Did you know that the first scarecrows in recorded history were made along the Nile River to protect Egyptian wheat fields from flocks of quail? Later, Greek farmers carved wooden scarecrows to look like Priapus, who according to legend was very ugly. The vineyard keepers noticed that when Priapus played in the vineyards the birds stayed away from the grapes and the harvest was good. He was painted purple with a club in one hand and a sickle in the other to represent a good harvest. As was their way, the Romans copied the Greek custom of erecting carved Priapus scarecrows in their fields, and spread this custom throughout the lands they conquered.

Native American tribes throughout North America used scarecrows or bird scarers to protect their corn crops. Most bird scarers were adult males. They sat on raised wooden platforms, howling and shouting when crows or woodchucks came near the corn. Creek Indian families set up huts in their corn fields during the growing season where they lived to protect the crop. Seneca Indians soaked corn seeds in a poisonous herb mixture that would make crows fly crazily around the fields and scare away other birds.

In the Southwest, Zunis developed a unique method using yucca plants to protect their corn fields from pests. Cedar poles were placed about 6-9 feet apart throughout the cornfield. The fiber of the yucca plant was made into cords and strung from pole to pole like clotheslines. Rags, pieces of dog and coyote skins, and the shoulder blades of animals were hung from these lines. The waving rags and clacking blades kept most birds away. The Navajos also made scarecrows and used bird scarers.