Feeding Wild Crows: What They Can & Cannot Eat

If you want to befriend the crows in your neighborhood, giving them nutritious food similar to what they eat in the wild is key! Keep reading to learn the best foods to feed wild crows, toxic foods to avoid, where to leave the food, how often to feed, and more! We'll also share crow-feeding advice from ornithologist Roger J. Lederer, PhD.

What should you feed crows?

A labeled illustration of the best foods to feed a crow.

Ornithologist Roger J. Lederer, PhD, says to feed crows large foods like peanuts or sunflower seeds. You can also feed them berries, corn, oats, hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, raw or cooked meat, and high-quality cat or dog food (as dry pellets). Toxic foods for crows include avocado, chocolate, onion, and garlic.

Section 1 of 7:

What to Feed Feed to Wild Crows

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Unsalted nuts and seeds Nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense foods that are good for crows (they can also find them in the wild!). Salt is bad for these birds (and birds in general), so be sure to choose nuts and seeds that are unsalted. Dr. Lederer recommends peanuts and sunflower seeds, but you can also try these options to see what your neighborhood crows like best:^{[1]
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Roger J. Lederer, PhD
Ornithologist

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- Cashews
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Pumpkin seeds
- Walnuts
- Tip: Don't have any whole nuts on hand? Try peanut butter instead!
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Roger J. Lederer, PhD, is an ornithologist with over 40 years of experience teaching, studying, and writing about birds. He's also the founder of Ornithology.com, a great resource for information about wild birds.
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Fruits Crows prefer berries best of all, but they'll also eat other fruit, as well. Avoid giving them fruit only, and combine it with high-protein foods and grains, so they don't consume too much sugar. Try the options below the next time you're stumped for what to feed a wild crow:^{[2]
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- Apples
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Mangoes
- Oranges
- Pears
- Pomegranates
- Pumpkin
- Raspberries
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
- If you feed pieces of apple or pear to a crow, remove the seeds! The arsenic in the seeds is poisonous to birds, but the fruit itself is safe.
- If you feed a crow pieces of cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, or nectarines, take out the pit! The pits in these fruits have arsenic in them, as well.
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There's a reason that farmers put scarecrows out in their cornfields: crows love corn! They also enjoy eating oats. Consider adding these two grains to your crow-friendly smorgasbord.^{[3]
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Eggs Crows need high-protein foods to provide them with energy and nourishment. They'll enjoy any eggs you give them, whether they're raw or cooked (scrambled or hard-boiled eggs are best). Some people even feed their crows duck eggs, but you don't have to get fancy—chicken eggs are perfectly fine!
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Meat scraps Crows are omnivores, which means they eat rodents, small fish, worms, and insects as well as nuts, seeds, fruits, and grains. If you have leftover scraps of beef, chicken, fish, or pork from cooking, throw them out for your crow friends to enjoy.^{[4]
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- Should you feed crows raw or cooked meat? Raw meat and cooked meat are both fine for crows! But if the meat is cooked, make sure it's unseasoned.
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Dry cat or dog kibble Crows won't turn their beaks up at dry cat or dog kibble, if that's all you have available. If possible, give them high-quality kibble with little to no fillers (Vital Essentials and Blue Buffalo are good brands!).

Section 2 of 7:

Worst Food to Feed Wild Crows

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Avocados are safe for humans, but they can be deadly to crows and other birds! The entire fruit contains a fungicidal toxin called persin. This protects the avocado against fungus, but it's extremely dangerous for birds and can cause heart failure.^{[5]
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Chocolate Forget about sharing a chocolate bar or a bag of M&Ms with your crow friends. Crows can't properly digest the theobromine and caffeine in this popular sweet. If they eat it, they could die.^{[6]
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Onions and garlic are delicious seasonings for human food, but they can cause big problems for your crow friends. When a bird bites into an onion, it releases a sulfur compound that can cause their red blood cells to break open and cause them to develop anemia. The onion can also cause ulcers to form in the crow's mouth and throat. Garlic can also lead to anemia due to a chemical it contains called allicin.^{[7]
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Processed or salty food Just like consuming lots of highly processed, salty, and fatty foods causes health problems for humans, it also causes health problems for crows. A high salt, high fat diet can lead a crow to become dehydrated and increase their risk of kidney failure and heart disease. For that reason, avoid giving wild crows these tasty, but unhealthy snacks:^{[8]
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- Chips
- Crackers
- Popcorn
- Pretzels

Section 3 of 7:

Best Place to Leave Food for Crows

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Set the food on a high platform where the crows feel safe. Crows like to roost in high places where they can see their surroundings and check for predators.^{[9]
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Research source} Hang a platform feeder from your roof or mount it on top of a tall post buried in the ground. If you don't have a platform feeder or don't want to build one, try putting their food on top of a fence or the roof of your house.
- While most crows prefer feeding up high, others have no problems getting their food off the ground. If you have no other options, set their food out in your driveway, if you have one, or in your yard. Just be aware that other critters will be able to access it, too!
- How can you keep squirrels away from crow food? Put the food on a platform feeder set on a post in your yard. Bury the post far away from any trees. Then, install a cone-shaped baffle underneath the platform to prevent squirrels from climbing up the post.

Section 4 of 7:

Best Food Delivery Method for Crows

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Crows aren't big fans of bird feeders. They eat mostly large foods, not tiny birdseed, so a bird feeder isn't the best option for them. Instead, put their food out on a flat, horizontal surface. This might be a platform feeder, the top of a fence, or your driveway, if you have one.^{[10]
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Section 5 of 7:

Best Crow Feeding Routine

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Feed wild crows daily in the winter and early spring. During these seasons, seeds, nuts, and insects are scarce, so putting out extra food will help your crow friends survive until summer. In summer, their natural food sources will return in plenty, so you don't have to put out food frequently or even at all.^{[11]
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- Fill a bird fountain with water for wild crows and other birds year-round, but especially during the summer and hot weather.

Section 6 of 7:

Crow Food Caching Behavior, Explained

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"Caching" means "storing." Crows and other birds (such as chickadees, jays, and falcons) practice this behavior during the spring, summer, and fall to build up a stash of food that will sustain them during the winter. That's why you may see wild crows pick up pieces of food that you leave out for them, fly off, and return with empty beaks.^{[12]
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Section 7 of 7:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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What is a crow's favorite food? Crows love unshelled peanuts, eggs, meat scraps, and berries. Each crow is different, though, so set out a variety of foods to discover what the ones in your neighborhood prefer.
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Should you feed bread to crows? No, bread offers no nutritional value to crows. Opt for high-protein foods like meat scraps or eggs instead.
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Why do crows take multiple pieces of food? Crows take multiple pieces of food and fly off with them to cache, or store them for the winter.
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What's the difference between a crow and a raven? According to Dr. Lederer, you can tell the difference between a crow and a raven based on their size, tail, and bill. "The American Crow is about a third smaller [than a raven] and…has a rounded tail," he says. "The larger raven has beard-like feathers around its face, a heavier bill, and a wedge-shaped tail in flight."^{[13]
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Expert Source

Roger J. Lederer, PhD
Ornithologist

Expert Interview}
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What are some low-salt foods for crows? Unsalted nuts and seeds, fruits, plain corn and oats, unseasoned cooked eggs, and unseasoned meat are all great crow foods with no salt!