Can crows eat bread?

The short answer is yes, crows can eat bread. Aside from being smart birds, crows are famous for being both opportunists and scavengers. They can eat almost anything they can find, from dead carrion to scraps in the trash bins. If they find bread in a particular area, they will swoop down and munch it.

If you think of feeding bread to crows, then there’s nothing for you to worry about, as bread won’t harm them.

Like we all know, crows are fascinating birds. Thus, feeding them will be quite an experience.

But they are also wild birds, so you may be wondering if it’s alright to feed them.

Is it bad to feed crows?

Crows are wild birds, which means they can survive on their own. Even so, it is not bad to feed crows from time to time.

Like any other birds around, they could use some feeding to ease their foraging tasks.

As a general rule of thumb, do it in moderation.

Crows won’t mind hanging around, and they will like you if you feed them regularly.

However, if you would do so, you may have a group of crows hanging out in your area, which we call a murder of crows.

Unless you don’t mind their loud caws, no one will stop you from feeding them.

Talking about crows, these birds are wild animals. While it’s okay for crows to feed them, it’s a different thing to people.

Related – What about spiders? Check out – Do crows eat spiders?

Is feeding crows illegal?

Not all areas promote the feeding of crows. Some jurisdictions forbid their people from feeding wild animals.

This restriction comes especially for animals that can cause a nuisance. With their loud caws, crows are one of these animals.

If you intend on feeding crows, it’s best to ensure that you receive a permit local authorities.

Once you are sure that it’s alright, go ahead and prepare your bread and other food for the crows.

What food attracts crows?

If you already see crows nearby, there’s no reason to prepare food that attracts them the most.

Simply leave the bread you wish to feed the crows, and they will munch on it after some time.

However, if you can’t see any crows around, you may want to attract them first by placing the food they like to eat.

Below is the food that crows like the most:

Peanuts and all kinds of nuts

Crows like to munch on all varieties of nuts. They can eat shelled and unshelled peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Just make sure these peanuts are the unsalted ones.

The Meat of any animal

Crows are famous for eating carrion such as roadkills. Thus, offering them the meat of any animals will attract them immediately.

Dog food or cat food

Both dog food and cat food can attract a flock of crows. They can even be beneficial since it contains nutrients intended for animals.

Eggs

Eggs contain the protein and energy crows need daily. When offering eggs to crows, make sure that it’s a cooked one.

Seeds

Crows can eat all types of seeds, and it attracts them a lot. A pile of seeds attracts other birds as well. Once a crow sees other birds feeding, it may also call its group and go in your area.

Fruits & Vegetables

Both fruits and vegetables will be less nutritious for crows, but they will still eat them.

It’s best to give crows an organic vegetable or fruit. If you can’t, be sure to wash this food thoroughly.

Feeding your crows bread will not be so nutritious for them, but it’s harmless.

If you plan to feed crows other food aside from the bread, you need to be careful, as they might be harmful to crows.

RelatedDo crows eat nuts and seeds?

What should you not feed crows?

Crows have an enhanced digestive system to help them tolerate almost all kinds of food. As scavengers, they have plenty of food options.

Even so, other food can be toxic to them. If you are to feed crows, watch out for the following:

Chocolate

Like any pets, chocolates are also toxic for crows. When feeding them, avoid giving them chocolates, even scraps, since these can harm them so much.

Apple Seeds

While the actual fruit will not harm them, the apple seeds can. Apple seeds contain cyanide that can be toxic for crows and other birds as well. If you’re going to feed apples, be sure to take out the seeds.

Avocados

Avocados are toxic to almost all birds, and crows are one of them. Avoid giving them avocados, both the skin and the fruit, to prevent harming them.

Onions

Onions can also be fatal to crows as much as it is to other animals. Avoid putting onions and any other scraps with onions when feeding crows.

Alcohol

You may be thinking that you won’t be giving them alcohol, but they may drink from scraps near you.

A little amount of alcohol can take a toll on a crow. Be sure to clean and prevent crows from getting their beaks on liquor.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms contain chemicals that are bad for birds. Don’t include mushrooms in the list of food you will allot for crows.

Salt

Salt can cause severe kidney problems and failure to crows. Thus, avoid feeding crows anything with salt.

Caffeine

You may also wonder why caffeine is on the list since you won’t be feeding them to crows. But by accident, caffeine intake may be dangerous for crows.

Be sure not to include caffeine when feeding crows.

Beans

This is not a hard one, since most crows won’t eat beans. Beans are toxic to birds, especially the raw ones. Even if you cook it, a crow won’t munch on it as much as it hates peas.

Tomato

The tomato itself may not be harmful to crows, but the leaves and the stem contain something toxic to crows. To be sure, just avoid including tomato when feeding crows.

Do you want to know if crows eat rats, corns, or acorns? Check it out!

In Summary

Yes, crows can eat bread. Crows can eat almost anything, given that they are famous scavengers. So, if you plan on feeding crows, and you have a lot of bread to spare, that’s perfectly fine.

The only concerns you need to ensure are the legality of feeding them and the take of the people near you. Once you know that it is legal in your area and that the crows won’t bother anyone around, you can go and feed them.

By avoiding harmful food and giving what they like, you’ll be able to enjoy feeding crows.

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