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Natural raptor defense As long as there are pigeon breeders the raptors will always be an issue among them. My father also had pigeons. At that time there weren’t as many problems with raptors. My father always said that when the “bird” (raptor) “took” more than one pigeon in a week he had to go. This was successfully handled that way for decades. That was 60 years ago. I found a natural raptor defense for my pigeons that is partially successful. It’s the Carrion crow (Corvus corone). It is only successful against the Northern goshawk and the Eurasian sparrowhawk though. It cannot do anything against the peregrine falcon. It is known that Carrion crows are very intelligent birds. And we can use that to protect our pigeons partially against the raptors. The crows are located almost everywhere. Therefore also in my neighborhood. When the goshawk attacked the helmets for the first time I was very surprised to see a crow flying in between and attacking the goshawk. I have heard from other pigeon breeders that the crows signal when a raptor is near. I did not know though that they were this “aggressive”. When the goshawk attacked again a few days later and the crows came too late, I started to feed the crows, hoping that they would spend more time near my pigeons. This way they needed less time searching for food and could provide better protection. They are fed 4 times a day with dog food and minced tripe which they like a lot. Therefore they are mostly present when the goshawk/ sparrowhawk attacks. During the brooding season and raising of the young crows, the attacks against raptors are especially intense. It is always an advantage when the first brood fails due to different reasons, as the crows instantly raise a second brood. This way the time is prolonged in which they are overly attentive. I have observed attacks where the crows attacked the raptors in full flight so that the feathers flew. After such an attack the raptor retreats for some time. What also has to be mentioned is that when a young pigeon happens to act clumsy it will also be attacked by the crows. These crows that live in my neighborhood have already saved several pigeon lives!! In 2014 the goshawk has attacked the helmets 13 times, and was successful on the 22.8. and 17.12. Outside of the brooding season, the crow’s aggressive behavior against the raptors lessens. The crows hunt them but only mount fake attacks. This doesn’t happen during brooding season. But the fake attacks also usually distract the raptors from the pigeons and that is the main goal.
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