Quantcast
breaking news

Crow population drops in Danville

Updated: January 10, 2013
watch video
DANVILLE -- The city of Danville has been a popular gathering place for crows, but this winter, birdwatchers noticed something strange.
A lot of those birds have disappeared. 
"As the months rolled on, people weren't complaining as much about the crows," said Mary Jane Easterday with the Middlefork Audubon Society. Families have complained about the noise and droppings the birds left behind for years. 
But this year, Audubon says the crow population has dropped by more than half. The group conducts an annual Christmas bird count. They estimate there are a little over 121,000 crows roosting in Danville this year. Past numbers were as high as 250,000. 
"It's probably been affected by the drought," said Steve Bailey with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Bailey says the dry conditions means less fruits and nuts, plus less animals that eat those things as well. Crows are omnivores so their food supply has dwindled as well. "There isn't much of everything the crow eat."
Experts also think West Nile may have played a role in the unexpected drop. A dead crow near the Chicago area tested positive for that virus a few months back. Experts say they're not certain what's behind the decreasing numbers; they don't know where the birds have headed to either.
Easterday says she's called a number of Audubon groups in Central Illinois. All report little to no fluctuations in their crow population.

Comments

Log in to comment on this article

Readers Feel...

hello
Related Content

The forecast for the next few hours....

MATTOON -- A man accused of withholding evidence from police pleaded not guilty today....

HOOPESTON -- A positive attitude helped this mini-celebrity in Our Town, survive cancer. ...

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor Quinn and legislative leaders are considering a new plan to tackle the state's pension crisis....

SPRINGFIELD -- Concealed-carry is coming to part of Central Illinois....

URBANA -- The Urbana Free Library's board is trying to get to the bottom of a "weeding" issue....

CHAMPAIGN -- Renovations at Bottenfield Elementary School will soon begin....

CHICAGO -- A family finally gets some closure following a deadly accident in Champaign County....

HOOPESTON -- This Kid to Know from Our Town remembers doing everything she really likes to do even after spending almost two years of her life in the hospital....

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois' lawmakers reconvene in the Capitol City Wednesday to debate the state's $97 billion pension crisis. ...

 
More From WCIA News
  • Brothers to Re-Build After Fire
    Reported By: Amanda Evans/WCIA 3 NEWS
    Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 1:27 PM
    Two Brothers say they'll re-build after watching their family business go up in flames.
    Read More»
  • Welcome to my blog
    Reported By: Jennifer Roscoe / WCIA-3
    Monday, April 23, 2007 @12:23 PM
    Theres so much more I want to say...
    Read More»
  • Pit Bull Returned
    Reported By: Charles Vance/WCIA 3
    Monday, April 23, 2007 @11:47 AM
    A Danville man said he is worried what will happen now that the dog that attacked him is going home with its owners...
    Read More»
  • Historic Urbana Homes
    Reported By: Amber Jenne/WCIA-3
    Monday, April 23, 2007 @10:39 AM
    Some people in Urbana may soon have more reason to call their home "historic." The City Council will meet tonight to consider incentives that would...
    Read More»
  • Low Income Health Insurance
    Reported By: Anne Dill/WCIA 3 News
    Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 6:00 AM
    The Frances Nelson Health Center provides an example of the health care needs in Central Illinois.
    Read More»
Start
4331433243334334433543364337433843394340
End
      Page 4336 of 4722
 
Connect with ciLiving

 
 
 
©1998 - 2013 Illinoishomepage.net
Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
All Rights Reserved