scarecrow

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The common form of a scarecrow is a humanoid figure dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. Machinery such as windmills have been employed as scarecrows, but the effectiveness lessens as animals become familiar with the structures.{{citation|last=Hartshorne |first=Henry |year=1881 |title=The Household Cyclopedia of General Information |location=New York |publisher=Thomas Kelly |quote=Machinery of various kinds, such as wind-mills in miniature, horse rattles, etc., to be put in motion by the wind, are often employed to frighten crows; but with all of these they soon become familiar, when they cease to be of any use whatever.
Additionally, the humanoid frame of the traditional scarecrow was thought to aid in deterring the birds. The most effectual method of banishing them from a field, as far as experience goes, is to combine with one or other of the scarecrows in vogue the frequent use of the musket. Nothing strikes such terror into these sagacious animals as the sight of a fowling-piece and the explosion of gun powder, which they have known so often to be fatal to their race.
Such is their dread of a fowling-piece, that if one is placed upon a dyke or other eminence, it will for a long time prevent them from alighting on the adjacent grounds. Many people now, however, believe that crows like most other birds, do more good by destroying insects and worms, etc., than harm by eating grain.}}

Since the invention of the humanoid scarecrow, more effective methods have been developed. On California farmland, highly-reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to the plants to produce shimmers from the sun. Another approach is using automatic noise guns powered by propane gas. One winery in New York has even used inflatable tube men or airdancers to scare away birds.{{cite news|url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579210132891841764|title=New Scarecrows for Vineyards: Car Dealers' Inflatable 'Dancing' Tube Men|last=Kamp|first=Jon|date=29 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129073509/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579210132891841764|archive-date=2013-11-29|newspaper=Wall Street Journal}}

File:Circle of scarecrow children at Joe's Scarecrow Village.JPG

• Joe's Scarecrow Village in Cape Breton, Canada, was a roadside attraction displaying dozens of scarecrows.{{cite web |title=Joe's Scarecrow Village |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/joe-s-scarecrow-village |website=atlasobscura.com |publisher=Atlas Obscura |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=24 August 2010 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/joe-s-scarecrow-village |url-status=live }}
• The Japanese village of Nagoro, on the island of Shikoku in the Tokushima Prefecture, has 35 inhabitants but more than 350 scarecrows.{{cite news |last1=Levius |first1=Travis |title=Valley of the dolls: Inside Japan's 'Scarecrow Village' |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/nagoro-japan-scarecrow-village/index.html |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=CNN |date=23 July 2019 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/nagoro-japan-scarecrow-village/index.html |url-status=live }}
• In the United Kingdom, where there are a few different languages and several different dialects,{{cite web |last1=Starkey |first1=Ryan |title=Map of British English dialects |url=https://starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/map-of-british-english-dialects/ |website=starkeycomics.com |publisher=Starkey Comics |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=7 November 2023 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121034804/https://starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/map-of-british-english-dialects/ |url-status=live }} there are a wide range of alternative names such as:{{cite web |last1=Kinsley |first1=Austin |title=Bisterne Scarecrow Festival |url=https://www.silentearth.org/bisterne-scarecrow-festival/#:~:text=In%20Britain%2C%20scarecrows%20have%20been,'%2C%20and%20'bwbach'. |website=silentearth.org |publisher=Silent Earth |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=29 August 2015 |archive-date=6 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206001517/https://www.silentearth.org/bisterne-scarecrow-festival/#:~:text=In%20Britain%2C%20scarecrows%20have%20been,'%2C%20and%20'bwbach'. |url-status=usurped }}{{cite web |title=Scarecrow words |url=https://relatedwords.io/scarecrow |website=relatedwords.io |publisher=Related words |access-date=30 November 2023 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070040/https://relatedwords.io/scarecrow |url-status=live }}

• A supervillain named Scarecrow is part of the Rogues Gallery of the DC hero Batman.

File:Norland Scarecrow Festival 12.jpg at Norland Scarecrow Festival, West Yorkshire, England]]

File:Urchfont Scarecrow Festival, Ali Baba.jpg

• In England, the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival was established in the 1990s and has become a major local event, attracting up to 10,000 people annually for the May Day Bank Holiday.{{cite web|url=http://www.urchfont-pc.gov.uk/News_and_Events/Scarecrow_Festival.aspx|title=Urchfont Parish Council – Scarecrow Festival|first=Urchfont Parish|last=Council|access-date=2013-04-15|archive-date=2013-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330080049/http://www.urchfont-pc.gov.uk/News_and_Events/Scarecrow_Festival.aspx|url-status=live}} Originally based on an idea imported from Derbyshire, or Kettlewell, North Yorkshire,{{cite web |title=Urchfont 25th Scarecrow Festival |url=https://www.urchfontscarecrows.co.uk/history |website=urchfontscarecrows.co.uk |publisher=Urchfont Scarecrow Festival Charity |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=2023 |archive-date=24 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524091535/https://www.urchfontscarecrows.co.uk/history |url-status=live }} it was the first Scarecrow Festival to be established in the whole of southern England.{{cite web |title=The UK's Traditional Scarecrow Festival at Its Best |url=https://tv-english.club/articles-en/discover-great-britain-en/the-ukvs-traditional-scarecrow-festival-at-its-best/ |website=tv-english.club |publisher=TV English Club |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=1 July 2023 |archive-date=5 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205152326/https://tv-english.club/articles-en/discover-great-britain-en/the-ukvs-traditional-scarecrow-festival-at-its-best/ |url-status=live }}

• Belbroughton, north Worcestershire, holds an annual Scarecrow Weekend on the last weekend of each September since 1996, which raises money for local charities.{{cite journal|first=Jo|last=Travis|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CUTTING-EDGE+OF+HISTORY%3B+DOWN+YOUR+WAY+Jo+Travis+reports+on+a+rural...-a0176929739|title=CUTTING-EDGE OF HISTORY; DOWN YOUR WAY Jo Travis reports on a rural idyll that was once a world capital of industry|journal=Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd|year=2008|access-date=2014-10-02|archive-date=2014-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082142/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CUTTING-EDGE+OF+HISTORY%3B+DOWN+YOUR+WAY+Jo+Travis+reports+on+a+rural...-a0176929739|url-status=live}}{{cite web |author=Scarecrow Committee (a subcommittee of Belbroughton Parochial Church Council) |url=http://www.belbroughtonscarecrow.co.uk/ |title=Belbroughton Scarecrow Festival |access-date=2014-10-02 |archive-date=2018-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810091403/http://belbroughtonscarecrow.co.uk/ |url-status=live }} The village of Meerbrook in Staffordshire holds an annual Scarecrow Festival during the month of May. Tetford and Salmonby, Lincolnshire, jointly host one.

• The festival at Wray, Lancashire, was established in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. In the village of Orton, Eden, Cumbria scarecrows are displayed each year, often using topical themes such as a Dalek exterminating a Wind turbine to represent local opposition to a wind farm.

• The village of Blackrod, near Bolton in Greater Manchester, holds a popular annual Scarecrow Festival over a weekend usually in early July.

• Norland, West Yorkshire, has a Scarecrow festival. Kettlewell in North Yorkshire has held an annual festival since 1994.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-14521444 |title=Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival draws in crowds |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2011-08-14 |access-date=2012-07-12 |archive-date=2011-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814171701/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-14521444 |url-status=live }} The villages of Cotherstone,{{cite news |last1=Banks |first1=Georgia |title=County Durham village invaded by scarecrows |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19465587.county-durham-village-invaded-scarecrows/ |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The Northern Echo |date=23 July 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19465587.county-durham-village-invaded-scarecrows/ |url-status=live }} Staindrop,{{cite web |title=Staindrop: best time to visit |url=https://travopo.com/travel-guides/england/staindrop/ |website=travopo.com |publisher=Staindrop |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=2023 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126071542/https://travopo.com/travel-guides/england/staindrop/ |url-status=live }} and Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham have annual scarecrow festivals.{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Nicky |title=Characters from kids' books brought to life |url=https://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/news/characters-from-kids-books-brought-to-life |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=Teesdale Mercury |date=14 August 2022 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/news/characters-from-kids-books-brought-to-life |url-status=live }}

• Scotland's first scarecrow festival was held in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, in 2004,{{citation|url=http://scotland.stv.tv/see-do/190025-tiger-woods-and-homer-simpson-appear-at-village-scarecrow-festival|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114183036/http://scotland.stv.tv/see-do/190025-tiger-woods-and-homer-simpson-appear-at-village-scarecrow-festival/ |title=Tiger Woods and Homer Simpson Appear at Village Scarecrow Festival |archive-date=2011-01-14}} and there is also one held in Montrose. On the Isle of Skye, the Tattie bogal event{{cite web|url=http://www.tattiebogal.co.uk/|title=Tattie Bogal – Home|access-date=2013-10-18|archive-date=2013-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019173327/http://www.tattiebogal.co.uk/|url-status=live}} is held each year, featuring a scarecrow trail and other events. Tonbridge in Kent also host an annual Scarecrow Trail,{{cite web | title = Scarecrow Trail | url = http://www.tmbc.gov.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=2922 | access-date = 2008-12-09 | archive-date = 2009-01-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090110000956/http://www.tmbc.gov.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=2922 | url-status = live }} organised by the local Rotary Club to raise money for local charities. Gisburn, Lancashire, held its first Scarecrow Festival in June 2014.

• Mullion, in Cornwall, has an annual scarecrow festival since 2007.{{cite news |title=No shock that Mullion Scarecrow Festival was 'best ever' |url=https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11435886.no-shock-that-mullion-scarecrow-festival-was-best-ever/ |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The Packet |date=29 August 2014 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11435886.no-shock-that-mullion-scarecrow-festival-was-best-ever/ |url-status=live }}

• In the US, St. Charles, Illinois, hosts an annual Scarecrow Festival.{{cite web | title = Scarecrow Festival | url = http://www.scarecrowfest.com/ | access-date = 2008-10-22 | archive-date = 2023-10-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231008143941/https://www.scarecrowfest.com/ | url-status = live }} Peddler's Village in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hosts an annual scarecrow festival and presents a scarecrow display in September–October that draws tens of thousands of visitors.{{cite web |first1=Andrew |last1=Unknown |title=A History Of Scarecrows |url=https://sunandseedlings.com/history-of-scarecrows/ |website=sunandseedlings.com/ |publisher=Sun and Seedlings |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=8 February 2022 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://sunandseedlings.com/history-of-scarecrows/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Celebrating 45 years of Scarecrows in the Village |url=https://peddlersvillage.com/event/scarecrows-in-the-village/ |website=peddlersvillage.com |publisher=Peddler's Village |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030173349/https://peddlersvillage.com/event/scarecrows-in-the-village/ |url-status=live }}

• The "pumpkin people" come in the autumn months in the valley region of Nova Scotia, Canada. They are scarecrows with pumpkin heads applied to them doing various things such as playing the fiddle or riding a wooden horse. Hickling, in the south of Nottinghamshire, is another village that celebrates an annual scarecrow event. It is very popular and has successfully raised a great deal of money for charity.{{cite web |url=http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/news/Village-hands-over-13500.6061185.jp |title=Village hands over £13,500 – Local |publisher=Melton Times |date=2010-02-09 |access-date=2012-07-12 |archive-date=2010-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217012148/http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/news/Village-hands-over-13500.6061185.jp |url-status=live }} Meaford, Ontario, has celebrated the Scarecrow Invasion since 1996.{{cite news |last1=Vance |first1=Stephen |title=No Scarecrow Invasion For 2023 |url=https://themeafordindependent.ca/no-scarecrow-invasion-for-2023/ |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=Meaford Independent |date=30 January 2023 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129111329/https://themeafordindependent.ca/no-scarecrow-invasion-for-2023/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Schedule of events 2023 |url=https://scarecrowinvasion.com/schedule-of-events-2023/ |website=scarecrowinvasion.com |publisher=Meaford Scarecrow Invasion |access-date=30 November 2023 |date=2023 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126071543/https://scarecrowinvasion.com/schedule-of-events-2023/ |url-status=dead }}

• In the Philippines in 2015, the Province of Isabela started a scarecrow festival named after the local language: the Bambanti Festival. The province invites all its cities and towns to participate for the festivities, which last a week; it has drawn tourists from around the island of Luzon.{{cite news |last1=Abad-Bergonia |first1=Virginia |title=Bambanti Festival 2018 |url=https://provinceofisabela.ph/index.php/using-joomla/extensions/components/content-component/article-categories/334-reawakening-the-beauty-of-arts-and-culture |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=Manila Times |agency= |via=Province of Isabela |date=8 February 2018 |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126070041/https://provinceofisabela.ph/index.php/using-joomla/extensions/components/content-component/article-categories/334-reawakening-the-beauty-of-arts-and-culture |url-status=live }}

• The largest gathering of scarecrows in one location is 3,812 and was achieved by National Forest Adventure Farm in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, UK, on 7 August 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-display-of-scarecrows|title=Guinness World Records|date=7 August 2014|access-date=29 November 2016|archive-date=30 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130050816/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-display-of-scarecrows|url-status=live}}

File:A scarecrow known as "Bungkhyachaa" in Nepali in a cauliflower field in Nepal.jpg|A scarecrow known as "Bungkhyachaa" in Nepali in a cauliflower field in Nepal

File:HuiAn - Zishan Town - P1230107.JPG|Scarecrow near Hui'an, China

File:Scarecrow. Drawing by Carus.jpg|Scarecrow. Drawing by Carus. Postcard from 1910–1915.

Scarecrow in a chicken field (DSCF5735).jpg|Scarecrow in Belgium

File:Scarecrow at Madikai Ambalathukara 02.jpg|Scarecrow at Madikai Ambalathukara

• Bird scarer
• Effigy
• Garden owl
• Henohenomoheji
• Klopotec
• Kostroma
• Kuebiko
• Straw man (dummy)
• Sōzu
• Kunekune (urban legend)
• Ting mong

{{reflist|30em}}

Scarecrow Fact and Fable, Peter Haining, 1986

{{Commons category-inline|Scarecrows}}

{{Commons category-inline|Scarecrow festivals}}

{{Wiktionary|scarecrow}}

• [http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=394494 Photo of a crow trap in Australia]
• [http://historybecauseitshere.weebly.com/scarecrows-historically-speaking.html Scarecrows historically speaking]

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Category:Bird pest control