Experts warn of crow attacks in Korea

An increase in reports of crows attacking pedestrians in Korean city centers has caused fear among many people. The birds’ aggressive behavior is attributed to the current breeding and nesting season, when the territorial corvids may attack to protect their young. Experts are urging caution and encouraging anyone outdoors to remain vigilant.

In an interview on CBS radio program “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” on Thursday, a resident of Seoul’s Seodaemun district recounted her experience of being attacked by a crow.

“I was leaving a parking lot and walking toward a building near Gwanghwamun when I saw two crows sitting on a railing,” the woman recalled.

“It was the first time I had seen crows up close, so I couldn’t help but stare. Then one looked me straight in the eyes.”

“I looked away and kept walking, but then I felt something heavy on my head. The crow grabbed my neck and my hair,” she recalls.

“It was a shocking experience to know that it was the crow I had just looked into the eyes of.”

The crow staring into the woman’s eyes was about an arm’s length away.

“At first I tried to shoo it away, but then I became afraid that I might hurt my hands. I need my hands for work,” she recalls.

“So I just ran away. Then I heard the crow fly away. I looked back and it was sitting on the railing again.”

“I was shocked, but even more I felt like I was in danger,” the woman said.

“That was the first time I became aware of crows attacking people. If I see one again, I’ll probably do everything I can to avoid it.”

The internet is full of similar stories.

“I saw two crows that were constantly attacking passersby and aiming for their heads. They would stay in the same place and hunt passersby. Imagine if they were sitting near a school while the children were on their way to class!”

“A child who lives in a nearby apartment complex fell while trying to avoid a crow and scraped his leg.”

According to experts, a particular species of crow, the large-billed crow, is particularly native to urban areas. Park Byeong-kwon, director of the Urban Ecology Research Institute, was also a guest on the CBS radio show.

“Crows used to have forests and agricultural land as their habitat. Recently, however, cities with tall buildings have become their main nesting sites. Cities have also developed more public parks over the years. Winter provides fruit, while spring and summer offer an abundance of eggs of smaller birds – not to mention their offspring. Crows have no reason to avoid cities,” Park said.

According to Park, the number of crows living in urban areas has increased tenfold in recent years.

In some regions, their numbers have increased by a factor of 100 or more. While the eradication of sparrows, magpies, crows and other birds officially classified as “harmful” is legal, great-billed crows have been excluded from this list.

The main reason for the aggressiveness of crows is their breeding and nesting season, which usually begins in March and ends in June.

“Crows cannot help but become aggressive when humans approach their chicks or eggs. They are protective,” explains Park. “There are even cases where they attack small, slow or weak humans who happen to pass by an area they have claimed as their own, just to show everyone who’s boss.”

If humans have thrown stones at crows or otherwise harassed them, Park said, it is quite possible that the crows will retaliate to prove that they are capable of hurting humans as well.

The expert recommended putting up signs in areas where crows attack passersby and recommended using umbrellas. Park also suggested that people attacked by crows should swing a stick or other object to scare the birds away.

By Jeong Bong-bi, Editor

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