Thousands of crows roosting at night in a US city centre have prompted residents to compare the landscape to Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds as they work to drive away the flocks.

The crows troubling Springfield, Ohio, are not aggressive like the killer birds in the 1963 thriller. But with up to 50,000 of them, their overwhelming presence on trees, buildings and other perches is causing concern about damage to buildings and potential health hazards from the birds' waste.

Businesses and city workers are using noise devices and laser pointers among other deterrents.

Clark County Historical Society said removing the droppings left at the county's Heritage Centre and other buildings was also costly for property owners.

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