There are times in which bird control becomes necessary as bird prevention can only do so much. Feral pigeon prevention is a serious necessity in Brisbane as they are the most common pest birds found here. If you find these birds in your space, a major bird problem will be the result. We’re not anti bird but when someone needs bird pest removal or control, we’re the experts to handle their bird problems.
With this being said, this does not necessarily mean the birds have to be killed. We’re firm believers that where possible, bird removal from nuisance areas can be resolved with eliminating them as a final resort or without it entirely. So if you’re looking to keep birds away from your home or business, read on to gain an in-depth understanding of pigeons and other nuisance birds in Australia.
The Pigeon Nuisance
There are wild pigeons flying all throughout Australia and the associated pigeon problems resulting in a serious need for pigeon pest control. These birds are breeding like crazy and calling for bird abatement at the very least. They’re usually medium-sized dark grey birds that possess slightly lighter grey wings. This being said, these pigeons are also adorned with iridescent purple and green display feathers. Like most birds, they have a beak (black in color), eyes (orange in color), and legs/feet that are red-purple in color.
You’ll typically see these pest birds inhabiting a multitude of structures that are built by men. This includes but is certainly not limited to bridges, buildings, gutters, and pipes. You’ll also likely see them in large groups out in open areas or on statues. They’ll devour all different kinds of food as well, including bread, buds, fruit, food scraps, vegetables, and seeds. If you’ve never had to deal with pigeon removal, consider yourself lucky because they’re very messy!
Pigeon Biology
Feral pigeons grow to approximately 12 inches in length and weigh up to a pound. While these pest birds can sport various colors, they’re typically grey and bluish in color. You’ll notice that the males are more ornately colored when compared to the females, allowing them to attract a mate. A fun fact about these birds is that when they become mates, they’re paired together for life. This includes each of the birds playing their own part in building nests and parenting young ones.
Pigeons can lay as much as a clutch of eggs over the course of a year and there is no season for them to mate. Once the eggs are laid, they hatch within 19 days and the pigeon parents care for them until they’re old enough to go off and start their own families.
Pigeon control is necessary when it comes to these birds because of how fast they can breed and inhabit an area. The problem can persist over a long period of time, causing the need for pigeon removal by a trusted commercial bird control or other pigeon removal services. We’re on-call and ready to handle any pigeon problems at any given time (and we maintain humane efforts when capturing and relocating them as well!).
Pigeon Behavior
Pigeon control starts with understanding that pigeons are known for inhabiting areas that people reside in. They’re found in many man-made structures and much to peoples’ dismay, they’ll defecate in the areas they’re residing. The pests will hang out on building architecture, making a mess of sills, signs, beams, and more. Some people find them living in AC units, ductwork, attics, and other places in their homes and businesses. When someone needs bird removal from house areas, it’s likely a pigeon nuisance. Like all pigeon pest control experts, we know the ins and outs of pigeon behavior, making it so we understand precisely how to get rid of birds without hurting them.
Pigeon Messes
Without pigeon removal services specialising in bird pest removal, any pigeon nuisance is bound to persist. While pigeons can be fun to look at, having them inhabit your area can result in a serious need for prompt pigeon control. These birds can make a total mess anywhere they live and it’s not fun cleaning up after them. If they’re roosting in your proximity, expect nesting material and feathers being left behind, as well as the potential for mites and fleas to rise with their infestation.
Unsightly pigeon droppings are a telltale sign of a pigeon infestation. While they’re rather unappealing because of the messes they make, the fact that they are unsanitary creatures truly results in the need to get them to move on from the area, giving the people residing there the peace of mind they need.
Needing pigeon nest removal is not uncommon and after dealing with bird problems that persist over time, it’s easy to see how big pigeon problems can get. With this being said, it’s important to know how to keep pigeons away because of the damage they can do to your property and health.
Pigeon and Bird Diseases
Many people wonder why they should know how to keep pigeons away. They ask themselves if pigeon control is really necessary and the truth of the matter is that it is. While some people might like pigeons, it might be better to call them “the rats of the sky.” These birds, along with other flying critters, are known to carry a variety of diseases that make it imperative to get them to vacate your premises, even if it means hiring someone who specialises in pigeon pest control.
Pigeon droppings are known to contain large sums of nitrogen, allowing fungus to flourish on your property. The major danger of fungus is that it is possible for people to inhale the spores it gives off, resulting in lung disease called histoplasmosis. Allowing pigeon feces to accumulate can pose a serious threat to human health and if they’re residing in AC ducts or attics, the chance of breathing in these spores increases.
Usually a trapping program is the first consideration as this allows the technician to take the birds out the trouble spot. The next option is to bird proof the area in question, this can be done in a number of ways using an array of products best suited to the target species and the surrounding structural environment. This prevents any further groups of the same (or other) species populating this area.
This is a part of bird pest control that requires precise decision making in any application prescribed for the trouble area. A professional bird proofing system can be custom suited to any and all commercial, horticultural and private sectors.
How To Get Rid Of Birds
You might not have known how to keep pigeons away before visiting our site, meaning you now have a pigeon infestation that is out of control. Getting rid of birds is no walk in the park; it can require extensive professional help because knowing how to get rid of birds is not the same as being capable of getting rid of them on your own.
Pigeon nest removal is not as easy as simply removing the nest; you’ll want to make sure they don’t come back. Bird nest removal in general can be a tremendous hassle as a lot of birds will simply rebuild their nests regardless of how many times you get a bird nest removal service out to your property to remove the unwanted tenants.
We’re not anti bird so we take every step possible to ensure we don’t have to harm any living creatures, unless necessary, while we’re working on keeping birds away from your home. With this being said, we will handle your pigeon nuisance with the most humane efforts.
Trapping
While pigeon prevention is one of the better options, trapping them is a relatively humane effort to get rid of them as well. With this method, we’ll need a controlled environment to ensure the birds are not being impacted by daily activities. We find that providing food for the birds in an area we’re targeting and placing parts of the cage within the proximity tends to help them feel at ease around the cage. After the birds go into the cage, they’re trapped and we’re able to come remove and relocate the birds.
Using Bird Bait
Bird baiting is done over the course of two weeks and we cannot miss a day. Over the course of these 14 days, we’ll continue feeding them and on the last day, we use an immobilising agent to calm the birds down enough to be removed from the area without any problems. This tends to work very well as we’re capable of building the birds’ trust over time, resulting in an easy removal of the birds.
How To Keep Birds Away With Bird Prevention
Daddi Long Legs
This is where you can start with bird prevention or perhaps even bird abatement. These are great to prevent pigeon problems from occurring at your home or business and don’t exterminate the birds. If you’ve never seen these components before, they’re long, thick stainless steel rods that are wavy. People can use them to prevent birds from hanging around air conditioning units, lights, and various other flat surfaces that they might perch on. Imagine an apparatus that looks like the spiders and that’s precisely what these look like.
Bird Wire & Coils
When using bird wire and coils, you’re capable of stopping birds from relaxing on the wider ledges of your home or business. It’s also possible to incorporate an electric current to add a bit of shock as an extra deterrent for the birds. Don’t worry. The electric current will not kill the birds. Rather, it will stop them from going into the area with a little bit of shock to instill it in their minds.
Bird Spikes
Utilizing bird spikes is a good way to stop pest birds from inhabiting your home. They’re put in along walls, pipes, framework, and other structure to ensure the birds are not able to roost in the area. This results in the birds moving on from your home, keeping your home bird-free without a tremendous cost to you.
Bird Netting
Installing bird-proof netting ensures birds cannot come into the area you don’t want them in. This is a good way of fencing the birds out, resulting in a bird-free zone without causing any damage to the feathered pests.
Bird Nest Removal For Do It Yourselfers
While bird nest removal is definitely easier than removing the nest of stinging insects (bees, wasps, hornets), the task can still pose a threat to you. This is why we recommend using our bird nest removal service.
It’s not so much about the bird removal cost as it is about staying safe. Imagine if someone were to come you’re your home in an attempt to remove you. These critters are not happy about being relocated and fortunately, we know how to conduct bird pest removal and the preventative measures to take that will keep birds away from your home.
We’re a bird control service that cares and if you need bird nest removal from house spaces such as your roof, attic, or balcony, we can handle the job and provide you with tips to keep birds away in the future. If you do decide to handle bird nest removal on your own, here are some helpful tips to get you through it in one piece.
Bird Diseases in Droppings
Although it’s unlikely for you to contract a disease from a bird, your bird problems will not simply disappear because you’re saving on the bird nest removal cost. You’ll also have to clean the area of any droppings as they can cause diseases. There are life-threatening diseases that come with bird fecal matter that is found within, on top of, and around birds’ nests. You might also run into some parasitic mites, including scabies or chiggers mites, inside of the nests. Wear gloves and make sure to clean the area after the bird nest removal.
Major Key To Bird Nest Removal
Make sure if you are working on bird nest removal from house areas that the nests are empty. If you destroy a bird nest that is active, you might face federal prosecution, especially if it is a nest of a migratory bird. This can increase your bird nest removal cost tremendously, providing ample reason to double check the nest before you work on bird nest removal. Swallows and geese are in this category and there are even some local and state laws that limit removing active robin and wren nests.
Information On Other Common Pest Birds
House Sparrows
These small birds call Eastern Australia home and are characterised by their small stature paired with a big (in relation to its body) rounded head. With a short thick bill, tail, wings, and short legs, this is a relatively tiny species of bird. The male house sparrow is usually reddish black while females tend to be a plain brown color with a fluffier aesthetic. At their full size, these sparrows are approximately 17 centimeters in length and they’re typically found inhabiting nests they’ll build in crevices found in walls, thick bushes, tree hollows, or roof voids. Their nests are typically rather big and even if someone is to remove their nest, they’ll usually rebuild and continue to inhabit the area. They’re known to devour spiders, seeds, food scraps, flower buds, berries, and insects as well. While these birds are known to eat spiders, this does not stop people from reaching out to their local bird removal service in an attempt to remove and relocate these birds.
Indian or Common Myna
Originating from Asia, the Indian or Common Myna is found residing all along Australia’s Eastern and South Eastern coasts. Although these birds are rather small, they’re built rather stocky and are characterised by a brown body, black head, and yellow feet. You’ll also notice that they beaks and patch behind their eyes are also yellow in color. The way they move along the ground is also rather special as they have a strange strut that can be described as a stretched hop. These birds typically nest inside of the roofs and walls of buildings, traveling only around 100 meters or so from their nests at any given time for the sole purpose of seeking out the necessities. The nests are forged out of feathers, garbage, and leaves and have a rather disorganised look about them. These birds are known for their voracious appetite and as scavengers, they’ll eat nearly anything they can find. When they get together in larger groups, they’re observed causing a lot of noise that can be quite bothersome too, sometimes resulting in a call to commercial bird control to bring back the peace to the area.
The Common Starling
The Common Starling is a medium-sized black bird that has stout pink-red legs. These birds are most commonly found throughout the Easter and South Eastern regions of Australia and with a narrow cone-shaped sharp bill, they’re easy to identify. Common Starlings are fast fliers that exhibit extremely fast wing movement paired with short gliding as they soar through the air. They’re known to have messy nests that are crafted from grass, twigs, leaves, and garbage as well. That being said, their nests are typically made in hollow areas, including trees or roof spaces, and they’re constantly seen in human-inhabited areas such as cities and parks.
Welcome Swallows
These swallows are protected in Australia and they inhabit all regions, although they’re partial to residing in the southernmost region of the country. Characterised by their blue and black colors and small size, these birds have grey underbellies and their forehead and throat are a reddish-rust color. Their tails are long and forked, sporting a single row of white spots on each of their feathers. The Welcome Swallow enjoys drier inland regions and areas that have a lot of forest for them to build their nests. These birds craft open cup-shaped nests out of grass and mud. Once the nest is built, they take feathers to line it and attach the nest to a solid structure. They’re typically observed on rock walls or buildings in areas that are populated with people. The Welcome Swallow is known to eat insects, including moths, flies, and mosquitos. If you have an issue with Welcome Swallows, it’s a good idea to reach out to your local council for some advice regarding what can be done about them.
Seagulls
Anyone living along the coast has likely seen these birds. This type of bird pest control is not usually necessary in the inland region of central Australia. Seagulls, or Silver Gulls, are medium-sized birds that are found all throughout the coastal areas of Australia. These white birds have grey wings and are characterised by their black-tipped tail. You’ll see that they will usually create their nests somewhat close to the ground. These nests are composed of plant matter and seaweed. Seagulls will get together in large groups a lot when they are near the ocean and are known for staying relatively close to shore. Flying far out above the ocean is not normal for these birds as they are usually only willing to fly as far as 40 kilometers from where their nest is when they’re out looking for food. The nests are usually in a colony and these birds feast on plankton, small aquatic animals, and fish, although they are seen scouring the garbage for tasty morsels as well. They’ve also been known to devour worms and other insects. With this being said, these birds are protected and if someone has a problem with them, the local council should be notified and they’ll handle it from there.