Kestrel Services - Pest Birds

Bird Proofing Services

Urban Pest Birds

These birds are regarded as the most important bird pests of the urban environment. Their significance vary from country to country and other species will, from time to time, cause problems in towns and cities.

The Feral Pigeon (Columbia livia)
This is the number one urban pest bird throughout the world. Descended from birds which were originally domesticated for food, these birds have reverted to their wild state, but now live in close proximity to Man. Much loved by the general public, they are responsibLe for most of the bird fouling of buildings in towns and the transmission of bird diseases to humans such as ornithosis.

PROOFING:	Many systems are available, but great care must be taken with product choice for each part of the building. Netting with 50mm mesh is the most successful method.
SCARING:	Scaring with auditory or visual systems is rarely successful for long.
CONTROL:	Can be a good option for removing specific individuals; large-scale culling is rarely successful for long and incurs very significant adverse public reaction. Removal of food and shelter will help.

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The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
This can be a major problem in certain localities and of no significance in others. The problem occurs when large numbers (can be tens of thousands) gather for night roosting. The noise, smell and extensive fouling caused by these congregations can be horrendous. Fungi associated with the dried guano can give rise to serious human disease problems.

PROOFING:	Few systems are effective, due to the birds’ small size and agility, with the exception of 28mm mesh netting.
SCARING:	This species has a distress call, recordings of which can often be used successfully to prevent night roosting.
CONTROL:	Not usually a practical option, due to the sheer numbers of birds often present in the flocks.

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The Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
These large, aggressive birds are causing an increasingly significant problem due to their recent use of buildings as sites for breeding colonies. The noise, mess and smell associated with such sites can cause serious distress to those in the buildings concerned. Water damage through gutter blockage is often caused.

PROOFING:	A number of heavy-duty systems are available, with netting using 75mm mesh being the most successful.
SCARING:	This species has a distress call, but playing recordings of this back at the birds can have variable results.
CONTROL:	Can be a good option for removing specific individuals; large-scale culling is rarely successful for long and incurs very significant adverse public reaction.

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The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
This is a major problem for the food industry, with populations becoming established inside warehouse and retail premises. These “flying mice” gain entry through very small holes and then damage and foul stored food and are extremely difficult to deal with.

PROOFING:	Few systems are effective, due to the birds’ small size and agility, with the exception of 19mm mesh netting.
SCARING:	Scaring with auditory or visual systems is rarely successful for long.
CONTROL:	Can be a good option for removing specific individuals; some methods require Special Licences (U.K.)