Warning issued after crows attacks walker in Milton Keynes, pulling out her hair

A nesting season warning has been issued after two crows launched a violent attack on a walker in Milton Keynes.

The woman was walking along the redway between Bradville and Bluebridge on Thursday morning when she heard the crows cawing.

Suddenly one of them swooped down and “divebombed” her on the head, pulling out a few hairs in the process.

The walker quickly pulled her hood over her face before a second crow swooped, this time putting two puncture marks in her hands.

Though the injuries were not severe, the victim describes the attack as “a rather scary and surreal Hitchcock moment.”

She believes the crows may have had a nest nearby and were protecting it.

And she wanted to warn others to take care when walking in the area, particularly if they have small children.

“Be careful if you need to go that way,” she said.

According to bird expert website On The Feeder, crows attacking humans can be a common occurrence. The birds will usually only attack in self-defence but their attack strategy can be quite intimidating.

The website states: “Crows are more intelligent than most birds, so they usually won’t attack random people just for passing by. Crows are very good at watching humans. They can tell if a human is walking by their tree or toward their tree. Unlike most other birds crows tend to fight in these situations rather than fly away.

"Crows attack silently in a dive bomb technique. They make as little noise and are as unnoticeable as possible before swooping down toward the human’s head. After swooping, crows will either grab onto the human or jab their claws and beak into them from the air. They will make an effort to target the face, if possible.”

“Crows that have had bad experiences with humans may be more prone to attack. If the crow has negatively encountered you in the past, they will recognize you and may be more likely to attack. Crows may also attack if they expect you to give them food, particularly in highly populated areas.”

Ironically, the term for a crowd of crows is a ‘murder’. This is thought to be because people once associated their black feathers with death.