How to Keep Crows Off Your Roof for Good

Paul West/ Pet And Wildlife Care

As you look out your window and see a flock of crows settling on your roof, you probably feel annoyed and concerned. Let’s be honest, you’re wondering how to keep crows off your roof!

Crows can cause real problems when they decide to roost on your home. Their messy droppings can stain and damage shingles. Loud cawing at daybreak disturbs your sleep. But you don’t have to put up with this nuisance! With some persistence and the right techniques, you can get crows to abandon using your roof as a hangout spot.

Key Takeaways

Inspect your roof to identify areas favored by crows for targeting deterrents
Block physical access to your roof using barriers like netting, wires, and bird spikes
Deter settling with scare devices like owls, reflective items, sounds, and unpleasant perches
Actively harass crows by scaring them away whenever they land on your roof
Eliminate food sources and trim trees to remove incentives attracting crows

Identifying Crow Roosting Areas

To start solving your crow woes, inspect your roof closely to pinpoint where the birds like to perch. Look for these signs of frequent crow activity:

Droppings and feathers around ledges, peaks, and vents. Crows tend to frequent the same spots repeatedly, so you’ll see evidence of clustered mess.
Nesting materials like straw, twigs, litter, and debris clustered in areas. Crows gather sticks, paper scraps, and anything else they can salvage to assemble nests.
Damaged or worn shingles near vents, antennae, chimneys, and other elevated protrusions. The repeated impact of talons and scraping of nesting material erodes roofing over time.

Take note of the specific locations where you find droppings, feathers, and other indications of crow traffic. Also observe the routes crows take as they land and depart. Their flight paths will reveal ideal takeoff and landing zones. Focus deterrents on these problem perching and transition areas to make them unacceptable. Blocking or denying access to favorite spots is one of the most effective ways to discourage crows from visiting your roof.

Watch Crow Movements

In addition to inspecting for physical signs, take time to directly observe crow movements in action:

What parts of the roof do they gravitate towards first?
Where do they prefer to settle and preen vs just land temporarily?
Are there certain areas they seem to use as lookout perches?
Can you identify established flight routes they follow to access the roof?

Gathering intel by studying their behavior helps you identify key targets for deterrents and denial of access methods.

Vary Observation Times

Crow activity patterns can shift based on time of day, seasons, weather conditions, and other changing factors. Their roosting habits may differ in the morning vs late afternoon. Some areas might be more popular in winter than summer.

So conduct repeated observations at different times of day and year to fully understand their usage habits. This ensures you know all the prime areas that need to be addressed for maximum crow eviction effectiveness.

Look For Entry Points

Inspect closely around vents, chimneys, eaves, and openings to check for possible entry access into attics or rafters. Crows are crafty at utilizing small gaps and openings to infiltrate interior spaces for nesting.

Sealing up any breaches into your upper roof structure removes appealing sheltered areas where crows like build nests safe from predators and weather. This rooftop habitat modification is key for long term prevention.

Note Nearby Trees

Check for trees growing close to the house with branches extending over or brushing up against your roof. These provide convenient landing and takeoff spots for crows to access your roof.

Trimming back any overhanging branches forces crows to land directly on the roof surface, which extra exposure makes them more vulnerable to deterrents. Removing these covered “crow highways” is an important habitat modification.

Denying Roof Access

One of the most effective ways to discourage crows from settling on your roof is denying them physical access through barriers and modifications. Closing off or blocking landing zones and entry points literally keeps them away. Here are some smart tactics:

Install Physical Barrier Devices

There are many types of devices available that create uncomfortable or obstructed conditions to prevent crows from accessing roof surfaces:

Bird spike strips – Plastic or metal spike strips can be attached to ledges, signs, railings, peaks, and other frequently used perches. The spikes are spaced close enough that crows cannot comfortably land and settle between them. The sharp tips irritate feet and make balancing difficult, so crows avoid these areas.
Bird netting – Heavy duty plastic or nylon netting can be draped over gable points, roof edges, chimneys, and other steep angled areas. Properly installed netting forms a barrier that obstructs crows from landing. For best results, secure the netting tightly so birds cannot slip underneath.
Wires or monofilament lines – Tightly stretched wires or fishing line 5-10 cm apart spanning the roof make landing exceedingly tricky for crows. The unsteady surface prevents secure footing and the spaced lines tangle wings preventing smooth gliding. This “bed of nails” effect frustrates crows and deters landing.
Porcupine wire – Coils of stiff metal wire with spiked strips branching off. Unrolling along edges or peaks creates an impossible hazard for birds to navigate.
Electric tracks – Low voltage electric wires or tracks mounted to common perches give a mild non-lethal shock when birds land to deter them from settling.

Block Entry Points

In addition to denying landing access, prevent crows from infiltrating interior roof spaces by sealing off potential entry gaps:

Seal gaps around vents and chimneys using fine steel mesh or netting. This inhibits access while still allowing ventilation and exhaust.
Attach vent covers made of PVC pipes cut in half lengthwise to create visors that allow airflow while limiting space for birds to enter.
Plug holes in eaves with stainless steel wool, caulk or custom covers. Eliminate any breaches into attics or rafters.
Add flexible rubber or PVC boots over exposed wiring, cables, conduits where they exit your roof. This protects the openings from bird infiltration.
Ensure flashing around chimneys, vents, and joints is intact and properly sealed with no loose edges where birds could squeeze through.

Modify Habitat

Altering your roof environment also discourages settling by removing appealing features and adding deterrent textures:

Remove old nests, leaves, debris, and anything crows may use as convenient roosting sites. A clean barren roof is far less welcoming.
Install sloped sheet metal on ledges and railings at a 45-60° angle. The slippery steep slope prevents comfortable perching so crows stay away.
Attach anti-perching insulation spikes along ledges and potential nest areas. The jagged plastic spikes make settling unpleasant.
Cover potential nesting spots with anti-nesting gel. The sticky tacky texture deters gathering materials.
Swap smooth roof tiles for textured materials like clay or composite shingles with bumpy surfaces that are no fun to stand on.
Add a grit coating to ledges and roof edges for a rough sandy texture crows dislike. Roofing sand additives work well for this.
Plant prickly shrubs like holly or cacti around the perimeter to discourage landing near your home.

Trim Overhanging Trees

As noted earlier, trees growing close to your home with branches extending over or touching your roof provide convenient crow access.

Trimming back any overhanging branches forces crows to land directly on the roof surface without leafy “bridges”. This greater exposure makes them more vulnerable to deterrents and being startled.

Check for tree limbs brushing against shingles or gutters that could help crows reach the roof. Prune these back at least 3-5 feet from the house. Target large mature trees that typically attract the most crows.

If you lack the tools or experience for proper tree trimming, consider hiring an arborist. They can expertly identify and remove problematic branches without harming the tree. This is well worth the investment for long term crow eviction.

Coordinate With Neighbors

For broader scale deterrence, coordinate efforts with your neighbors to create an extensive anti-crow zone. If possible, petition your neighborhood association or city council to trim problematic public trees or modify buildings and signs that facilitate crow gathering. Establishing a larger inhospitable area across your whole neighborhood provides better deterrence than just safeguarding your individual home.

Deterring Crows from Settling on Your Roof

If crows succeed in landing on your roof despite access barriers, you’ll want to discourage them from lingering and settling in. The goal is to make your roof an uncomfortable and frightening environment crows want to avoid through active harassment and passive deterrents.

Reflective Deterrents

One easy and inexpensive anti-crow tactic is installing items around your roof that spin, shimmer, rattle, and otherwise reflect light in eerie flashing patterns that frighten and confuse birds. Almost any lightweight reflective objects can work:

Pinwheels fluttering in the breeze
Old CDs, DVDs, or pie pans suspended and allowed to twirl
Strips of metallic tape, aluminum foil, or blinking holiday lights
Reflective spinning or flapping predator decoys activated by motion sensors, solar power, or breeze. These fake critters like owls, snakes, and hawks are especially unnerving when they move.

The glinting, dancing reflections from these devices startle birds and trigger instinctual avoidance of unknown flashing stimuli. Rotating and moving the reflective items to new positions prevents crows from becoming accustomed to them.

Scarecrow Tactics

Installing lifelike replica models of crows’ feared enemies or even symbolic scary shapes can create an intimidating environment that frightens them away.

Plastic owl or snake models placed along railings, ledges, or roof peaks. Periodically relocating the figures prevents habituation.
Inflatable eyes or menacing shapes that billow up when detecting motion. Some even paired with distress calls.
Animated decoys triggered by sensors that make sudden movements – flapping wings, swiveling heads, or lunging.
Streamers, balloons, or wind socks positioned to flutter and flap in the breeze, made even more frightening with scary images.

These dramatic enemies and erratic motions send birds fleeing. Motorized decoys that turn on and activate periodically work even better than static figures, as movement is what really rattles crows. Just be sure to frequently change positions and swap devices.

Unpleasant Roosting Surfaces

You can also deter lingering by making potential perching spots uncomfortable. Avoiding pain and irritation is a powerful motivator!

Loose gravel, stone, or sand covered surfaces. The unsteady ground and poking substrate is no fun to stand on.
Spike mats or uncomfortable uneven perches like upturned rakes, cleats, or modified steel “fun noodles”.
Cobblestone or peg pavers that wobble and prevent secure footing.
Toppings of tacky bird gel or paste made with essential oils, mint, garlic, or other natural irritants. The smell and texture repels landing.
Installing low voltage electric strips to give a subtle vibrating shock.

These prickly, zapping, precarious perching conditions tell crows to steer clear. Check them periodically to ensure they remain irritating.

Repelling Crows with Active Harassment

Passive deterrents are a good start, but regularly taking direct action to shoo and scare away crows trains them your roof means business. Don’t tolerate any crow presence!

Sounds and Noisemakers

Blasting startling sounds when crows arrive sends them fleeing. Make your roof loudly unpleasant:

Periodically play recorded distress call and predator call clips. Randomizing the sounds prevents habituation. Speakers mounted on motion detectors work great.
Get out on your roof and bang pots and pans together loudly whenever you spot crows. Yell and wave your arms to emphasize your displeasure. Vary location and timing.
Set up motion-triggered alarm sounds – frightening bat screeches, sirens, or other abrasive noisemakers. Scatter them around roof peaks for broad sensor coverage.

Physical Harassment

More hands on hassling raises the ante and gets the point across that crows need to leave. But use harmless and humane methods only.

Use a water gun or hose sprayed at crows – the startling burst of water makes them flee without harm.
Shine lasers, flashlights, or bright lights at birds when they land – the blinding glow and chasing light beam quickly drives them away.
Charge at them waving your arms and yelling aggressively. You may feel silly, but your intimidating presence is very effective.
Deploy remote control cars or drones that can zip after crows and startle them into the air with fast approaches. But do not make direct contact.
In extreme cases, a tethered raptor with falconer supervision may be an option – seeing a live hawk on your roof is terrifying.

Your active participation tells crows your roof is defended territory and they are not welcome. Be vigilant and willing to drop what you’re doing as needed to engage in harassment tactics.

Remove Crow Incentives

Another critical deterrence element is eliminating any potential food sources or rewarding attractions that draw crows to your property in the first place.

Crows have excellent memories, so even sporadic handouts in the past can make your home a regular stop. Remove possible food sources:

Fix any leaks or dripping outdoor faucets. Standing water provides drinking and bathing opportunities.
Ensure trash and recycling bins have tight fitting lids and empty frequently to remove fruit peels, leftovers or other food scrap temptations.
Clean up pet food dishes promptly after pets finish eating. Don’t leave kibble outside unattended.
Pick ripe berries, fruit, and garden produce promptly. Remove fallen ripe fruit and veggies under trees. Compost these remains securely in enclosed bins.
Set mouse and other live traps out of crows’ reach. Scavenging crows love a free rodent meal.

Create Decoy Food Sources

Rather than your roof, provide more attractive feeding stations crows will gravitate towards instead:

Set up screened compost bins some distance from your home for burying fruit scraps. The smell attracts crows but the enclosure prevents access.
Toss bits of pet food or popcorn in community areas away from your home like parks or vacant lots. The supplemental feeding focuses their attention there.
Position an elevated bird feeder with mixed seed and suet cakes on a neighboring property. This free buffet is preferable to your roof.

Just be sure to get permission and check local bylaws when setting decoy food sources on others’ property. Avoid proximity to roads, sidewalks, or places that would draw wildlife across busy areas.

Remove Sheltering Trees

As mentioned earlier, trimming back branches of trees close to your home eliminates handy crow highways to your roof.

When possible, removing additional mature trees in your yard entirely will further reduce nesting habitat and shelter that invites crows. Consult an arborist about selective thinning or tree removal that won’t destabilize soil or harm healthy surrounding trees.

Fewer trees mean fewer crows lingering around your home. But leave some trees to avoid excess sun exposure on your home. Finding the right tree removal balance maximizes crow reduction while maintaining shade and aesthetics.

Call In Professionals If Needed

For severe, stubborn crow infestations, it may be worth hiring professional pest control services or falconers. They offer powerful tools and crow clearing solutions beyond typical homeowner options.

Licensed technicians have expertise and access to regulated products and techniques that can effectively banish crows for good:

Chemical bird repellents – Applying non-toxic but extremely bitter tasting liquids across your entire roof surface. These chemicals bother crows’ taste receptors and digestive tract, conditioning them to avoid landing anywhere on the roof.
Identifying communal nests – Locating massive nesting sites, roosts, and social gathering areas that individual homeowners can’t pinpoint. They can then remove nests and problematic attractive structures.
Capturing and relocation – Humane trapping of crows, then transporting them at least 5 miles away so they can’t easily return. This permanently clears your local area of those habitual birds.

Though expensive, pest control pros and falconry services offer powerful large scale tools for extreme crow infestations. They can provide lasting solutions beyond DIY options when problems persist.

Community Crow Control

For broader scale deterrence, coordinate efforts with your neighbors to create an extensive anti-crow zone around your whole neighborhood.

Petition your neighborhood association or city council to trim problematic public trees or modify buildings and signs throughout the community that facilitate crow gathering.

Establishing a large inhospitable area across your whole neighborhood provides better results than just safeguarding your individual home in isolation. There is strength in numbers for collaborative community crow discouraging campaigns!

Be Tenacious and Proactive

With persistence and commitment to varying harassment tactics, you can successfully reclaim your roof from crows for good. Regularly monitor your roof for any hints of crow reconnoitering or activity. At the first glimpse of crows gathering again, swiftly implement deterrent measures. Don’t tolerate their presence!

Stay proactive and use multiple techniques in combination until the crows finally give up and permanently abandon your roof. A bit of effort and creativity in outsmarting crows leads to long term rewards of peaceful crow-free living. Never let down your guard though!

Protect your home and sanity from nuisance crows by making your roof an uncomfortable and hazardous environment. Follow these tips to evict crows from their roost and enjoy your outdoor spaces again with peace and quiet! Let us know if we can elaborate on any specific crow control questions.