Pigeon Predators Archives - Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services

Pigeon Infestation & Health Hazards in Buildings

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:38:11 +0000

Summary

Feral pigeons (Columbia livia var. domestica) can be a nuisance and may cause significant damage to buildings. If feral pigeons take up residence within a disused property they can seriously damage the interior historic fabric, contents and finishes. It is vital to take measures to minimise pigeon activity in and around buildings in order to avoid additional maintenance issues and significant problems for renovation projects.

Rectifying the damage caused to the fabric of a property by pigeon guano (bird excreta) is expensive and in most cases avoidable. There are many methods of pigeon control including bird proofing, wire deterrent systems, netting, bird spikes and a large variety of electrical and sonic bird deterrent solutions.

Introduction

Feral pigeons and other birds make nests regularly and roost outside and inside our buildings. Architects, surveyors, construction professionals and maintenance staff are all familiar with the damage that can be caused by these birds sharing our environment.

History

Feral pigeons are believed to have descended from rock doves that interbred with racing pigeons and pigeons from domestic pigeon lofts. Skyscrapers and similar tall buildings provide ideal habitats, very similar to the cliff homes of their pigeon ancestors.

These pigeons have thrived by adapting to life in and around our buildings and have learnt to roost and breed very successfully within this environment. They thrive on a plentiful supply of our dropped and dumped food scraps. As they have adapted so excellently to this style of living, they have sometimes been called “the flying rat”. It’s no surprise that over recent years there has been a marked increase in the numbers of feral pigeons.

Adult Pigeons

The adult pigeon is about 33cm in length and weighs between 280 and 560g, an average of about 350g. Its plumage can vary considerably, from a close resemblance to that of the original rock dove (with blue-grey plumage, double black wing bars and a white rump), through to various blues, reds, chequered and almost black types. Colours vary considerably from blue-grey, through blues, reds, mottled patterns and charcoal to almost pure white (Simms, 1979).

The birds will roost and nest on horizontal building surfaces and any other structures that provide a small amount of shelter from the elements. Balconies, flat roofs, ledges, loft spaces and empty buildings are often used if the birds have access.

Nests are constructed of twigs but can also contain pieces of plastic and other debris. They may even be built on or near the dead bodies of other pigeons. Their natural food is grain and green vegetable matter but they will scavenge food and eat almost any foodstuff available such as dropped takeaway foods.

Life Cycle

The Feral Pigeon is capable of breeding throughout the year and nests may be found in any month. However the peak occurs between March and July. Usually, two white eggs are laid on consecutive days and incubation is shared between both adults. Incubation lasts for about 18 days, with fledging taking place about 4 ½ weeks later. A new clutch can be laid when the first young are just 20 days old. Therefore up to nine broods may be produced per year by just one female pigeon and pigeons may live as long as thirty years (P Ehrlich et al, 1988)

Deterioration and Damage to Buildings

Pigeon droppings are not only unsightly; their acid content can lead to the deterioration of soft stone and cause long-term damage to buildings (Bassi and Chiantante, 1976; Howard and Oldsbury 1991). The accumulation of pigeon droppings can deface the finishes of the exterior facade and the interior of the building. Removal is not only difficult and expensive but can cause more damage than the droppings in the first place (D Channon, 2004).

Nest droppings and feathers block gutters and rainwater pipes causing water damage to buildings. Their droppings can lead to hazards on pavements, especially for the elderly. Pigeons are capable of lifting loose roof coverings, tiles and battens to gain entry into the roof voids. This can significantly damage the structure by allowing water penetration, providing the ideal environmental conditions for the growth and proliferation of wood rotting fungi. Wood boring insects are attracted to this damp, rotting environment, leading to substantial further decay (Singh 1995).

Pigeon nesting materials, feathers and faeces can block parapet gutters and hopper heads, allowing water penetration into the building fabric and providing the ideal environmental conditions for the growth and development of decay organisms (Singh 1994a, & Singh 1999).

In poorly maintained and unoccupied buildings, where significant undetected water ingress has occurred, major outbreaks of dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) and wet rots establish and thrive. These include (Coniophora puteana, Antrodia xantha, A. searilis, A. vaillantti & Phellinus contiguus). Thesubsequent deterioration to the historic fabric, finishes and contents is an inevitable consequence (Singh 1994). Sometimes this deterioration is so dramatic that many of the important historical and architectural features are destroyed beyond repair.

Early-morning activity around nesting areas can cause a public nuisance, as can pestering for food. Around public and buildings of historic and touristic interest further problems can arise as the visitors start feeding pigeons. Their numbers will increase dramatically, leading to extensive faeces and fouling.

Ladders and fire escapes coated in pigeon droppings become slippery and unsafe to use particularly in wet conditions. Startled pigeons may take flight suddenly and cause a hazard to road traffic.

Pigeons and the Law

Most birds, their nests and eggs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The act allows the control of certain birds, including feral pigeons, by authorised people using specified methods.
The use of spring traps, poisons, certain types of nets, gassing and sticky substances that may entangle a bird is illegal.

Health Hazards

Large populations of pigeons and other birds inhabiting buildings or living on the facade for many years may present a potential risk of disease to people in and around these buildings (Weber, 1979).

The organic, nutrient rich accumulation of pigeon droppings, including feathers, detritus and debris under a nest provides an ideal environment for disease. This encourages fungi and bacteria to grow and proliferate. External parasites may also become a problem when infested pigeons or bats leave their roosts or nests. These parasites can infest buildings and cause health problems to people. Pigeons can also carry a number of potentially infectious diseases such as salmonella, tuberculosis and ornithosis (a mild form of psittacosis with pneumonia-like symptoms).

They are also a source of allergens, which can cause respiratory ailments like pigeon fancier’s lung, aspergillosis and allergic skin reaction. There is potential for these illnesses to be spread to people through contact with pigeon droppings, dandruff and feathers, pigeon parasites, or where dead infected pigeons get into food or water sources. Health and safety issues and site access problems are also caused by the build up of faeces due to the slippery and unsafe footing it provides on walkways and ledges, hindering proper maintenance. This may be a particular problem during building works and renovation. Pigeon faeces represent a health and safety hazard for staff working in contaminated buildings and for employees and operators who have to carry out remediation works. Pigeon infestation in and around buildings therefore represent an added problem in the renovation of buildings where large accumulations have been allowed to build-up, and this nutrient rich guano combined with moisture ingress in buildings provides an ideal environment for the growth and proliferation of moulds (Singh 1994a, Singh & Walker 1996).

Pigeon Patrol

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal -friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Best Types of Pigeon Repellent

Bird Spikes– Pigeons can’t land on surfaces with bird spikes—perfect for ledges, sills, signs, and fences.
Shop Bird Spikes: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-spikes/
Bird Sound Deterrents / Ultrasonic Repellers– Emit high-frequency sound to drive pigeons away without harming them.
Browse Ultrasonic Bird Repellers: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-repeller/
Pigeon Netting– Blocks pigeons from accessing nesting zones permanently.
See Pigeon Netting: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-netting/

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

Bird Gone, Pigeon Gone, Pigeon problems, pigeon spikes, 1-877-4NO-BIRD, 4-S Gel, Bird Control, Pigeon Control, bird repellent, Bird Spikes, sonic bird repellent, stainless steel bird spikes, bird spikes Vancouver, Ultra Sonic Bird Control, Bird Netting, Plastic Bird Spikes, Canada bird spike deterrents, Pigeon Pests, B Gone Pigeon, Pigeon Patrol, pest controller, pest control operator, pest control technician, Pigeon Control Products, humane pigeon spikes, pigeon deterrents, pigeon traps, Pigeon repellents, Sound & Laser Deterrents, wildlife control, raccoon, skunk, squirrel deterrent, De-Fence Spikes, Dragons Den, Pigeon, Pigeon Patrol, Pigeons Roosting, Vancouver Pigeon Control, Bird Spikes, Bird Control, Bird Deterrent, Pigeon Deterrent, Surrey Pigeon Control, Pest, Seagull deterrent Vancouver Pigeon Blog, Birds Inside Home De-fence, Pigeon Nesting, Bird Droppings, Pigeon Dropping, woodpecker control, Keep The Birds Away, Birds/rats, seagull, pigeon, woodpecker, dove, sparrow, pidgeon control, pidgeon problem, pidgeon control, flying rats, pigeon Problems, bird netting, bird gel, bird spray, bird nails, bird guard, Pigeon control, Bird deterrents, Pigeon deterrents, Bird control, solutions, Pigeon prevention, Pigeon repellent, Bird proofing, Pest bird management, Pigeon spikes, Bird netting, Humane bird control, Bird exclusion, Urban bird control, Anti-roosting devices, Pigeon removal, Bird barriers

The post Pigeon Infestation & Health Hazards in Buildings appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Greenpeace renews call to close Sellafield after report on radioactive pigeons

Pigeon Patrol — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:10:05 +0000

It is nothing less than annoying if pigeon droppings land in the garden. It is all the more serious when the droppings are contaminated with radioactivity.

The environment campaigners Greenpeace are calling for an end to all nuclear reprocessing at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria following the publication of an official report yesterday. It discovered that wild pigeons roosting at the site and contaminated with radioactivity had carried it to a garden two miles away in Seascale.

The pigeons, described by Greenpeace as “flying nuclear waste”, were contaminated after roosting in old buildings at Sellafield. They began feeding in the garden over a two-year period and the soil was contaminated to such an extent that the garden was dug up by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) and sent to a nuclear dump along with a number of garden gnomes. The pigeons were destroyed last year. The report, published by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (Comare) and the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC), acknowledged that the contamination of the garden was not significant.

The radioactive dose received by the residents was about half the annual limit for members of the public while the doses received by neighbours in adjacent properties were “not of any radiological concern”, according to the report.

But the report recommends that further research into possible contamination at nuclear sites, including the risk posed to other wildlife such as insects and other birds should be carried out. It also reported that authorised discharges of radioactive gases from Sellafield’s chimneys might have caused some of the radiation contamination.

Prof Bryn Bridges, chairman of Comare, said it was possible the doses could have been higher. He described the contamination as a “worrying discovery”.

BNFL apologised for the contamination and said it was pleased the report acknowledged the steps it had taken to remedy the situation. It also accepted the report’s criticism that mismanagement was at the heart of the problem.

In a statement yesterday, BNFL said it had committed considerable resources to resolve the issue: “This involved culling the birds, controlling the birds’ feeding, restricting access to these older buildings and completing a site habitat control programme. A programme of remediation was also carried out in Seascale, after discussion with the property owners and the regulator.”

Greenpeace described decisionmaking at Sellafield as “hopelessly inadequate” and said the problem did not die when BNFL culled the birds. Dr Helen Wallace of Greenpeace said: “Nuclear waste could still be spreading through wildlife into people’s homes and gardens. Today’s reports warn that other wildlife, such as insects and doves, may also be involved in the spread of nuclear waste from nuclear sites into people’s homes and gardens.”

BNFL should be made to properly contain and monitor all existing waste, she added.

Pigeon Patrol

Best Types of Pigeon Repellent

Bird Spikes– Pigeons can’t land on surfaces with bird spikes—perfect for ledges, sills, signs, and fences.
Shop Bird Spikes: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-spikes/
Bird Sound Deterrents / Ultrasonic Repellers– Emit high-frequency sound to drive pigeons away without harming them.
Browse Ultrasonic Bird Repellers: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-repeller/
Pigeon Netting– Blocks pigeons from accessing nesting zones permanently.
See Pigeon Netting: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-netting/

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Greenpeace renews call to close Sellafield after report on radioactive pigeons appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

“City Hall Under Siege: Pigeon Droppings Cause Health Concerns”

Pigeon Patrol — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 05:53:21 +0000

The steps of City Hall, once a symbol of civic pride, are now stained with something far less noble—pigeon droppings. A growing population of urban pigeons has turned the historic building into a nesting ground and bathroom, much to the frustration of city workers and residents.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” said Angela Simmons, a clerk at the records office. “Every morning, we have to dodge piles of droppings just to get to the front door. Some days I have to bring a change of shoes.”

A closeup shot of a Feral pigeon in a city

The Department of Public Health has issued a warning about potential respiratory illnesses associated with dried pigeon feces, including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis, both of which can cause serious lung infections.

Maintenance crews are power-washing the building’s steps twice a week, but it hasn’t been enough. “We’re just chasing the problem,” said Facilities Manager Larry Cho. “Until we deal with the birds themselves, we’ll keep mopping up after them.”

City Council is expected to vote next Tuesday on a proposed ordinance that would fund humane deterrents such as bird netting, sloped ledges, and the installation of owl decoys.

Best Types of Pigeon Repellent

Bird Spikes– Pigeons can’t land on surfaces with bird spikes—perfect for ledges, sills, signs, and fences.
Shop Bird Spikes: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-spikes/
Bird Sound Deterrents / Ultrasonic Repellers– Emit high-frequency sound to drive pigeons away without harming them.
Browse Ultrasonic Bird Repellers: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-repeller/
Pigeon Netting– Blocks pigeons from accessing nesting zones permanently.
See Pigeon Netting: https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/bird-netting/

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post “City Hall Under Siege: Pigeon Droppings Cause Health Concerns” appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

IN PRAISE OF PIGEONS

Pigeon Patrol — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:33:54 +0000

More than 20 years ago, after a boozy bachelor party, three of us were walking across the small park at the intersection of State and Rush Streets. This, like many other parks large and small, is a place where pigeons congregate. Without a word of warning or “Hey, watch this,” the bachelor took a couple of quick steps and kicked an unsuspecting pigeon into the air. I saw the pigeon land with a thud 20 feet away but before I could say to the bachelor, “Why’d you kill that pigeon?” I watched in amazement as the pigeon shook its little head, got up on its skinny legs and went about its business. And I thought, “What a tough little bird.”

I didn’t give pigeons more thought until a few weeks ago when artist Tony Fitzpatrick–whose previous subjects in the Magazine have included fighting dogs, boxers, snakes and flowers–showed me his pigeon pictures. Here they are on this page and in my head’s a question: What do pigeons deserve? To be pitied, praised or punted?

There is no doubt that pigeons are the most urban of birds, the avian equivalent of squirrels or traffic jams; facts of city living to be either tolerated or complained about.

But listening to Megan Ross, curator of birds at Lincoln Park Zoo, talk about pigeons is to gain a new appreciation of them. “The species does get a bad rap,” she says. “But it is a fascinating species, if one takes the time to look.”

She points out that there are some 300 species of pigeons and doves. “What we commonly refer to in Chicago as a pigeon is actually a rock dove,” she says. Look closely and you will see that a pigeon is not just a dull gray mass, but a bird of 10,000 feathers, some of them bronze, pink, white and green. (Seriously, just take a look.) Watch them fly and you will also see what Ross describes as “fun flight patterns.” And, she adds, “They also have a nice courtship display.”

As well they should, since pigeons, it may surprise you to know, mate for life. Not only that, but male pigeons have the ability to lactate, producing milk for the babies just as females do.

Admittedly, when pigeons gather in groups, as they mostly seem to, they can exude the quiet menace of a gang. One almost expects to see some of them smoking cigarettes or spitting on the sidewalk.

“Rock doves are very docile birds,” says Ross. “They gather in groups not to intimidate people but as a protection against predators, such as falcons or raccoons. There is a certain safety in numbers.”

But their most common and persistent enemy is us. Besides various eradication efforts designed to limit their numbers, pigeons face determined campaigns by businesses to chase them away. Some even install fake owls on building ledges or set up loudspeakers that periodically emit terrible screeching, hawklike sounds in outdoor parking lots in an attempt to keep the CEO’s Jaguar clean.

“Many people are turned off by the fact that the birds poop,” says Ross.

This was not always the case. That people are turned off, I mean. In the 18th Century, King George I of England decreed all pigeon droppings to be property of the Crown. He even put guards at sites where the birds perched to enforce his edict. He was no birdbrain. There was a practical reason for his order: Pigeon manure was used in making gunpowder.

But if the birds have thus unknowingly contributed to the taking of lives, they have also done their bit to save them. With the ability to beat their wings up to 10 times a second, maintain a heart rate of 600 beats per minute for up to 16 hours without rest and fly as fast as 60 m.p.h., pigeons are the extreme athletes of the air.

In World War I, a homing pigeon named “Cher Ami” finished his distinguished career by delivering, while wounded, a vital message: the location of the famous “Lost Battalion,” thereby saving some 200 human lives. In WWII, a homing pigeon named “GI Joe” saved more than 1,000 allied soldiers’ lives in a single mission.

Who knows if Chicago pigeons would be up to such valorous deeds? But they are tough characters.

They do not migrate, as do more sensible species, and take the full brunt of Chicago winters. Unlike the rest of us, they do not whine about the wind chill. They seem capable of eating almost anything, from popcorn in the parks to abandoned pizza slices, old hamburger buns to cotton candy. “They have, shall we say, a hearty digestive system,” says Ross.

They don’t seem to be at all insecure about their looks, though people vastly prefer spunky sparrows.

They appear to be fearless, not only when confronted by the attacks from businesses but from individuals. Many little kids like to chase them. Older kids try to hit them with rocks or kick them. Some adults hunt and kill them for food. Though we were unable to catch any of these folks in the act of hunting, cooking or eating, the Internet is filled with recipes for pigeon.

All this, and pigeons can still live to be more than 30 years old.

It’s so easy to take everyday things for granted. When was the last time you watched a river or stream flow, looked up at a building’s decorative elements, scooped up a handful of sand or dirt or asked the name of your local Streetwise vendor?

So, why not give pigeons another look? Start with the ones fashioned by Fitzpatrick and then move on to the real things, to the resilient birds with which you share the sidewalks and park benches.

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post IN PRAISE OF PIGEONS appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

What happened to the one-legged pigeon?

Pigeon Patrol — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:31:54 +0000

Ah, the one-legged pigeon of Ryerson — a famous figure on campus. Students and regular citizens alike fondly regale each other with stories of the deformed bird.

It’s been brought to my attention that the pigeon has gone missing. Is she dead? Was she eaten? Did she just pick up and leave, sick of all the attention she was getting at Ryerson?

Fret no more, my friends. I know the truth. Our one-legged pigeon is less of a circus freak and more of a noble revolutionary than any of us expected.

Pigeons and their chicks sitting on perches in farm countryside

The year was 2004. Facebook had just launched and everyone had flip phones. Outside the realm of human interest, however, a revolution was brewing.

The Pigeons’ Movement was one that had a substantial following, as all pigeons agreed that their resemblance to seagulls was systematically ruining their lives. They were sick and tired of being mistaken for the evil birds, who had garnered a bad reputation among the humans. As a result, a group of passionate individuals decided to take action.

Our one-legged pigeon was in the midst of a sit-in on the Kerr Hall Quad and was a leading figure of the Pigeons’ Movement. She was giving a speech (telepathically, of course) when an idea flashed across her mind. Why not make it clear that we are a force to be reckoned with?

As the birds communicated, it was decided that they would amputate a leg to demonstrate their seriousness. They wanted to be seen as unique, dammit. To them, this was the only solution. I won’t go into the grisly details of how exactly it was done, but I will say that it included some plastic knives and a lot of effort.

The movement yielded minimal results and soon, all of the dismembered pigeons lost touch. Of course, most of them died immediately, as they were unable to fend for themselves. Actually, all but one was deceased. She is the mastermind behind the imprudent plan. She is (you guessed it) the one-legged pigeon of Ryerson.

For years, she wandered around the campus, hoping to run into one of her old friends from her old life. Was the movement still kicking? Did she cut off her leg for no reason?

While humans laughed and took pictures of her, she cried. All of this suffering, because she wanted to fight the good fight.

Now, the question of where she disappeared to. The infamous one-legged pigeon is not, in fact, dead. She was discovered by some young activists, who then brought her underground to speak to a gathering of pigeons who wanted to revive the movement. She is respected there, and she is hopeful.

Expect to hear about the second wave of the Pigeons’ Movement. Expect to see some more deformed feathery friends hopping about. Let it be known that it all started with the one-legged pigeon of Ryerson.

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post What happened to the one-legged pigeon? appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Company has the poop for keeping birds away

Pigeon Patrol — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 22:47:34 +0000

From sidewalks messed with droppings to gutters filled with feathers, birds aren’t always welcome in some public places. As beautiful as they can be individually, a large group of birds gathering atop a building or nesting in air vents can create a danger for themselves and the public.

BirdFlite wires keep large birds from gathering on a building’s ledge. Photos courtesy of Bird Barrier.

Bird Barrier Inc. of Carson, Calif., has developed several ways to keep birds off building ledges and awnings without harming them and with little to no visual impact.

Four gulls observe from a sightseeing cruiser on Toyako, a caldera lake. Spring afternoon in Abuta District.

“You probably won’t even notice them,” says Monique Thorsell, marketing director for Bird Barrier, of the company’s various, and often strange-looking, bird deterrents.

Some of their products — such scarecrow-like screech owl decoys — have been used for years. Others — like the Daddi Long Legs with its many thin, wavy wires — look more like alien technology.

Though Bird Barriers has been around for eight years, Thorsell says some of its experts have been working in bird control for 20 years. “It has grown to be a very hot market in the last seven to eight years,” she said. As more development moves into the suburban areas, birds are finding their old nesting grounds are now covered in pavement. “We’re decreasing their natural habitat,” she says. “There are more conflicts being created.”

In recent years, increasing populations of Canadian Geese have left their mark — and droppings — on public parks and golf courses. Some are concerned the birds will destroy the landscaping and vegetation — others worry about diseases spreading through bird droppings.

In the city, birds create problems when they gather on rooftops where their feathers and droppings get into air vents, either circulating bacteria or causing mechanical problems. “You really want to keep birds off the air intake valves and air conditioning units,” Thorsell says. A lot of times they will clog up gutters, creating standing water that can wear down a roof.

The issue isn’t really with one or two birds hanging out on a ledge outside of the building, she says. “But if you have them in an area around the air conditioning unit or if you have a couple hundred birds on the building, you need to take a look at solving the issue.”

Contractors and homeowners can purchase products on Bird Barriers’ Web site. The company will provide teaching tools on which method will work best for the situation and how to install the product. “We don’t actually do the installs,” she said, but the company has trained more than 15,000 installers across the country.

Different products are recommended for different situations. The StealthNet is made of polyethylene twine and steel installation hardware, so it is difficult for the public to see from even a few feet away. Designed for all bird species and heavy use, the netting is attached to a pre-installed cable system. Though great for keeping birds off rooftops and air conditioning units, the installation of the StealthNet is rather involved.

Another product, Bird-Flite Spikes, comes in one-foot lengths and three different width configurations. The product is designed to keep birds the size of pigeons or larger off ledges, while leaving room for small songbirds. Made of stainless steel and polycarbonate, the base can be easily glued or screwed onto the surface.

Daddi Long Legs

The many wires of the Daddi Long Legs work to deter seagulls from landing on a boat.

The spider-like Daddi Long Legs is made of stainless steel and Delrin plastic. This product is often used on boats, atop streetlights and outdoor shade umbrellas to deter bigger birds from landing. “Not starlings or sparrows,” Thorsell says. “They can actually hang on the wires.”

The cost of installing a bird-deterrent system can vary depending on the product used and the extent of the project. “The homeowner that has a problem on their window ledge could spend $20 to $30,” she said, whereas keeping birds out of airport hangers could cost more than $100,000. “In general, the solution to the problem is anywhere from $500 to $2,500.”

At Seattle’s Key Arena, Bird Barrier products such as the Bird Flight and Bird Shock are used to keep birds away from and out of the building. While Bird Shock does generate an electric shock, Thorsell says it won’t actually harm the birds. “It sends a little conditioning shock, similar to a static-electricity shock,” she says.

In fact, the Humane Society and the Fund for Animals have endorsed Bird Barrier because the company provides non-harmful methods to deter birds. “We have the only completely humane product line in the business,” Thorsell says.

Here’s why some pigeons do backflips

At least five genes are involved in making parlor roller pigeons do backward somersaults

A brownish-red roller pigeon does backward somersaults from left to right across a white background.

Parlor roller pigeons like this one have a movement disorder that prevents them from flying. At least five genes are involved in making the birds do backward somersaults, new research suggests.

These roller pigeons come in two varieties: Flying rollers such as Birmingham rollers, which fly but do long tumbling runs toward the ground before resuming flight, and parlor rollers, which can’t fly but instead backflip along the ground. Many Persian poems say the pigeons perform the acrobatics because the birds are happy, but Samani says the truth is darker. “This is definitely a movement disorder, and it does not have any good aspects to it,” she says. The disorder is progressive, appearing soon after hatching and gradually getting worse until the birds can’t fly.

A smiling young woman, Atoosa Samani, with shoulder-length dark hair holds a small green bird with a yellow belly in her right hand. She is wearing a maroon coat and dark mauve stocking cap.

In addition to studying pigeon genetics, Atoosa Samani, pictured here holding a Wilson’s warbler, also volunteers with a bird banding group and enjoys bird watching. “I love birds,” she says. But she confesses that pigeons are her favorites.

Courtesy of A. Samani

Her colleagues confirmed backflipping is a recessive trait by breeding racing homer pigeons with parlor rollers; none of the hybrid offspring rolled. When hybrid birds were bred together, about 4 out of 10 of the offspring did somersaults when forced to fly, Samani said at the conference.

Samani used two different statistical methods to locate genes that make the pigeons tip tailfeather over teakettle. She found five large stretches of DNA containing hundreds of genes. But none of the genes in those areas had mutations that could account for the tumbling.

So she looked at gene activity in the birds’ brains and found nearly 2,000 genes that become either more or less active in the brains of parlor rollers than in two breeds of nonrolling pigeons.

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Company has the poop for keeping birds away appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Tips for bird dispersal with lasers

Pigeon Patrol — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 22:46:10 +0000

There are at least two potential consumer uses for lasers outdoors, pointing out stars in the sky and dispersing birds. This page discusses tips for deterring and dispersing birds.

Summary

LaserPointerSafety.com does not recommend that ordinary consumers use lasers to scare away unwanted birds. The right type of laser with a wide, low-powered beam is not readily available so there are too many potential safety problems for the birds, for the laser user, and for bystanders.

Also, there is a chance of accidentally having the beam be on or near an aircraft; this is illegal in many countries and jurisdictions. Finally, some species of birds may be only temporarily repelled by lasers; after a few minutes or within a day, studies indicate they will return.

Bird deterrence and dispersal

Domestic Pigeon looking at camera

Some consumers have asked about using lasers for bird dispersal.

A September 2003 U.S. Department of Agriculture publication, “Use of Lasers in Avian Dispersal” (available here or here) says that lasers are “safe and effective species-specific alternatives to pyrotechnics, shotguns, and other traditional avian dispersal tools.” A key phrase is “species-specific”. For example, a 2002 USDA study of crows (listed below) concluded that lasers do not work for more than a few minutes of dispersal, and are therefore not recommended for crows.

LaserPointerSafety.com believes there is a difference between serious, professional use, and consumers ordering possibly over-powered lasers off the Internet and simply waving them into trees and the sky. This is especially true in today’s environment where authorities are very sensitive to lasers being aimed into the air by ordinary citizens.

Our recommendation is that consumers should not use lasers against birds, especially Class 3B and Class 4 lasers (output power of 5 milliwatts or above). If a person feels they must try this, it should be done very carefully, with continuous monitoring of the sky so that aircraft are not accidentally targeted.

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Tips for bird dispersal with lasers appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

I LIKE pigeons.

Pigeon Patrol — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:41:08 +0000

I LIKE pigeons. Their voices are soft and rhythmic. I have put up baskets for them in the front verandah and they live there quietly. They don’t ask for food – probably because they are fed at the roundabout near my house by compassionate people who come from far to drop grains for them every day. I have a bird table of rice and fruit so they can feed there whenever they want.

The Mumbai Municipal Commissioner has made it the feature of his (hopefully brief) tenure that he will get rid of the pigeons from Mumbai. Those who go looking for something to hate and often pick on pigeons should know what they have done for us humans over the years.

The first airmail using pigeons was established in 1896 in New Zealand and was known as the Pigeon-Gram Service. Their speed averaged 77.6 mph, only 40% slower than a modern aircraft. Each pigeon carried 5 messages and special Pigeon-Gram stamps were sold for each message carried.

In the First World War, pigeons were used extensively for carrying messages. German marksmen were deployed to shoot the birds down. Pigeons were carried in tanks and released through tiny portholes in the side. Mine-sweeping boats carried pigeons so that in the event of an attack by a U-boat, a pigeon could be released with a message confirming the exact location of the sinking boat, often resulting in the crew being saved. Seaplanes carried pigeons to relay urgent information about enemy movements. In the Second World War, pigeons were used in active service in Europe, India and Burma.

The last pigeon messaging service in the world was in Odisha called Orissa Police Carrier Pigeon Service and it disbanded in 2006 after 60 years of active service and 800 birds. Carrier pigeons had provided daily communications between Orissa’s 400 police stations across the state. They carried essential messages during two natural disasters: the massive cyclone in 1971 and the unprecedented floods in 1982. Their ability to fly in adverse weather conditions saved many human lives.

City to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:10:52 +0000

Wildlife rehabilitation calls for city to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons “Basically if you can imagine a bird having seizures,” said Jan Shadick, Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation executive director, describing a pigeon’s painful death after eating poisoned corn. “It’s an unfortunate way to die and it’s an unfortunate use of pigeon control methods within the city.”

The most common poison used is Avitrol. Shadick said she wants to see the city ban its use, or at least require the area it’s scattered around to be labelled, like when spraying pesticides. She said her wildlife rehabilitation sees hundreds of poisoned pigeons — and some other birds — a year, but they’re also seeing it punch up the food chain. “Dogs and cats have been demonstrated to have eaten these poison pigeons and died from it,” she said. “A crow would eat it, a raven would eat it, numerous birds would eat it and it was open to anybody who wanted a free lunch. A squirrel could get a hold of it,” explained owner Jason Hiltz. Instead, he said the company uses deterrents like nets and pigeon spikes.

Two years ago, the City of Saskatoon banned the use of poisoned corn according to Shadick, but only on city property. Shadick said it hasn’t made a difference. She said while most poisons to kill birds can only be bought by licensed professionals, some companies sell almost identical products to anyone online. “The money that people are currently spending on putting out poisoned corn could be spent putting out birth control corn,” she said, explaining using birth control is a more humane version of pigeon population control.

Pigeon Patrol

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post City to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Bird prevention; How to get rid of birds nesting in your eaves

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 21:41:47 +0000

If you have been driven crazy by incessant scrabbling or are fed up of the mess being left behind by birds nestling in your eaves the question at the fore-front of your mind, is going to be how the hell can I get rid of them?!

The answer in short is that you pretty much can’t, not unless they are causing a health risk and you’re authorised to remove them!

So once a bird has decided to nest, you can’t touch it!

Sorry, I know that’s not exactly what you wanted to read! …..

However, let’s not linger on the negative, what you can do is prevent them nesting in the future. This article shares some of our top tips for making sure you get the right tools in place so that you can sleep soundly during the next nesting season!

Why we cannot remove nests from your properties eaves.

Birds need to nest in order to have their young, and with the loss of their natural homes over the years they have been forced to share our homes and use our roofs to nest. It’s important that whilst we protect your home, we also protect theirs too.

All birds, eggs and their nests are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. It is an offense to damage or destroy an active nest or prevent parent birds from returning to the nest. Also, there are certain birds such as Owls, Bearded Tits & Golden Eagles who are specified in Schedule 1 of the legal act, outlining that it is an offense to cause disturbance to the birds when they are in or near their nest.

Authorised personnel can remove nests but only when there’s risk to public health, for example if it’s to stop the spread of disease or if there’s a potential risk to the air space. They can also be removed if it’s proven that they are causing ‘serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit..’according to the RSPB explanation of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

In order to protect yourself and to ensure you don’t harm the wildlife, you should avoid touching the nest or interfering with the birds at this time.

We know this doesn’t solve your problem, so keep reading to see 4 key steps to prevent birds nesting on your home in future.

The UK is known to have around 600 different bird types, but actually very few will be attracted to your roof space. The most common are :

House Sparrows
Starlings
Swifts
Swallows
Blue tits/Great Tits
Jackdaws

Bird Prevention 4 key steps to stop birds using your property as a nesting ground.

1.Clear debris.

To stop birds being attracted to your home in the first place, ensure all your rubbish is cleared away. Birds see rubbish as materials that they can use to build their nest, so in order to make sure your home doesn’t catch their attention in the first place make sure your bins and lids are secured.

Open rubbish can not only attract birds to your home, but many other pests too!

2.Seal up holes in your roof

It’s important to check your building in the winter, before the birds start nesting for gaps or spaces the birds could use to nest. If you find spaces then make sure to clean them out and seal them up, make sure to do this in the morning to minimise the risk of a bird roosting in them.

For your home it’s recommended using a wire mesh over any holes in your roof to deter them from getting in and nesting. If you have a sealant you may wish to seal up your roof but first make sure that there are no birds left nesting.

3. Prevent birds perching on your guttering and roof

Once you’ve checked your roof is sound and there’s no current nests in your roof, there are precautions you can take to stop birds landing on your roof, the most common being spikes. You often see these spikes on industrial buildings, shops or hospitality establishments roofs.

Now, having spikes on the exterior of your home can sound scary, but they aren’t as obvious as you might first think! The thin metal and clever placement of the spikes means they hard to see – so don’t worry your home won’t end up looking like a warzone!

If you still aren’t keen on having spikes, you could opt for ‘NestDiverters’ which is a discreet, clear, acrylic shield that stops the birds being able to get close to the buildings eaves. They function well and the additional key advantage to this bird proofing technique is that are almost invisible to the eye. Resulting in a quiet nights sleep without altering the look of your home. As listed installers of these products for Scotland, we are able to install them safely for your home.

4. Position a decoy in place.

You could try placing a decoy bird such as a plastic hawk on the roof which will discourage birds from nesting on your property. These model birds act just like a scarecrow, discouraging birds from coming near your property as they will see the hawk as a predator and a potential threat.

A decoy bird is a non-invasive way to discourage birds, the problem is that birds are smart so this will only last for a short period of time- in some cases a matter of days.

5. Repellent gels

Please don’t use these, they are available in the UK, but there is a high risk to the birds and although not poisonous the risk is that bird eyelids can get stuck together. Although their bird song can be annoying at 5am, that is no reason to make a bird suffer. In addition they aren’t proven to work so use your pennies elsewhere!

6. Encourage the birds to change nesting space next year

At the end of your tether? Tried all the suggested precautions and still finding the feathered friends nesting in your roof? You might be panicking thinking there’s nothing you can do, but there is still hope for next year by encouraging the birds to move elsewhere!

A top-tip suggested by the RSPB is to make an ‘artificial nest’. To do this you can simply use an ice cream tub and cut a hole within it. Make sure to roughen the surface and make some drain holes before hanging the tub up.

You can buy bird boxes along with bird feeders, if you place these out early enough near your home, there is a chance that the birds will choose to nest there instead.

In summary

Birds are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 and so its is unlawful to remove a bird nest once it is occupied. Some nests are only used once, while others are returned to every year.

While it can be frustrating, the best thing you can do as the occupier of the property is to put prevention measures in place for next year. Don’t find yourself in the same situation next year, put a reminder in your calendar at the end of the summer and get your deterrents in place.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Bird prevention; How to get rid of birds nesting in your eaves appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Why did the passenger pigeon die out?

Pigeon Patrol — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 23:05:28 +0000

Why do species die out? This is the overarching question being asked by many leading researchers. Knowing more about what leads to a species’ becoming extinct could enable us to do something about it. The passenger pigeon is a famous example and the species has been studied extensively.

The passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was once found in huge numbers in North America. Records tell of passing flocks that darkened the skies for several days at a time. The species may have peaked at five billion individuals. A more conservative estimate is three billion.

Within a short time, the species disappeared completely.

“Given the huge size of the population, it’s simply amazing that the species disappeared so quickly,” says Tom Gilbert.

Gilbert is a professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for GeoGenetics, but he also has a part-time position as an adjunct professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

The human role

The history of the passenger pigeon is interesting, partly because it can tell us something about how and why species become extinct.

Native Americans also relied on passenger pigeons for food. But at least in parts of the passenger pigeons’ range, people had learned to harvest the species at a sustainable level that didn’t threaten to eradicate it.

It was common in some parts of North America to only eat young pigeons that were hunted at night, since this did not seem to scare away the adult birds or prevent them from re-nesting.

But starting around 1500, a more aggressive variant of humans came to the continent with the arrival of Europeans. The hunt for passenger pigeons grew and culminated in a massive hunt for the species throughout the 1800s, before the species finally collapsed and disappeared.

So were the Europeans then really the ones to blame for the collapse?

Already headed to oblivion?

In 2014, a study in published in the scientific journal PNAS strongly suggested that humans were simply the final straw in destroying a species that was already vulnerable and headed to oblivion.

The researchers asserted that despite their enormous numbers, the passenger pigeons were already in trouble. The population of the species varied greatly, similar to lemmings, but over a longer period of time.

When the Europeans arrived, the species was already in a strong decline. The population was plummeting long before Europeans arrived, and perhaps Europeans even contributed to a short-term increase in numbers.

Studies of the genetic variation of the species using an investigative method called PSMC formed the background for these assertions. And now we have to concentrate a bit.

From one to many

All of an individual’s genes are called a genome. You have a genome, your mom has her own genome, your dog has one and the neighbour’s cat has yet another. These can be broken down into chromosomes and genes and base pairs, but you only have a single genome.

So, all of your chromosomes and genes are found in this one genome, but at the same time this genome is unique to just you and only you. Unless, that is, you have an identical twin or are a termite or belong to another species where the individuals are largely identical clones. (In the last case, it’s remarkable that you can read this.)

Here is the crux of the matter:

The PSMC method can use the information in the genes of a single individual of a species to map the history of the species.

You should therefore be able to see how the species developed over many generations, and estimate how many individuals there were at any given time, all based on a single genome.

Humans partially off the hook

Using this method, researchers found that the number of passenger pigeons was in free fall even before the arrival of the Europeans.

Although the species might not have become extinct, it would have shrunk significantly in any case, maybe to only a few hundred thousand individuals.

People were just the final factor in their demise. We may have pushed the passenger pigeons off the cliff, but the species was already on its way there.

So — according to the researchers behind the study in PNAS — it wasn’t just the Europeans’ fault.

It sounds almost too good to be true that you can come up with something so definitive based on information from just one or a few individuals. And in this case it is — at least if we’re to believe a new study that has recently been published in the journal Science.

Ineffective for passenger pigeons

The problem is that the PSMC method can’t be used on passenger pigeons. The new research in Science provides completely different results.

Leading molecular biologist Beth Shapiro is the main author of the Science article, and Tom Gilbert is one of the study’s contributors.

PSMC is based on the assumption that genetic variations occur relatively evenly all along the chromosomes that constitute the genome. That is, genetic changes are equally likely to occur at the ends of a chromosome as in the middle. But this turns out not to be the case for this species.

“Passenger pigeons don’t have the variation patterns that we’d expect, because of the strong selection on genes that appear to have been important throughout the species’ history. So it doesn’t work to use PSMC in this case,” said Gilbert.

In passenger pigeons, most of the genetic diversity was found at the ends of the chromosome. The middle of the chromosome showed little variation from one generation to the next as a result of the selection on these genes.

This fact may not sound revolutionary, but it yields completely different results if you try to read the history of the species based on the genome of a single individual.

You have to take into account that variations are greatest in certain parts of the chromosome rather than evenly distributed throughout. This makes the PSMC method unusable in this context.

Used another method

The researchers behind the article in Science didn’t use the PSMC method. Instead, they used mitochondrial DNA from 41 passenger pigeons as their starting point. Now we have to concentrate again.

Your DNA is not your only inheritance. Mitochondrial DNA is a distinct, separate inheritance found in certain cells called mitochondria.

Regular DNA is a combination of the inheritance from your father and mother. But mitochondrial DNA is only transmitted from your mother. Variations in mitochondrial DNA also occur due to mutations, and happen relatively consistently over time.

This is a different point of departure for understanding how a species develops over time, and the results can be quite different from those generated using the PSMC method.

In addition, the study presented in Science analysed the entire genomes from four passenger pigeons and compared them with two genomes from band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata), one of the closest relatives of the passenger pigeon.

The final result was that the new study ended up with completely different answers about the passenger pigeons and why the species met its demise.

Genetic diversity

The new study is interesting for several reasons. It tells us about the genetic diversity of the passenger pigeon, but also supports an entirely different explanation for the species’ extinction.

Scientists previously believed that the larger the population of a species is, the more genetically diverse it will be. But this theory has turned out to be wrong, as the recent passenger pigeon research has shown.

According to the article in Science, the large population size appears to have enabled passenger pigeons to adapt and evolve more quickly and thus remove harmful mutations.

In species with fewer individuals, chance can cause a less beneficial mutation to persist, but chance plays less of a role in species with greater numbers of individuals.

“Mutations that provide a major evolutionary benefit would spread rapidly,” says Gilbert.

The fact that beneficial mutations became incredibly dominant so quickly simply led to the disappearance of other genetic variants.

This in turn led to the genetic diversity in the passenger pigeon being surprisingly low in relation to the number of individuals. This may have made the species more vulnerable to changes.

But that was not why the passenger pigeon died out.

Our mistake

“The passenger pigeon died out because of people,” is Gilbert’s short version.

The passenger pigeon wasn’t in trouble prior to Europeans arrival in North America. Nothing suggests that the species was struggling in any way.

Perhaps this isn’t that surprising. In the 19th century passenger pigeons were so numerous that there were contests to shoot as many of them as possible during a certain period of time. In one competition, the winner had shot 30 000 birds.

If nothing else, the story of the passenger pigeon has contributed to a greater understanding that even prolific species can become extinct.

Something to learn

The large grasshopper Melanoplus spretus from the western United States suffered the same fate. It went from a population of several trillion to zero in a few decades, possibly because farmers destroyed its breeding grounds. In Norway and across the whole of the North Atlantic, the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) died out after people harvested them in large numbers.

People ate passenger pigeons in huge amounts, but they were also killed because they were perceived as a threat to agriculture. As Europeans migrated across North America, they thinned out and eliminated the large forests that the pigeons depended on. The pigeons lived primarily on acorns.

As the species was already dying out, 250,000 birds — the last big flock — were shot on a single day in 1896. That same year, the last passenger pigeon was observed in Louisiana. It was also shot.

The pigeons were probably dependent on a large flock size to reproduce. Their instincts didn’t work when only a few individuals remained here and there.

The last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Why did the passenger pigeon die out? appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

The world’s most expensive pigeon is a Belgian racing bird worth $1.8m

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 22:50:30 +0000

For those not familiar with the world of pigeon racing, the idea that a bird can be sold at an auction for thousands of dollars might sound almost ludicrous.

But even people within the industry were taken by surprise this week when New Kim, a two-year-old racing pigeon raised in Antwerp, Belgium, was auctioned for a record $1.8 million.

“We did not expect the pigeon (price) would go so high,” said Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, the CEO of Pigeon Auction House (PIPA), where New Kim was auctioned.

The price offered for New Kim beats the one paid for the former most expensive pigeon in the world, Armando, sold to a Chinese buyer for $1.48m in 2019.

“We can already say that these record prices are unbelievable because this is a female,” said Gyselbrecht. “Armando was a male. Usually a male is worth more than a female because it can produce more offspring, more children. So it’s very exceptional to have a female for this price.”\

New Kim was bred by Flemish trainer Gaston van de Wouwer, who raised many prize-winning racing pigeons and now, at 76, is retiring and selling all his 400 birds.

The online bidding on New Kim started on November 2 at a bit more than $200 but quickly went up to the thousands as the bidder “Hitman” held off competitors to lead the pigeon. On Tuesday, he stood unchallenged with an offer of $1.5m.

On Sunday, 30 minutes before the end of the auction, a frantic bidding war between Hitman and a bidder named “Super Duper” raised the price for New Kim to $1.8m

Belgium is considered the traditional heartland of pigeon racing, which became very popular in the country in the 19th century.

“There is no country in the world where so many pigeon fanciers live (in) such a high density with each other, like in Belgium,” says Gyselbrecht. “So you have 20,000 pigeon fanciers in a very small country competing (with) each other on a very high level. It’s like the Champions League.”

Why are racing pigeons so expensive?

Pigeon racing’s popularity has steadily dropped since the 1800s, when it found a fertile ground in Belgium.

After World War I, the sport was a common hobby for the working class, but amid higher costs of living and criticisms by animal welfare activists, pigeon racing became less of a common pastime affordable to many and more of a highly competitive sport practiced by a few.

The rising popularity of the sport in China has led to billionaires investing increasingly high amounts of money in pigeons, and driving up the prize money for races.

The most expensive birds in the history of the sport, mostly Belgian pigeons, were all recently bought by Chinese bidders, as in the case of Armando and New Kim.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post The world’s most expensive pigeon is a Belgian racing bird worth $1.8m appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Column: 3 billion birds have vanished from our skies. Can we ever bring them back?

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 22:47:21 +0000

Look! Up in the sky! It’s … not as much as there used to be. Three billion wild birds have vanished from North America’s air in 50 years; a new study calls that loss “staggering.” Three billion is as many as 1 bird in 4 — birds of the forests, birds of the grasslands, gone. And 50 years is about the same time that it took North America to send the passenger pigeon — once the most abundant bird on the continent, flying by the billions in flocks that blocked the sun for hours at a time — to send it into extinction. These creatures who evolved from the dinosaurs, who delight us with color and song — humans are crowding them out, plowing up and chopping down their habitat, poisoning them with pesticides, installing windows that they smash into, allowing domestic cats to kill them. And just over a century after the nation began protecting its native birds with the landmark Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Trump administration is ready to weaken its enforcement. Steve Holmer heads the American Bird Conservancy, whose motto is “Bringing back the birds.” Can it be done, and how?

*****

Three billion birds in 50 years in this country. Why are they disappearing?

We believe it’s a combination of things. Migratory birds spend the majority of their year in the south, either the southern U.S. or in Central or South America. And so there’s all kinds of habitat issues there. And then when they actually migrate, they have what’s called stopover places, where they basically need to stop and fuel up again. If that habitat isn’t in good condition, or if they face threats there, then that could affect their migration.

Some new studies indicate that pesticides might prevent migrating birds from gaining sufficient weight. On these stopover points, they typically will gorge themselves and gain a bunch of weight so that they can fly — in some cases all the way up to the Arctic where they have their chicks. And then they come all the way back. It’s quite a gantlet that they go through. We think all of this is adding up into these declines.

Make the case for why bird life matters. People think aah, it’s just sparrows, aah, it’s just pigeons.

They’re actually a very good indicator of the overall health of the environment. When we see these bird declines, it’s an indication that in a sense there’s something out of balance. And we’ve seen certain habitats removed to a degree that the birds would become endangered. At the same time, we’ve had some very successful conservation efforts. We’ve brought the bald eagle back, for example. Its population is now increasing 10% a year, the result of banning DDT and other efforts to protect it.

Seventy years ago, Communist China crusaded against sparrows as “public animals of capitalism,” and killed billions. Without the sparrows to eat them, insects flourished, crops were destroyed and millions of Chinese starved. The earth needs birds. People need birds.

Birds play a crucial role within the ecosystem in terms of eating insects and other things and then also being eaten by other things. Part of the reason why the loss of the 3 billion birds is so significant is, that’s a huge loss of biomass that used to be in the system. We need to think about doing some things to try to restore balance.

What kinds of birds were foremost among those 3 billion that aren’t around anymore?

Really common birds, meadowlarks; grassland birds in particular seem to have taken a really huge dip. There have been some new studies showing significant impacts from pesticides. And an ongoing process called intensification with agriculture, where they’re using more and more of the land in a much more intensive fashion. And the result is there’s just less available for wildlife.

It really gets down to the price of corn in some ways. And then the subsidies for corn ethanol have actually been pretty bad for birds because they’re leading to the sod-busting and we don’t have a whole lot of original prairie left.

About a year ago the Natural Resources Management Act was signed into law by the Trump administration — a bundle of bills, and a lot of conservation groups had campaigned for them. Isn’t that something of a step forward?

It wasn’t a perfect deal, though. There was still a rider in there that prevents protection for the greater sage grouse, which right now is in severe decline. The sage grouse is a bird that lives all across the Great Basin, a little bit in northern California. That kind of desert country is where you’ll find sage grouse. They actually will eat the sagebrush and hide in it. They’re an excellent indicator for basically pristine, wide open spaces. They like big areas. They like it quiet.

As energy development and other things have descended upon that region, we’ve actually seen the grouse population decline by as much as 90%.

When we see species like the meadowlark start to disappear, species that were so common, that’s not a good harbinger for rarer species in more endangered habitats, is it?

No, that’s exactly the issue. We do carefully look at all the bird populations. There is a lot of focus on the birds that might become endangered; there’s a big effort to head that off.

But we’ve also found that once the bird is listed [as endangered], recovery efforts tend to be successful. We did an analysis a couple of years ago and found out that the biggest need for the Endangered Species Act was to increase this funding for recovery.

A number of birds have just been delisted. One of them was the Kirtland’s warbler up in Michigan, and that’s just a result of successful conservation efforts. There are some good success stories — the interior least tern and the Kirtland’s warbler and a few others are definitely at a point where they seem to be safe and stable in terms of avoiding extinction and on their way to recovery.

But others worry you.

Well, changes to the law itself are worrying me. There’s been some rule-making that can make it very difficult to get protection for new species or provide for adequate habitat protection.

I do think that the process has become politicized and we’re feeling it’s a real challenge to get a level of protection that the birds really need.

People know the phrase “canary in the mine shaft,” meaning an early harbinger of something bad about to happen. Now it seems like our whole wild bird population is the canary in the mine shaft.

That’s right, and they also are showing that they are a big indicator for global warming and climate change. You’re seeing range shifts; because it’s a little warmer, the birds are actually much further north and they’re literally following the climate band as it as it changes.

They’re fortunate in the sense that they can fly to the to a new ideal environment for themselves. Not every critter has that luxury.

As we expand, as our population gets bigger, our agricultural needs are bigger, people cut down forests for wood for myriad purposes, the birds— they gotta give.

We really do need to provide incentives to landowners to grow trees and to maintain their forests. If property values shift too far, they might go into real estate and all that land gets developed.

If we need to grow trees for climate [change purposes], we should make it a real lucrative thing for the landowner to do.

How successful is that?

We’re seeing some success. The California carbon market is really probably the greatest example where it allows for forest conservation projects. Most of them have either longer rotation, forestry or reforestation. And so either way, the environment is winning, because we’re growing trees and absorbing that carbon and providing for that habitat. The California market is something that we probably need to make national.

There was a conflict in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s over loggers versus habitat and the endangered northern spotted owl; I think one bumper stickers said something like, “Save a logger, eat a spotted owl.” Is that the way our relationship with the natural world in general and birds and in particular is going?

It is kind of ironic because birds in general are very popular, but a couple of birds like the greater sage grouse and the spotted owl have been the flashpoint for these huge land use issues, whether it’s conservation of the many millions of acres of public lands in the sagebrush country or the old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.

The fact that these birds declined so far is really kind of an indication that the habitat was not being used and not being properly conserved.

There’s been, I think, a very successful effort to protect the old-growth forest under the Northwest Forest Plan, but it’s by no means a perfect plan. But it has brought an end to the worst type of old-growth logging that used to happen.

And we are actually seeing some real benefits in terms of improved water quality. The forests in the region are now a big carbon sink where they absorb carbon instead of being a source of emissions every year or so.

So the public has seen some real side benefit in addition to the conservation of the forests.

Unfortunately, we have some policymakers who are trying to open up the old-growth forest again to logging, whether it be in Alaska or in the Pacific Northwest or Northern California. And we’re trying to counter that.

A lot of the work that we do is in partnership with other conservation groups. We manage a coalition called the Bird Conservation Alliance, which has over 200 groups doing public outreach and events to raise awareness about our program.

People like the idea of birds — they just don’t perhaps make the connection between, Oh, that’s a bird, and I like to hear it, I like to see it … and what it takes to keep that bird alive.

And sometimes people don’t see how their actions might affect things. A couple of the biggest sources of mortality for birds are window collisions and cats.

With windows, it’s estimated about a billion [birds are killed] a year, and it tends to be on the glass facades and ground-level windows that reflect foliage. There are ways, despite how the landscape is designed or where the windows are themselves; there’ve been windows tested that reduce the number of collisions. We’re working on various pieces of legislation that encourage the use of bird-safe building designs and materials.

There’s actually solutions for homeowners. There’s glass products and films that they can put on the windows to treat them so that the collisions can be greatly reduced.

The same with cats. Keeping cats indoors is safer for the cat. And it greatly reduces the predation that would happen if they were outdoors.

Many people let their cats outside to roam around, not thinking about the devastation that cats can wreak by killing birds — not a pleasant thing for bird lovers or for cat lovers.

In the West, there’s there is a big problem for cat owners seeing their cats outdoors having all kinds of issues, whether it’s fights with other cats, getting hit by cars and that kind of thing.

But the big issue lately is coyotes. If you’re leaving your cat outside, particularly at night, it’s a huge risk to them.

How many birds are cats killing?

Well, it is estimated it’s in the billions. Particularly when you think about the fledgling birds, they tend to be very vulnerable for their first couple of months, before they’ve really gotten to be full size and full strength. There’s just a tremendous toll every year.

What about windmills? President Trump says windmills kill a lot of birds.

Windmills do kill birds. We estimate as many as a million birds a year are killed by wind turbines and associated infrastructure. There are guidelines in place right now that can reduce this mortality. Unfortunately, they’re not being used that consistently. We’re working on a [proposed] piece of legislation called the Migratory Bird Protection Act that we think eventually could lead to these guidelines getting into use more often.

The changes that are happening to the [landmark 1918] Migratory Bird Treaty Act by the administration right now — one of the biggest problems is the fact that it won’t encourage us to solve these problems any longer. The law was intended to encourage industry to find ways to stop killing birds accidentally. So whether it be [birds] falling into oil pits or running into communications towers, there has been a lot of effort over time to reduce that mortality.

As a result of this change that’s been proposed by the administration and already put in effect through a legal opinion a couple of years ago, we’re actually no longer seeing enforcement that we used to have.

So at the same time bird populations are declining, we’re actually seeing weaker enforcement and weaker protection.

With wind and also with oil and gas and pretty much on any aspect, they’ve basically said that they’re no longer going to enforce the law.

And this could even be in extreme worst cases of oil spills where, in the past, there would have been big fines applied. Now they’re basically saying there’s no law any longer.

We’re already fighting, as is the state of California. We’re hopeful to overturn their efforts to weaken the law.

The Migratory Bird Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Alan Lowenthal from California, would actually kind of bring about these best management practices that I was just talking about. The bill has gone through a House committee and is awaiting a vote on the House floor. And people can express their support to their lawmakers to pass the Migratory Bird Protection Act.

It sounds like California’s doing a pretty good job of getting on top of this.

California has an outstanding legislature in terms of passing bills to protect the environment and fill in the gap while the federal government is kind of dithering about right now.

One area where California took the lead was in the phase-out of toxic lead ammunition. There’s now nontoxic alternatives available.

Most Americans live in suburban or urban areas now. I’m wondering about the urban bird population.

There’s actually a lot that we can do in our urban areas. Urban forests are very important. And each homeowner can do things with their own landscaping, things that that could actually really benefit wildlife, just in our own back yard.

Are you a birdwatcher? Is there a species that speaks to you?

Right now, I’d have to say the marbled murrelet is the species that really speaks to me. It’s right on the coast of northern California and Oregon and Washington state. And it’s a neat little seabird that goes out and forges on little fish and then it nest in the tops of old-growth trees. Those tend to be the very biggest trees that are like 200 years old or older. So there’s a huge overlap between the marbled murrelet and these really high-carbon forests that are valuable in terms of the fight on climate change. There’s all kinds of habitat protection and recreation.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Column: 3 billion birds have vanished from our skies. Can we ever bring them back? appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Pigeon pie anyone? Thai town hosts cook-off of culled birds

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:06:09 +0000

A Thai district chief has clipped the wings of his town’s pigeon population by paying residents to trap the birds and organising a cook-off to build support for the cull.

The campaign to go after hundreds of thousands of pigeons started earlier this week in a district of Lop Buri province – a region better known for its monkey menace.

“The number of pigeons increases four to five times each year, if we don’t do anything the problem will get worse,” said Plaek Thepparak, the highest government official in Mueang district, who came up with the idea.

The birds were a nuisance and defecated on government offices, historical sites, temples and houses while ravaging local crops, he added.

“Before people can drink rain water but now they have to buy drinking water because rain water is dirty from bird droppings,” he said.

Residents will get 10 baht (about $0.30) per trapped birds, which will be transferred to a quarantine centre in a nearby province.

But cooking them up is also on the menu.

“We also urged residents to eat the dead pigeons but only if they are hygienic and cook them well,” Plaek said, adding the town hosted a “pigeon menu” cooking competition earlier this week with cash prizes.

The dishes whipped up included a simple fried pigeon, knocked back with a side of Thailand’s classic papaya salad.

Two hours north of the capital Bangkok, Lop Buri is on Thailand’s tourist circuit and is better known as a haven for monkeys, but even they are being outnumbered by the birds.

“There are about 3,000 monkeys but there are hundreds of thousands of pigeon,” Plaek said.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Pigeon pie anyone? Thai town hosts cook-off of culled birds appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Police investigate after peregrine falcon and pigeon killed in “cruel” trap in Co Tyrone

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:03:10 +0000

A FALCON and a pigeon have been killed in Co Tyrone in what has been described as “one of the most serious incidents of peregrine persecution in Northern Ireland for several years”.

The PSNI were last night continuing to investigate after the birds were found dead at around 10pm in the Scraghey area, near Castlederg on July 10.

It is thought those behind the attack tied up the pigeon and covered it with poison, using it as bait to trap a peregrine falcon.

DUP MLA Jim Wells, also a member of the NI Raptor Study Group, described the incident as “cruel”.

“The vigilance of several members of the Raptor Study Group and the very quick response by the PSNI has revealed what is likely to be one of the most serious incidents of peregrine persecution in Northern Ireland for several years,” he told the Ulster Herald.

“The use of poison on a pigeon to kill a protected bird of prey is cruel, dangerous and totally irresponsible. The peregrine falcon once faced extinction due to the use of pesticides and now it’s recovery is threatened by those who seek to kill adults and young using totally illegal and reckless methods”.

He added:”The research has revealed that illegal prosecution remains a problem in some parts of the county. There are those who want to prevent people living in this area from seeing the fastest bird in the world”.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Police investigate after peregrine falcon and pigeon killed in “cruel” trap in Co Tyrone appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Filmmaker Michael Bay has been charged with killing a pigeon in Italy in 2018

Pigeon Patrol — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:00:33 +0000

Filmmaker Michael Bay has been charged with killing a pigeon back in 2018 while filming a movie in Italy.

The Wrap reported that the Transformers director was accused of killing the bird during the production of Netflix’s 6 Underground in Rome.

Authorities claim the homing pigeon was killed on a moving dolly during a take.

Pigeons are protected in both Italy and in the European Union under the Birds Directive, which states it is illegal to ‘kill, trap or trade’ them.

According to The Wrap, an individual who was allegedly present when the incident occurred on set reported it to Italian police shortly after. However, Bay has fiercely denied these claims.

He told the outlet: “I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist.

“No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.”

Bay and his legal team have made multiple attempts to have the case thrown out in court.

The director maintains as he has video evidence of the incident, which proves he is innocent.

He said: “We have clear video evidence, a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story.”

He added: “There is an ongoing court case so I cannot get into the specifics, but I am confident we will prevail when I have my day in court.

While Italian authorities have offered to settle the case with the director paying a small fine, Bay refused as he did not want to ‘plead guilty to having harmed an animal’.

The 2018 flick 6 Underground follows a group of people who fake their own deaths and form a vigilante team to stage a coup d’état against a ruthless dictator.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent and Corey Hawkins.

And, just like all of Bay’s movies, 6 Underground had a whopping budget of USD $150 million (AUD 216m).

But despite this, it was a flop according to Netflix’s head of original films, Scott Stuber.

“We didn’t feel like we got there on that one creatively,” Stuber told Variety.

“It was a nice hit, but at the end of the day we didn’t feel like we nailed the mark to justify coming back again.

“There just wasn’t that deep love for those characters or that world.”

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

bird guard

The post Filmmaker Michael Bay has been charged with killing a pigeon in Italy in 2018 appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Homing pigeon still missing after release from police custody

Pigeon Patrol — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:58:45 +0000

EPPING – The fate of a homing pigeon that stopped by the Epping police station after getting lost on a flight home to Massachusetts is unknown.

The 4-month-old bird hasn’t been seen since it was released from police custody earlier this month.

The pigeon first arrived outside the police station on Sept. 29. Worried about its safety, police took the bird into custody and held him over night.

Police learned that his owner was Gerry Gaumond of New Braintree, Mass., and that he became lost during a pigeon race that began in New York. He was expected to return home with the rest of Gaumond’s pigeons participating in the race, but it’s believed that he lost his way because he’s young and inexperienced.

Police released the pigeon on Sept. 30 and assumed he would make it home by the end of the day. However, he was found a short distance away and returned to the police department.

A second attempt to send the bird home on its own was made on Oct. 3 when Animal Control Officer Bill Hansen brought the pigeon to Depot Road in the area of the Exit 6 on-ramp to Route 101 and let him go.

The bird didn’t immediately take off. It flew up onto the roof of a house nearby and perched itself there.

Hansen didn’t hang around to see if the pigeon would leave. He assumed it would get its bearings and take off when it was ready.

“The last time I saw him he was sitting on that roof,” Hansen said Thursday.

Police received sightings of the pigeon in the area where it was released days later, but no one seems to know where he ended up.

Gaumond said it’s possible the pigeon could still fly home, but unlikely.

“Every day the chances get slimmer, but you never know. There’s a one in a million chance,” he said.

Gaumond, who races pigeons with his daughter through a club, said he’s had pigeons arrive home two months after they disappeared.

But their chances of survival diminish the longer they’re in the wild as they become easy prey for other animals.

Gaumond will soon begin breeding more pigeons to fly in races next year.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Homing pigeon still missing after release from police custody appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

Pigeon dung problem grows in Alaska town

Pigeon Patrol — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:57:10 +0000

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Twice a year, Marcus Dodge assigns a worker to don disposable coveralls and a respirator for a trip to a downtown Fairbanks parking garage to clean up deposits from a non-native species.

Dodge, director of the Fairbanks Parking Authority, estimates the worker picks up 150 gallons of pigeon dung annually and hauls it to the hazardous materials area at the landfill.

“Pigeon crap weighs a ton,” Dodge said. “It’s not a lot of fun to clean up.”

The downtown pigeon population appears to be growing, according to Dodge and others. Businesses are experimenting with ways to deter the bird, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Roofers last summer discovered 6 inches of pigeon guano on the roof of the Courthouse Square, the former federal courthouse.

Charlie Cole, Alaska’s former attorney general, who has kept an office in downtown Fairbanks since 1957, has been talking with neighbors about fending off the birds.

“They leave droppings around warm air outlets where they congregate,” Cole said. “I think it’s a nuisance.”

Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and uric acids that eat away at metal and the sealant on the parking garage concrete floor.

One pigeon can produce 25 pounds of guano per year, according to a government report detailing New York City’s pigeon problem. The droppings were cited as possible cause for speeding the decay of a Minneapolis bridge across the Mississippi River that collapsed in 2007 and killed 13 people.

Hunters and dog trainers introduced pigeons to Fairbanks, said Cathie Harms, spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The best way to deter them, she said, is to eliminate their food source.

“We are aware that some people are feeding pigeons,” she said. “If there wasn’t as much food, there wouldn’t be as many pigeons.”

A maintenance worker for the Springhill Suites Marriot a few months ago tried chasing them off with a recording of predator birds. The sound could be heard from a couple of blocks away and drew complaints from hotel neighbors.

Robert Franklin, a maintenance foreman for JL Properties Inc., which manages the Courthouse Square and the Northward apartment building, calls pigeons flying rats.

“They’re a hazard to the equipment. They’re a hazard to people,” he said. “They get into stuff they are not supposed to.”

He uses spike strips and moves owl decoys around to repel pigeons. Success has been mixed, he said.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post Pigeon dung problem grows in Alaska town appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

How to Get Rid of Pigeons on Your Roof, Attic & Balcony

Pigeon Patrol — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:49:52 +0000

Pigeons and humans have lived together for thousands of years. Outside the cozy appearance of pigeons on large squares, pigeons can cause a lot of discomfort. There are very many different types of pigeons in the world, and only some species give people trouble.

This mainly concerns those species that live in cities and towns. They can occur in large numbers and multiply very rapidly. The city pigeons today are actually feral domestic pigeons that have been bred for centuries and originally stem from the rock dove

Pigeon droppings look awful on your roof and the uric acid (that white stuff) in the poo can damage your house. In addition, the droppings contain bacteria and fungi that can be dangerous to humans. Some examples are Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis and Psittacosis.

Home remedies for pest control are a great safe, affordable and eco-friendly alternative repellents to store-bought products, and below are some awesome tricks on how to get rid of pigeons on your roof. So, read on to find the best repellents for these pests!

First Off: Why Are They There?

If you suffer from pigeons on your roof, you must first ask why the birds are there. They might be there because there is a source of food and water. So to start off you must remove those. Never feed the pigeons. Make sure no one in your family or any of your neighbours feeds them. Pigeons like to eat grass seeds, berries and dog or cat food. Make sure the pigeons can not find anything to eat.

Pigeons might also like to use your roof or attic as their breeding grounds. The easiest way to discourage their nesting is to take away any access points they use. Below you will find various repellent methods to do just so.

7 Simple Tactics: How to Get Rid of Pigeons

Now its time for business. If you have pigeons on your roof, consider one of the 7 ways to get rid of them quick-smart. These methods are very effective when it comes to removing pest in your attics.

1. Use a Slinky

A nice alternative to bird spikes is using a Slinky. Attach it along the roof or balcony edge, with the circles not more than one finger length apart. Secure it tightly with tape or wire every 8 inches. The pigeons will not like it because they can’t hang out on your property. This has become a very popular and safe repellent for these unwanted birds.

2. Use A Standard Water Hose

You can also use a garden hose as a weapon in the battle against pigeons. The birds hate it if there is a strong jet of water directed onto them. You have to repeat this for a while, so they know you mean business.

3. Block Off All Entrances

This is a point we stress in our other pest removal or repellent guides: Ensure that pigeons can not get in. Once they’re in your attic, more and more pigeons will settle down on and around your house.

Make sure the attic and vents are properly screened off to keep birds and other animals from entering. Fill large openings and windows with heavy curtains or plastic strips to make it difficult to enter. If they can come in, make sure that the birds can not sit anywhere.

Close off corners where birds like to build nests with sturdy cloth and plaster. In large open areas such as barns and attics, you can close the spots above the rafters with oversized pigeon nets.

4. Mirrors and Noise

Use reflective objects. It is worth trying to use reflective tape on your roof edge, or hanging objects that make noise or balloons to scare off the pigeons. For instance, let some firecrackers go off any time a pigeon lands somewhere. Make sure to use firecrackers that are not dangerous for children. This bird repellent is as easy as it can be, and it works every single time!

5. String

Bind strings or rope from one end to the other where birds like to sit down. They won’t be able to find their balance for landing. Use rope that is not affected by the weather.

6. Spicy Pigeon Repellent

Pigeons do not like it spicy. Sprinkle cajun pepper, cinnamon or pepper in places where birds often sit. Do not be stingy with spices and repeat it after rain.

7. Birds of Prey

Use birds of prey to scare away pigeons. Unless you happen to have a bird of prey as a pet, you can buy a plastic or stone statue of an owl or hawk. Put it on the spot where the birds often sit. Unfortunately, this does not work forever, because the pigeons will ultimately understand the fake bird never moves.

Source

Pigeon Patrol

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post How to Get Rid of Pigeons on Your Roof, Attic & Balcony appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.

How Do Homing Pigeons Find Home?

Pigeon Patrol — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:47:29 +0000

How do you like to communicate with your friends? Do you pick up the telephone to talk to them? Or would you prefer to send them text messages? Perhaps you have fun sending short messages and pictures via smartphone apps?

What if you had a bird that would deliver a message to your friend? Your friend could then write a response that your bird would bring back to you. Sound a bit like sending owls in the wizarding world of Harry Potter? That type of magic isn’t entirely the stuff of books, especially if you have a homing pigeon!

Homing pigeons are a type of domestic pigeon descended from the rock pigeon. Wild rock pigeons have an innate ability to find their way home from long distances. Today’s homing pigeons have been carefully bred to do the same, including carrying messages over those long distances.

Unlike the owls in the Harry Potter books, homing pigeons can’t be given an address or a person to fly to. If taken a ways from home, though, they can find their way back home in a remarkably short period of time. In fact, homing pigeons have been known to find their way home from as many as 1,100 miles away, and they can travel an average of 50 miles per hour with bursts of up to 90 mph!

This ability has made them valuable as messengers since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians. Homing pigeons were used extensively in both World War I and World War II. Several birds even received medals for their service in delivering critical messages during wartime!

But how do they find their way home over such long distances? Could you imagine being dropped off 1,000 miles away and having to find your way home? You might reach for a map, smartphone, or Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to guide you home. What do homing pigeons do?

Despite many scientific studies over the years, no one yet fully understands how homing pigeons navigate home across long distances. There are several theories that experts believe explain at least part of the processes at work.

Scientists now believe that homing pigeons have both compass and map mechanisms that help them navigate home. The compass mechanism helps them to fly in the right direction, while the map mechanism allows them to compare where they are to where they want to be (home).

A homing pigeon’s compass mechanism likely relies upon the Sun. Like many other birds, homing pigeons can use the position and angle of the Sun to determine the proper direction for flight. The map mechanism, however, remains a bit of a mystery.

Some researchers believe homing pigeons use magnetoreception, which involves relying on Earth’s magnetic fields for guidance. Researchers have found that homing pigeons have concentrations of iron particles in their beaks that would allow them to detect magnetic fields easily.

More recent research, however, suggests that homing pigeons may instead rely upon low-frequency infrasound to find their way home. These low-frequency sounds are inaudible to human ears, but they’re created by nearly everything, including the oceans and Earth’s crust.

Homing pigeons may listen to these sounds until they recognize the signature sounds of their home roost. Of course, researchers also note that, once homing pigeons get closer to home, they may also be guided, in part, by familiar landmarks, just like humans use when navigating.

Source

Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.

The post How Do Homing Pigeons Find Home? appeared first on Pigeon Patrol Canada - Bird Control Products & Services.