June 29, 2007 - Crows are not welcome
In Singapore, the crows are definitely not welcome. Sometimes there are loud bangs which means shooting them are in progress. They can be annoying, see how many of them were perching on just this tree?
Singapore home to 100,000 crows
Thursday, 13 December 2001
Crows hang around buildings at night, causing major disruption to those living inside.
Singapore is under siege by a huge flock of crows that is causing noise problems in the city’s many high-rise apartment blocks.
A two year research program undertaken by the National University of Singapore has estimated the crow population of Singapore at 98,000 noisy birds.
“If you are living in a housing block where two or three thousand crows come at night, then the problem can be enormous,” Associate Professor Navjot Sodhi told Reuters.
“They cause nuisance every night and they don’t go away.”
The study, commissioned by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore, tracked the movements and habits of the crows, which feed on garbage.
Crows roost communally, and often choose apartment blocks as their roosting site.
They congregate around rubbish bins, particularly those near open-air food courts, and also feed at garbage collection points.
Crow numbers have been a problem in Singapore since the 1970s, but seem to have increased more dramatically in the last 15 years, said Associate Professor Sodhi.
They are prolific breeders, and in Singapore’s warm climate they can breed year-round.
“They can double their population every year,” he said.
“They almost breed like flies.”
In an attempt to control the crow population, Singapore has reduced numbers by shooting crows since 1973.
It has also covered all public garbage bins, and likely future control methods will include preventing garbage leakage and using crow-proof garbage bins, said Associate Professor Sodhi.
The study shows that the number of crows could be reduced to 10,000 within 10 years, although the population will never be eliminated.
The crows are a foreign species that biologists believe migrated from Malaysia or Indonesia in the 1940s. They are not considered to be a health hazard, although they prey on some native birds.
ABC Science Online
Above extracted from http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s438509.htm
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