NParks Trying Out Dead-Bird Effigies To Prevent Crows From Congregating

Hanging upside-down from a tree branch, the full-feathered "crow" was limp, its eyes devoid of any signs of life.

- Zachary Lim

The dead bird, however, is just a plastic effigy.

It is part of an ongoing trial by the National Parks Board (NParks) to prevent house crows (Corvus splendens) from congregating in large groups.

Such effigies have been tested overseas in places such as the US with some success, and NParks is testing them out here for the first time as a tool to disperse these birds.

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, Mr How Choon Beng, NParks' group director of wildlife management, said: "The effigies are placed at roost sites and positioned to resemble dead crows. The aim is to create a perception of danger and encourage the roosting crows to disperse to other locations."

The decoys were first deployed in Singapore in late 2023, with each effigy deployed at a site for about two weeks on average, NParks said.

Since 2023, a total of 15 effigies have been put up across eight locations that are heavily populated with crows, or experience higher volumes of disturbances by crows.

NParks said that it received an average of nearly 7,000 cases of crow-related feedback annually from 2023 to 2024, relating to issues such as noise, sightings, attacks, feeding and soiling.

The board did not reveal the exact locations of the set-ups, but The Sunday Times had observed one effigy on a tree outside Katong V mall in April.

"This is a plastic crow. Please do not be alarmed," read a sign next to the tree where the effigy had been deployed. That effigy was taken down on April 24.