A scarecrow is a figure usually made of sticks. It looks like a person. It is dressed in old clothes. A farmer puts a scarecrow in a field after he has planted seeds. He hopes the scarecrow will frighten birds away from the field. Some birds — such as crows and sparrows — eat the seeds the farmer plants. He does not want the birds to do this. If the birds eat the seeds, the farmer will not have a big crop of things to eat.