Pigeon Control and Abatement
The pigeon is one of the most visible pest birds in urban areas, found in huge flocks in every city across North America. Pigeons have evolved into successful city dwellers, with little fear of humans (or much in terms of respect) and happily nesting and roosting in and on all types of building structures. They can be found in groups of 50 to 500 and lay eggs up to six times each year in warmer climates. Their success is also aided by their diverse diet which includes; grass seed, berries, scavenged human food, insects, caterpillars, spiders as well as bird seed and bread fed by bird lovers everywhere.
Common Scenarios or Problem Areas
Architectural Structures
We are most often called to businesses or landmarks with ledges. Pigeons will roost or nest on, and defecate from all sorts of ledges. Neither billboards and corporate signage nor historical statues and monuments are safe. In addition to unsightly droppings, pigeons do carry bacteria and parasites and the acidic nature of their feces promotes the corrosion of structures. This can (and has) lead to catastrophical failure in bridges.
Public Spaces
Equally common are complaints about pigeons in parks, on golf courses, or other public areas. Unfortunately, it is often the patrons of such spaces who enable and encourage the presence of pigeons. While many of us enjoy 'feeding the birds', we best refrain from doing so. We are, in essence, teaching the birds to view the space as safe and continuously return for food.
Pigeon control and removal solutions
There are numerous products and techniques that can help control and resolve your pigeon problem. However, a multi faceted approach yields the most success over the long term. The key to controlling and removing pigeons is to make an area unappealing or unsafe. The most effective way to do this is with the use of falconry. By using birds of prey we can effectively scare pigeons away from an area without having to resort to lethal methods. This, combined with other methods such as trapping, shooting, and removing sources of food and physical changes to their roosting and nesting areas are highly effective long term solutions. Coil, spring wire, spikes, bird points and netting are all additional solutions for pigeon control, but it takes an expert to know when, where and how to install them to be effective. There are three different types of bird pressure; light, medium, and heavy, that describe whether the birds are nesting or just perching on the ledges of a building or both. For each type of pressure there are different solutions that are most effective. Light pressure is when there is no nesting but birds are landing on signs, ledges, you name it. Heavy pressure is when there is nesting and shelter from rain and wind in a specific area providing ultimate nesting conditions. Medium pressure usually does not consist of nesting, but describes an area that offers a food source, or a site that is more frequently visited and shows signs of droppings and moderate activity.
We are equipped to provide solutions for any type of bird pressure. Hawkeye is the #1 Pigeon Control & Removal Specialist in the U.S. and Canada.
The most effective solution for pigeon control & removal is the use of trapping. This has to be started early in the year, and timing is critical.
The use of falconry to control and remove pigeons is one of the most effective solutions. Falconry can be effectively combined with other physical barriers and removal techniques for pigeon control, but only a professional bird and wildlife removal company such as Hawkeye can help you with the solutions that are most effective. At Hawkeye, we will help you with the removal and determine the best schedule for falconry, trapping, shooting, or prevention installation.
Health hazards associated with Pigeons
Pigeons pose a health hazard to people as they carry Salmonella and Chlamydophila psittaci, a bacteria that causes psittacosis, a serious, although rarely fatal disease for humans.
- The general public's affection toward birds translates into a serious underestimation of the health risks associated with pest birds...
Physical damage caused by Pigeons
Pigeons cause millions of dollars of damage in urban areas every year. Their feces have uric acid which is extremely corrosive. Pigeon flocks nesting or roosting on a roof will seriously corrode the roofing materials, cutting its life in half. They cause extensive damage to rooftop machinery like air conditioning units. Other economic costs include slip and fall liability, product contamination and risk to company/building reputation as buildings are seen as unclean and dirty.
- Pest birds cause tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to buildings, machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and more...
- One of the most publicized examples of pigeon damage was the collapse of the 35W Bride in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the summer of 2007.
Pigeon life cycles
Pigeons do not migrate and they stay close to where they were born, making them determined to roost there. This tendency can cause a lot of grief for the inexperienced pest control company. Each day, pigeons spend the night roosting, feed in the morning and spend the afternoon loafing about, often excreting the digested food eaten that morning.
Pigeon nesting
Pigeons build simple nests made up of a few twigs linked together. When with large numbers of pigeons, they will lay eggs directly on a protected surface. They will build nests on almost any raised, flat surface including; building ledges, bridges, air conditioner units and window sills. The female will lay several eggs at a time which take approximately eighteen days to hatch. Fledglings (baby birds) take just over a month to leave the nest.