love downtown Portland? Local expert explains". KOIN.
  4. ^ "LISTEN: The Downtown Crows and Portland's Relationship to Nature". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  5. ^ a b Silkman, Bonnie (2025-10-19). "Falconer swoops in to help with Portland's crow problem". KPTV. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  6. ^ Danovich, Tove (2024-03-15). "Crows Are the New Pigeons". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  7. ^ "Crow bros: Throngs of crows soar through Downtown Portland amid roosting season". KOIN.
  8. ^ "Crows took over downtown Portland. Then they left. What happened?". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  9. ^ Gebel, Meira (2023-12-06). "Portland's "crow happy hour" is not unique". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  10. ^ Elowitt, Avery (2026-03-01). "Portland's "Crow Happy Hour" is flying away for the season". KATU. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  11. ^ "Murder Stats: Mapping The Influx Of Roosting Crows In Portland". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2026-01-17. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  12. ^ Olson, Karli (2025-03-05). "'I like the mystery': Meet the man counting all of Portland's crows". KPTV. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  13. ^ "Falconers' hawks take flight again to manage Portland's crows". KOIN.
  14. ^ Vitak, Sarah. "Portland's Crows Are Back. So Are the Laser-Guided Hawks That Scare Them Off". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  15. ^ Williams, Kale (2024-12-02). "Meet the hawks keeping Portland sidewalks free of crow poop". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
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