Scarecrow

A Scarecrow is a craftable item that protects crops from being eaten by crows. It becomes available at Farming level 1, and crafting one also completes the "Advancement" quest. Regular scarecrows are not needed for crops grown from Wild Seeds, since crows do not target them.

A single Scarecrow protects a circular area of 249 tiles, including the tile it stands on. In practical terms, this is a 17×17 area centered on the Scarecrow, reaching 8 tiles in each cardinal direction and 6 tiles in each diagonal direction. The protected area excludes the 10 tiles in each corner of that square.

Scarecrows are especially important early in the game, when even a few crows can ruin newly planted fields. As farms expand, players often place multiple scarecrows so that their coverage overlaps and leaves no crop unprotected. On Ginger Island, scarecrows are unnecessary because there are no crows there.

Rarecrows function the same way as regular Scarecrows, with one special exception: the Alien Scarecrow can wear hats. Collecting all 8 Rarecrows triggers a letter soon after, usually the next day, that contains the recipe for the Deluxe Scarecrow.

• Rarecrow #1 is sold at the Stardew Valley Fair.
• Rarecrow #2 is sold at Spirit's Eve.
• Rarecrow #3 is sold at the Casino.
• Rarecrow #4 is sold by the Traveling Cart during fall or winter, and also at the Festival of Ice.
• Rarecrow #5 is sold at the Flower Dance.
• Rarecrow #6 is sold by the Dwarf.
• Rarecrow #7 is awarded for donating 20 Artifacts to the Museum; after earning it once, it can also be purchased from the Night Market.
• Rarecrow #8 is awarded for donating 40 items to the Museum; after earning it once, it can also be purchased from the Night Market.

Interacting with a Scarecrow displays a message showing how many crows it has scared away. This counter resets if the Scarecrow is picked up.