Crows in Portland, Oregon

A crow at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, in southeast Portland, Oregon, in 2018

There is a large population of crows in the American city of Portland, Oregon.[1] Hannah Seibold of the Portland Tribune has called the crows "one of Portland's most famous wild residents".[2] While some of the birds are migratory, most are residents of the region. According to Bird Alliance of Oregon, crows gather along the Willamette River because there are "fewer conflicts".[3] There are also fewer predators in downtown Portland.[4] The crow population in Portland can reach as high as 15,000 to 23,000.[3][5][6][7] The population has increased in the last decade.[8]

PDX Sidewalk Joy installation dedicated to crows, 2026

There is a seasonal pattern to the crow roosting.[9][10] During the fall season (August to October), crows return to the city for "pre-roost". Peak urban roosting takes places during the winter season (November to February). There is a population decrease during the spring season (March and April), before peak breeding occurs during the summer season (May to July).[11]

The Portland Crow Roost is a project to count and document the roosting locations of the local crow population.[12][13]

According to BBC Wildlife, Portland's "crow problems" began in 2014.[14] While the use of bird poison on public property has been banned since 2019, some dead crows have been found with the neurotoxin Avitrol in their system.[3] The city has a small team of falconers who use hawks to move crows out of a focused 72-block radius.[15][6][16][17] In 2026, crows attacked employees at Legacy Emanuel.[18][19][20]

Portland's crows are depicted in the film Wildwood;[2] the film inspired the art installation Wildwood: Follow the Crows.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Over 22,000 Crows Roosted in Downtown Portland Last Winter, Researchers Find". Willamette Week. 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  2. 1 2 Seibold, Hannah (2026-05-15). "Every Portland easter egg we've spotted in Laika's new 'Wildwood' teaser trailer". The Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on 2026-05-16. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  3. 1 2 3 "'There's intentionality': Crows flock to Portland's waterfront for another roosting season". KOIN.
  4. ↑ "City of 'Crowses': Why do crows love downtown Portland? Local expert explains". KOIN.
  5. ↑ "LISTEN: The Downtown Crows and Portland's Relationship to Nature". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  6. 1 2 Silkman, Bonnie (2025-10-19). "Falconer swoops in to help with Portland's crow problem". KPTV. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  7. ↑ Danovich, Tove (2024-03-15). "Crows Are the New Pigeons". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  8. ↑ "Crow bros: Throngs of crows soar through Downtown Portland amid roosting season". KOIN.
  9. ↑ "Crows took over downtown Portland. Then they left. What happened?". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  10. ↑ Gebel, Meira (2023-12-06). "Portland's "crow happy hour" is not unique". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  11. ↑ Elowitt, Avery (2026-03-01). "Portland's "Crow Happy Hour" is flying away for the season". KATU. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  12. ↑ "Murder Stats: Mapping The Influx Of Roosting Crows In Portland". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2026-01-17. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  13. ↑ Olson, Karli (2025-03-05). "'I like the mystery': Meet the man counting all of Portland's crows". KPTV. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  14. ↑ "Oregon's biggest city was drowning in crow poop. Then a new predator came to town". BBC Wildlife. 2026-04-17. Archived from the original on 2026-05-23. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  15. ↑ "Falconers' hawks take flight again to manage Portland's crows". KOIN.
  16. ↑ Vitak, Sarah. "Portland's Crows Are Back. So Are the Laser-Guided Hawks That Scare Them Off". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  17. ↑ Williams, Kale (2024-12-02). "Meet the hawks keeping Portland sidewalks free of crow poop". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  18. ↑ "'Don't look at them': Employees warned after recent crow attacks at Portland area hospital". KOIN.
  19. ↑ "Why Portland crows are having run-ins with people — and what experts say to do". The Oregonian. 2026-06-03. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  20. ↑ Gebel, Meira (2026-06-05). "Why crows are dive-bombing people across Portland right now". Axios. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
  21. ↑ Sterling, Sean (2026-03-08). "Dozens of giant crows are about to take over downtown Portland this summer". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
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