The Protected Pest

By: Blake Mikaelson

The Backstory

A few years ago I lived in a townhome with a patio big enough for a garden. I kept my hand painted pots, hanging baskets, and flowers on the patio. In the front of my home I had a bird house with an egg inside. I had to go away for work for three days and while I was gone the managers of the complex threw all my things away. When I came home all I could do was stare outside. What I did not know was they did all of this in front of ravens and the ravens watched my reaction to what they had done. For days the ravens would bring me quarters, pieces of mosaic tile, keys, and chocolate wrappers. This is when I realized ravens are not the typical species of bird.

Introduction

The raven is considered to be a very intelligent bird and is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 2018. The raven is also considered to be a pest in agriculture. It is confusing how a raven can be both protected and a pest. This blog will discuss the intelligence of the raven, protection status, why ravens are considered pests, and suggested remedies.

The Intelligence of Raven

The common raven or Corvus corax is found all over the United States (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, March 2025)[1]. It is very easy to confuse the common raven with a crow. There are two differences between a crow and a raven. Ravens can be 27 inches long (Sottosanti, March 2025) while a crow can be 20 inches long (Montgomery, April 2025). The main difference is their beaks. The raven’s beak is much larger and the crow’s beak is longer but thinner. To see the difference please reference the picture[2] below.

[1] U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Common Raven.

[2]  The information for this photograph is unknown.

My apologies, raven lover humor. The picture detailing the diference is below for real this time (Zimmer, November 2019).

Ravens are known to very intelligent. Researchers used peepholes to determine how a raven will react when being watched, but were not able to obtain the results expected (Buckner et al., February 2016). The study determined ravens bred in captivity do not act as they would in their natural environment.

The Protection of the Raven

Raven are protected because they are important to the environment. Raven feed on rodents, insects, and dead animals. The leftover remains from the dead animals return phosphorus and nitrogen to the soil  (DeBruyn et al., February 2025). Plants need phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil to survive (Salahuddin et al., February 2017). The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits the killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport of the protected birds species (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, March 2025)[1]. The United States Fishing and Wildlife Service may provide a permit to farmers, but this blog is not about harming the ravens.

[1]  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

The Pest Side of Ravens

Ravens are considered pests because they have been known to eat livestock and crops (Peebles & Spencer, 2020). Ravens like to eat the soft body parts of young lambs, calves, and goats. Ravens also damage irrigation systems. Irrigation systems in agriculture produce the water needed for crops (Jones, April 2025). The irrigation systems destroyed were surface irrigation water systems. Ravens were reported to have caused damages totaling $5,328,456 on farms in 2018 (Peebles & Spencer, February 2020). The details of the damages are unknown because farmers do not report it (Peebles & Spencer, February 2020). 

Friendly Prevention Methods

I grow my own vegetables, flowers, fruits, and herbs during the growing season outside. I use decoy plants for pests to eat instead. The same method can be used for ravens. And I am sure a farmer has more space to create decoy spaces than I do. The use of decoy crops has been shown to reduce damages caused by blackbirds (Cummings et al., February 1987). Farmers can select a small field and plant the crops ravens destroy the most. Ravens enjoy corn and wheat (Lowe, November 2021).

There are corn and wheat seeds produced to resistant to drought for places with extreme heat. This could reduce the amount of watering for farmers. Drought resistant corn may not have as many yields (Jones, April 2025). This is a good thing for decoy fields because the farmer does not want to sell the crops in decoy fields. Ravens use different calls when looking for food and when they have found food (Bradbury & Vehrencamp, April 2025). Farmers could set-up a speaker to project the sounds of ravens signaling they have found food in the decoy field.

Subsurface drip irrigation systems will prevent ravens from disrupting the water flow to crops because the water lines are buried. This irrigation method has several benefits (Broner et al., March 2014). It prevents soil erosion because water is applied directly to the roots of crops instead of the soil surface. Subsurface drip irrigation systems also prevent the spread of weeds and plant diseases. This is due to the absence of excess water on the surface. The results are higher yields, less labor expense, and more effeicient water use. This method can be expensive. Grants can be given to qualified farmers who are interested in water production systems purchased for environmental sustainability.

Conclusion

Ravens are very intelligent and they are protected because of their importance to balance within the environment. Providing ravens their own area on farms can prevent them from destroying crops and livestock. Burying irriagtion systems will not only improve yields but also prevent damages caused by ravens. Ravens are protected for a reason, but they do not have to be considered pests.

References