about urban pest birds
Pest birds are a huge problem in urban areas, where large populations of certain species can cause serious problems such as the spread of disease, structural damage to buildings, the contamination of stored products, and noise pollution.
Although there are a number of species identified as pest birds in the United Kingdom, most of these are agricultural pests and don’t affect urban areas. You can read more about the reasons for proofing buildings against urban pest birds here.
what are pest birds?
While there is no clear definition of a ‘pest bird,’ they are generally considered to be the species that are listed in the general licenses issued by the secretary of state. The general licenses permit authorised persons to carry out certain lethal bird control measures that would otherwise be prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside 1981 Act.
Only the general license GL41 is relevant in urban areas as it is used to preserve public health or public safety. The urban birds on this license are the feral pigeon and the jackdaw.
In addition to the general licenses, there are also individual licenses that are only granted on a case-by-case basis for certain other species, such as the herring gull, sparrows, and starlings. The requirements for these licenses are very stringent and are only likely to be granted in very specific circumstances.
All in cases, the licenses state that lethal control should only ever be used as a last resort after alternative methods of control have been considered. This means that in the vast majority of cases, physical proofing is the best option.
feral pigeons
The most common urban pest bird in the world, the feral pigeon is originally descended from the domesticated rock dove but has reverted to its wild form. They live in close proximity to man, building their nests on both modern and old buildings and inside the lofts of houses and commercial premises.
Feral pigeons are scavengers, finding an easy source of food in town centres, where they are fed by the general public or by the scraps of food, which are often found outside food premises.
Numbers of feral pigeons are increasing due to a lack of natural predators, the constant supply of food, and the fact that they can breed all year round.
herring gulls
Although technically their numbers are declining in the UK, in certain areas herring gulls are a massive problem. Their behaviour has altered over the years, and they now prefer to build their nests on rooftops rather than cliff faces. Gulls are scavengers and feed from scraps of food in town centres as well as sewerage outlets and domestic refuse tips. They are large and aggressive and have been known to attack people and pets while protecting their young during the nesting season.
While gulls always roost on the highest point of a building, like the ridges and chimney pots, they generally try to build their nests on flat areas such as flat roofs, chimney stacks, and the gully between the base of a chimney stack and a pitched roof.
In addition to the potential structural damage caused by a large buildup of their droppings, the noise, mess, and smell associated with gulls can often become intolerable for people working in buildings where a gull colony has been established. Once a colony has been established, gulls will return year after year.
starlings & Sparrows
Starlings and sparrows, although smaller in size than the previous birds, are no less a problem due to their vast numbers. Up to 1 million starlings can be found roosting in one place, and whole populations of both sparrows and starlings can live in stored food premises.
Produce stored in buildings infested with these birds can become heavily fouled - even bagged goods in these areas can become damaged. The noise associated with large numbers of these birds can also pose a serious problem. Starling droppings can also lead to the growth of several types of fungi, including histoplasma and capsulatum, which can lead to lethal diseases in humans.
Starlings are also a common problem on domestic properties, especially on large new housing developments, where they enter a property through gaps under roof tiles and then build their nests in the soffits. Once the nest has been built, it cannot be removed due to their protected status. Because of the noise that young starlings make, often very early in the morning, this can be a very distressing problem.
The only option available to the homeowner is to wait for the young to leave the nest and then have proofing installed to prevent them from returning next year. Bird Management Solutions have extensive experience of this and are experts at proofing houses in this manner.
jackdaws
Jackdaws are part of the crow family. Unlike the other pest birds, the problems caused by jackdaws are not usually related to their droppings. Jackdaws like to build very large nests in void areas constructed from large, tightly packed sticks.
These nests can be a problem if they are built in the soffits or loft of a house due to the potential insect infestations, but the most common location for a nest is inside a chimney. The nests are so tightly packed that a chimney will be completely blocked, which can be a potentially dangerous situation if the chimney is in use.
The only solution to prevent Jackdaws nesting in your chimney is to either cap off the chimney if it is unused or to install a jackdaw guard if it is still in use.
Bird Management Solutions is highly experienced in proofing against jackdaws, and you can read more about these proofing methods at the link below.
non pest birds
There are some birds that are not defined as pests at all under the Wildlife and Countryside 1981 Act licenses, which can still cause the same problems associated with the buildup of fouling and nesting materials.
The most common of these is the house martin, which on certain types of properties can be a huge problem.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside 1981 Act, it is an offence to "kill or take [any of these birds], damage or destroy their nests, or take or destroy their eggs."
However, once these birds have left their nests, it is possible to install physical proofing to prevent them from returning.
We will always ensure that any nests are empty when proofing against these species.
other bird species
In certain situations, any bird can be a nuisance or pest. The following is a list of just some of the species we have proofed against in the past.
- Herons
- Crows
- Rooks
- Magpies
- Parakeets
- Geese
- Ducks
- Swifts
- Swallows
- Other gulls
House martins
With house martins red listed due to their population decline, it is inappropriate to prevent them from nesting entirely. However, Bird Management Solutions can provide proofing solutions to prevent them from nesting in sensitive areas such as above windows and doors or on the front of buildings. We can also install special shelving under martin nests to catch their droppings.
Our proofing methods for martins are in accordance with the RSPB's guidelines.
other bird species
In certain situations, any bird can be a nuisance or pest. The following is a list of just some of the species we have proofed against in the past.
- Herons
- Crows
- Rooks
- Magpies
- Parakeets
- Geese
- Ducks
- Swifts
- Swallows
- Other gulls