Crows Dive-Bombing Moscow Store

Siberian crows, brought to Moscow in the 1970s to control the city’s growing pigeon population, have taken to bombing the glass roof of the GUM department store in Red Square with heavy stones, Moscow Pravda reported Saturday.

The report was the latest on the exploits of the huge gray-black birds who have proliferated in Moscow’s relatively mild climate after the rigors of their native habitat in central Siberia.

Earlier reports from Moscow architects said the crows had enjoyed sliding down the gilded cupolas on the Kremlin’s historic churches and had damaged several of them seriously.

According to the architects, loudspeakers emitting animal cries have been set up on the church roofs to scare away the crows.

As for GUM’s problem, Moscow Pravda said, the store has tried replacing the ordinary glass covering the department store roof with a specially reinforced transparent roof.