“Invasive alien birds” might sound like the title of a Hollywood thriller, but for the residents of coastal Kenya, it’s a pressing reality.

The government is so concerned about the disruption caused by Indian house crows that they have launched a campaign to cull one million of these birds.

Unlike Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds,” this cull isn’t about attacks on humans. However, for decades, these crows have caused significant havoc, preying on local wildlife, invading tourist spots, and wreaking havoc on poultry farms. Now, the authorities have resorted to using poison in the towns of Watamu and Malindi to eliminate the first wave of these troublesome birds.

This extensive poisoning effort is part of a broader strategy to stop the crows from advancing towards Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Locally known as “kunguru” or “kurabu,” these birds originally hail from India and other parts of Asia, often spreading by hitching rides on trading ships.

It’s believed that they were intentionally introduced to East Africa in the 1890s to address a growing waste problem in the Zanzibar archipelago, then under British control. From Zanzibar, they gradually made their way to mainland Africa, eventually reaching Kenya.

The first recorded sighting of the Indian house crow in Mombasa dates back to 1947. Since then, their population has surged, fuelled by the growing human population and the accompanying piles of garbage, which provide ideal conditions for the birds to thrive. With no natural predators in the region, their numbers have continued to grow unchecked.

These crows, among the world’s most invasive and destructive bird species, have been moving steadily northward.

“They prey on the indigenous species, not just birds but also mammals, reptiles – and so their impact on biodiversity is devastating,” Jaap Gijsbertsen, a Dutch bird expert, who is visiting Kenya’s Watamu area, said.

Conservationists warn that they have decimated populations of small native birds like weavers and waxbills, destroying nests, eggs, and even chicks.

“When the population of local birds declines, the environment begins to suffer. There will be a possible increase of harmful pests and insects that the birds prey on,” Lennox Kirao, a research scientist with conservation group A Rocha Kenya, said.

Additionally, the crows damage crops, livestock, and poultry, further threatening local livelihoods.

“They pounce on chicks and eat them like madmen. These are not normal birds, they act wildly,” said Eunice Katana, a resident of Takaye village in Kilifi county.

They are also notorious for their aggressive behaviour, even communicating distress or signalling the presence of prey with a unique sound. In Mombasa, the birds have become a public nuisance, defecating on buildings and making it unpleasant for people to sit under trees due to the risk of being soiled by their droppings.

“These crows rise early and interrupt our sleep with their annoying squeals and cawing,” Mombasa resident Victor Kimuli said.

Faced with these problems, the Kenyan authorities felt compelled to act, aiming to halve the Indian house crow population through poisoning, which began on Tuesday. The culling strategy follows extensive consultations with environmental experts, conservationists, community leaders, and representatives from the hotel industry, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

“We are trying to get their population down to a controllable number,” said Mr Kirao.

The culling process involves months of preparation, during which the birds are lured to specific locations near their roosting sites using bait.

“We then poison them after pulling together the highest number in the baiting sites,” Eric Kinoti, an official from the A Rocha Kenya, said.

The poison being used, an avian toxin called Starlicide, has proven effective in reducing crow numbers without harming other birds or animals. During efficacy tests conducted in 2022 by Little Kenya Gardens, a company licensed to import the poison, nearly 2,000 crows were killed.

“The slow-acting poison is entirely metabolised by the crow before it dies – which means, there is little risk of secondary poisoning to any other species that feeds on the dead crow,” Ms Ruto added.

Currently, there are 2kg (4.4lb) of Starlicide available in Kenya, which is expected to kill about 20,000 crows. Plans are underway to import more poison from New Zealand.

However, the use of poison has sparked ethical concerns among animal and bird rights activists, who argue that the practice is inhumane and that non-lethal alternatives should be considered.

“Mass poisoning is a short-term solution that does not address the root cause of the problem,” said Leonard Onyango, an environmentalist.

“There is a need to look at sustainable, humane approaches to manage the crow population,” he added.

Despite these concerns, those involved in the program stress the importance of protecting native species and maintaining ecological balance.

“If we do nothing now, the damage could become irreversible,” said Mr Kirao, who is involved in the culling programme.

This is not Kenya’s first attempt to control invasive bird species. Over 20 years ago, a similar campaign succeeded in reducing the crow population, but the government later banned the importation of Starlicide to regulate the substances entering the country.

The crows have become a major problem in tourist areas, where they flock to dining spaces, disrupting guests.

“The crows have really become a big bother to guests who visit our hotels to enjoy their meals outside the tropical beaches,” Maureen Awuor, the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers chairperson, said.

Some hotels have resorted to trapping or using catapults to scare them away, but these methods have proven largely ineffective.

The crows are intelligent enough to avoid areas where they see other birds being trapped or killed.

Despite the planned cull, authorities feel they have no other option, especially given the recent sightings of the crows as far inland as Mtito Andei, about 240km (150 miles) from Nairobi. Conservationists fear that if left unchecked, the crows could spread even further, posing a greater threat to Kenya’s biodiversity and economy.

 

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