Believe it or not, Guwahati is reportedly home to an estimated one lakh plus crows.
Even though there has been no proper census of crows in the city, it is estimated that the crow population here would be around one lakh plus.
Guwahati-based environmentalist Mubina Aktar said, “Of this one lakh plus figure, seventy per cent are house crows and thirty percent jungle crows. Jungle crows usually come up to the city in search of food, but otherwise, prefer to limit themselves to the jungles which suits their character.”
Jungle crows are usually bigger in size than the house crow. Similarly, the wings, feet, and beak sizes also differ.
Akhtar advised, “Citizens must not scare crows out of their habitats as they don’t built nests for staying, they usually stay under big roadside trees. The essential food of the crow is small insects and sometimes, those insects consume a harmful pesticide, which also hampers the crows’ health.”
It may be mentioned that to some extent, the percentage of crows has gone done due to deforestation.
Conservationist Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury said, “Crows are very clever, lively and social birds. Crows are considered important because after vultures, they are nature’s scavengers.”
He added, “Due to some diseases, the crow population has declined. We should try to care for nature’s scavengers and people should refrain from throwing poisonous substances in the wastelands, from where crows might consume those.”
