Crow released after spending weeks living at Vancouver airport

A crow perches on an art installation at the Vancouver airport in an image from Twitter.

A crow that made the Vancouver International Airport its home for weeks has been released into the wild, officials said Monday.

The crow caught the attention of many travellers passing through YVR airport this month, and inspired a Twitter account that dubbed the bird Moira – an apparent reference to the TV show "Schitt's Creek."

Social media pictures captured the crow perching on everything from the airport's chairs to art installations.

"I live in YVR and I want your food. I'll poop where I please," reads Moira's Twitter bio.

According to the YVR website, birds occasionally make their way indoors using the "hundreds of doors and windows" in the airport.

"The open architecture inside the building allows the birds to find their way to almost any area within the terminal. The birds typically find their way out on their own, however, some opt to stay put," the website reads.

Sightings are common enough that the airport has a wildlife management team that's tasked with safely capturing and removing the birds, sometimes using nets or cages.

No, I’m not going to Edmonton. It’s -7°C there. I prefer my climate controlled terminal. I’m just here to see what dumbdumbs are voluntarily opting for YEG…#TerminalBird #stayingwarm #BirdsOfTwitter pic.twitter.com/VfWIfVCg0o

— YVRcrow (@crowYVR) January 17, 2023

While birds are not considered an impediment to airport operations, YVR noted their "excrement can be damaging to our beautiful artwork.” Travellers are urged not to feed birds in the airport, as the wildlife management team already provides them with food, according to the website.

Moira's safe re-release was announced on the YVR Twitter account, which noted that the crow seemed to live "happily" during its weeks in the terminal.