The USDA is studying Bloomington's large crow population to try and determine the best way to address the pests. The agency estimates there are as many as 13,000 crows in the city.
The USDA hosted a presentation Friday to give people an update on its pest bird survey. Downtown Bloomington Inc. is working with the agency to come up with a solution to address increasing property damage the crows are causing.
"Right now we're in a data collection time so we're not going about doing any moving of the crows or trying to get them to leave but that will come in the future," says Zachary Bowling with the USDA.
The city is asking residents to provide information about the crows through their location-based U report phone app. People can report crow sightings under the ‘miscellaneous' section.
"If you do see large flocks of birds in your neighborhood, it's some data that we may be able to supply to the USDA folks that may help them in the long run," says Acting Director of Public Works Adam Wason.
Once the USDA knows more about the habits of Bloomington's crows, the agency will work with the city to find the best harassment method to drive them away.