by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 4, 2020 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Do You Wanna Know How To Reduce The Numbers In Pigeons Roaming Around?
Keep on reading!
The need to reduce numbers in feral pigeon populations in urban areas has been the subject of intense debate for decades with town and city councils making little impact on the problem due to lack of investment and, in many cases, a reluctance to think laterally. Although the feral pigeon has been a common feature of urban life for the last 100 years there is no doubt that urban flocks are now growing faster than their numbers can be controlled. The reason for this unprecedented rise in feral pigeon numbers is due, almost exclusively, to the availability of food and the methods used to control the birds. Other factors such as the availability of good roosting and breeding facilities also play their part.
The feral pigeon is completely at home in urban environments, exploiting humans for food and using buildings for the purposes of roosting and breeding. This is because the feral pigeon is a descendent of the rock dove, a cliff-dwelling bird that was commonly found feeding and breeding along rocky coastlines prior to its mass exodus inland to make its home alongside man.
Pigeons (Rock Doves) in
their Natural Habitat
The reason that the rock dove chose to desert its natural habitat is the obvious availability of food combined with the optimum breeding and roosting potential offered by buildings, which resemble cliff faces. In its natural habitat the only real predator of the rock dove was the peregrine falcon, an extremely efficient predator that preyed on both pigeons and gull chicks.
In these natural environments flock size was restricted and maintained at levels dictated by the availability of natural food sources and the extent of predation in the area concerned. In urban environments, however, the picture is very different with man being the sole predator of the feral pigeon and food sources guaranteed.
Peregrine Falcon
Today the feral pigeon can be seen in virtually every area of the globe other than the two polar icecaps, exploiting man for food and his buildings for the purposes of roosting and breeding. Man has attempted to control the feral pigeon by using a variety of lethal controls, including poisons, narcotics, cage traps and shooting, and yet the pigeon has shrugged off all these attempts at population control and continued to live and breed in close association with man undeterred. Lethal controls have been complemented by an arsenal of deterrents, provided in an effort to deny or restrict roosting and perching opportunities (thereby reducing guano-related problems). Anti-roosting systems such as anti-roosting spikes have proved extremely effective at displacing pigeons from areas that pigeons roost and nest; but may not be a total solution as pigeons may simply move to other areas nearby.
Rifle Used for Pigeon Culling
So what other options are available to control and contain the problem? The answer to the question really lies in the source of the problem: available food and the means by which we currently control the birds. The use of lethal control as a means of controlling and reducing pigeon populations has been found to have no effect in terms of reducing pigeon flock size. Scientific research has even found that lethal controls can have the opposite effect, resulting in an increased flock size as a result of rejuvenation within the flock. Although we now have the science which proves that all attempts to reduce flock size by lethal means will be a wasted effort, the use of lethal control on pigeon populations is still extensive in the UK and many other countries worldwide. Why then are lethal controls used at all? Culling has been relied upon for decades by the pest control industry as a highly lucrative and revenue-rich service. If it were withdrawn as a control option many contractors would simply go out of business.
Pigeon Loft used for
Breeding Control
The only proven method of reducing pigeon flock size as part of an area-wide control system is to use a method pioneered by PiCAS International involving the use of artificial breeding facilities. This stand-alone method of control has been scientifically* proven to reduce pigeon flock size and is currently being employed throughout mainland Europe by councils and commercial organizations alike. The principle of a scheme using artificial breeding facilities is to provide a pigeon loft or dovecote in which feral pigeons can be encouraged to roost and breed and from which their eggs can be removed as laid and replaced with dummy eggs. This method of breeding control has been found to be extremely effective in reducing flock size and maintaining that reduction indefinitely
Whether a dovecote or pigeon loft is used the principle is the same – pigeons are encouraged to take up residence in the facility provided and as soon as breeding commences their eggs are removed as laid and substituted with dummy eggs. The hen bird will then continue to sit on the eggs for a period of between 18 and 25 days before realizing that the eggs will not hatch, at which time she will then abandon them. If eggs are removed without substituting with dummy eggs the hen bird will re-lay immediately and continue to re-lay each time her eggs are removed.
This may result in long-term health-related problems for the hen bird (such as a severe calcium deficiency) and as the goal is to maintain a small healthy flock of pigeons this is clearly not desirable.
The two types of artificial breeding facility available for use as a breeding control are very different in respect of both design and siting criteria, with a pigeon ‘loft’ normally provided on or possibly even within a building and a dovecote provided in an open space and at ground level. A pigeon loft would normally be provided by a property owner on a specific building or site in an effort to control breeding flocks of feral pigeons within that localized area. A dovecote would normally be provided in a green open space, such as a public park, where the scope of the facility would be the control of large feeding flocks of feral pigeons. In the case of a dovecote-based system a designated public feeding area would normally be provided adjacent to the dovecote in which the general public would be encouraged to feed pigeons, as the food would act to attract the birds to the dovecote facility.
The additional benefit of a designated feeding area, certainly where deliberate and persistent feeding of pigeons is identified as being the root cause of the problem, is that the facility will draw feeders away from their normal feeding areas in town and city centers and relocate them to green areas where pigeons can be better tolerated. Many councils will use the ‘carrot and stick’ approach when offering a system of this nature, providing feeders with legitimized areas in which to feed pigeons but large fines if they continue to feed outside the designated areas.
The main source of all pigeon-related problems in urban areas is deliberate and persistent over-feeding of pigeons by a small number of people who normally feed large quantities of high quality food 7 days a week. To a lesser extent the methods most commonly used to control pigeons (lethal controls) exacerbate and further entrench problems caused by overfeeding. The combination of overfeeding and the rejuvenation of pigeon flocks through the use of lethal controls has resulted in deeply entrenched problems in virtually every city in the Western world.
In some countries the feral pigeon has a religious significance and this fact has also acted to further embed the problem. Muslim, Hindu and Sikh cultures feed pigeons for religious reasons and although the feeding of pigeons for these reasons still continues in many UK towns and cities today, there is a view that the feeding of pigeons is the preserve of the older generation with younger generations taking little interest in the bird. In multi-racial cities like Leicester, for example, where the council embraces the concept of culling and where ethnic minority groups offer huge quantities of food to feral pigeon populations on a daily basis, feral pigeon flocks have grown to unsustainable proportions, creating deeply entrenched problems for property owners.
The problem has become so entrenched that several years ago PICAS International was called in to humanely remove nearly 2000 breeding pigeons and their young from 7 residential roof-spaces in council-owned properties in the city. This indicates the scale of the problem and confirms that citywide overfeeding of feral pigeons, combined with the over-use of culling, will only ever result in upwardly spiraling pigeon flock size.
For any urban pigeon control system to be effective there must not only be area-wide controls provided in the form of pigeon lofts and dovecotes with designated feeding areas, but also an acceptance by property owners that they must play their part. The only body that can be a catalyst for area-wide controls is a council, but if property owners fail to control pigeons on their own properties and allow entrenched roosting and breeding problems to occur or to continue any programme provided by the council will inevitably be compromised. Breeding controls can be astonishingly effective, but if property owners fail to exclude pigeons from their properties those same birds will continue to breed unchecked, further compounding the problem throughout the area. If breeding controls are provided in the form of lofts and dovecotes, however, and if both the local authority and property owners pull in the same direction, a vast majority of pigeons that are excluded during proofing programmes will end up in loft or dovecote facilities where their breeding can be controlled.
The average property owner can provide an extremely effective pigeon control system by installing deterrents in areas where roosting, breeding or perching exists and, if the problem justifies it, by providing an artificial breeding facility in the form of a pigeon loft. The combination of these two controls on one building or site will not only reduce the incidence of soiling in sensitive areas, but will also reduce flock size year on year, resulting in a small manageable flock of pigeons. This must be the goal of every property owner based on the fact that it is simply impossible to eradicate the feral pigeon completely. Although deterrents cannot be considered to be cheap, if the correct choice is made and if the product is sourced and installed by the property owner concerned at least 20-30 years’ protection should be afforded. The correct choice of deterrents is key, with some anti-perching products such as repellent gel only providing between 3 and 12 months’ protection and bird exclusion products like nylon bird netting only offering 5-10 years’ protection. The anti-roosting spike will, however, offer the property owner up to 30 years’ protection without the need to maintain or replace the product, making it an economical and aesthetically pleasing choice.
When a council chooses to provide an area-wide control system for feral pigeons (and very few UK-based councils do provide area-wide systems) expert guidance is critically important. Control systems that are designed to resolve entrenched pigeon-related problems are complex, particularly if the root cause of the problem is persistent and deliberate feeding by the general public. Many UK-based councils have attempted to address the problem by using hard-hitting and aggressive campaigns threatening pigeon feeders with large fines or imprisonment and often undertaking deeply unpopular culling operations at the same time. In each and every case these campaigns have failed due to the fact that the council concerned has failed to understand the underlying reason why people feed pigeons. The ‘problem’ cannot be dealt with as a littering offense or an anti-social act; it must be dealt with by education and persuasion rather than by threats and legislation.
If public feeding is identified to be the cause of the problem a system of controls must be provided that take the impact of persistent feeding into consideration at the same time as identifying large-scale pigeon roosts and closing them down. The principle of an effective area-wide control system using dovecote-based artificial breeding facilities is to provide the general public with an area specifically set aside for the purpose of pigeon feeding and to confirm that feeding is allowed in this area, but nowhere else.
A high-quality public education campaign must be launched confirming what the council is trying to achieve and why. Once a dovecote and designated feeding area facility has been provided in a central and accessible area the task of encouraging the feral pigeon population to feed on the site and take up residence in the dovecote is the next step.
Where pigeon-related problems exist as a result of public feeding the public education campaign will guide feeders to use the dovecote site for this purpose and as a result pigeons will follow, thereby resolving problems for property owners. Where breeding or roosting-related problems exist, however, it will be necessary to exclude pigeons from these areas with physical deterrents or to provide a loft-based artificial breeding facility or a combination of both.
One of the main reasons that area-wide control systems break down is the failure of councils to identify large-scale overnight roosts and force property owners to close them down and exclude pigeons. Councils have the power to force any property owner to undertake works to exclude pigeons from their property or, if the property owner refuses, to undertake those works itself and then bill the property owner. Even in light of these far-ranging powers, however, councils are deeply reluctant to take this action even though it may make render the area-wide control system a failure.
Of course, it is not always advisable or desirable to exclude pigeons from an existing roosting or breeding site, particularly if there is no area-wide control system in place to provide alternative accommodation. This does not stop property owners and companies like Network Rail excluding tens of thousands of pigeons from buildings and roosting sites under railway bridges every year. These excluded birds simply become someone else’s problem and the cycle begins again. This is why it is so important to provide a system of sustainable controls, such as the use of artificial breeding facilities, that will continue to control both breeding and (in the case of dovecote-based systems) feeding indefinitely, with little or no cost involved other than the initial outlay. These systems are popular with the general public and property owners alike as they humanely relocate pigeons to areas where they can be tolerated, accommodated and controlled without the need to resort to unpopular, invasive and unsustainable controls such as culling.
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 26, 2020 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Spikes
What To Do With Annoying Pigeons
When pigeon flocks grow too large, use these humane methods to control their numbers
From a pigeon’s perspective, city living can’t be beat. Food and water are readily available. Predators are rare. Plus, there’s plenty of free housing. Pigeons find our window ledges, rooftops, bridges, and warehouses to be ideal substitutes for the natural ledges in cliff sides that they have always used as roosting, nesting, and sheltering sites.
Steps to Solve Pigeon Problems
You may just need one or a combination of all techniques, depending on the size of the pigeon population you’re dealing with.
Spikes & Nettings
The bird spike is a simple device used to prevent birds from perching or roosting on flat surfaces. Spike systems consist of thin, mildly flexible rods set in a base in multiple rows at varying angles. Pigeon spikes are not sharp and will not harm birds in any way; pigeon spikes are always dull and are completely safe and humane. Contact with the spikes is uncomfortable but never painful or dangerous. The sole purpose of the spikes is to block the birds’ feet from reaching the flat surface; without a foothold, the birds can’t roost. You can use bird spikes to protect your property with a clear conscience.
Bird control spikes are easy to understand, install, and maintain. No special tools are needed, no complicated assembly is involved, and making certain that the spikes don’t become clogged with leaves or other debris is the only maintenance required. In addition, no other bird control device is as cost-effective when measured in money and time; anti-bird spikes don’t require costly installation upfront and continue to function for a long, long time. Bird spikes are honestly a great way to keep birds away.
Anti-bird spikes offer the following advantages:
They Are Safe
Impaling birds is not the purpose of the spikes. Bird spikes have harmless, dull tips, and the spikes themselves are just a bit bendy. When birds try to land, they get a gentle, uncomfortable prod in their undercarriage, and their feet are unable to reach the surface.
Effective
Many bird control experts agree that bird spikes are 100% effective at deterring roosting birds when installed correctly. Spikes work by preventing birds from roosting, and they work every time. Rain or shine, day or night, today, tomorrow, and next year, spikes keep birds away.
Long Lifetime
Bird control spikes offer low-maintenance protection for years. High-quality strips and spikes are constructed to withstand constant exposure to harsh, changing weather conditions.
Unobstructive
Strips don’t cause any interference with electrical or communication transmissions, and, especially from a distance, they won’t significantly interfere with the look of your property. The only thing you will notice is the absence of birds.
Easy To Use
Spikes come preassembled in 2-foot strips that are notched for a tool-free breakdown. A piped line of adhesive down the bottom of the strip gives you a quick and permanent installation, or, for temporary installation, strips can be nailed, screwed, or even zip-tied down. Plus, anyone can do it; installing bird spikes is well within the skills of any competent DIYer.
Stop Feeding The Pigeons (intentionally or not)
Most conflicts with pigeons can be tied at one point or another to feeding, intentionally or otherwise.
Pigeons get fed plenty of handouts and garbage, but there are also well-intentioned pigeon lovers who regularly feed the birds. This does the pigeons more harm than good as the pigeons begin to gather in large numbers, often leading to inhumane and ineffective attempts to reduce their numbers.
When such troubles arise, the best thing for the birds is to reduce feeding gradually over several weeks. The flock will gradually disperse until the remaining number of birds matches what the area can naturally support.
Unintentional Food Sources
Even when not feeding on purpose, we humans are messy, leaving leftovers and dropped crumbs everywhere. Pigeons hang around town squares, public parks, and other trafficked areas to help themselves to what we leave behind, especially when convenient roosting and nesting sites are nearby. To discourage pigeons from gathering, food attractants need to be cleaned up regularly.
In suburban neighborhoods, too, homeowners may mistakenly feed pigeons or they may be providing food for pigeons inadvertently when feeding their backyard birds by tossing seed on the ground, rather than putting it in birdfeeders. To discourage pigeons visiting your yard, change the type, amount, and timing of feeding. If most of the pigeons fail to move elsewhere, you’ll need to stop feeding all birds for a couple weeks. (Don’t worry; the birds won’t starve.) When you resume feeding, only put out seed in birdfeeders and keep the ground below them cleaned up.
Prevent Roosting and Nesting
Pigeons look for flat surfaces for roosting and nesting. Encourage them to do these things elsewhere by making flat surfaces unavailable to them. With the correct application of the right product, roosting structures can be rendered virtually pigeon-free.
Follow these tips and steps to get rid of the annoying pigeons
source
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 26, 2020 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes
Time to Expel The Nuisance (Pigeons)
Expel the pigeons : Many bird lovers like to attract beautiful little songbirds onto their balcony using bird feeders, helping to keep the feathered visitors fed during the winter while enjoying the chance to watch them at the same time. Pigeons, however, are rarely such a welcome guest as their invasion has consequences: damaged plants and traces of excrement as far as the eye can see – not how a cosy open-air oasis is meant to look. Their collective cooing can also really get on your nerves. Some of the birds may even carry diseases – so there are plenty of reasons why you are better off banishing pigeons from your balcony if their visits get out of control.
Visual measures to get pigeons off your balcony
Try to drive the birds away using various visual techniques. The birds are generally thought to be quite clever and fearless, so visual measures will only work in the short term. You should therefore regularly move the pigeon scaring device to a new position. This confuses the birds.
- Fake birds. Who is afraid of the vicious raven? Pigeons. Place a plastic version of the pigeon’s enemy on the balcony to scare the birds off. This also works with hawks, owls and buzzards. Always remember to reposition the pigeon scaring device from time to time. If you have an outdoor cat or a dog, even better. The birds like to keep a safe distance from pets and will therefore stay well away from your balcony
- Hang CDs. A cool retro look, with a purpose. Thread the CDs onto a fishing line. When you hang the mobile on your balcony, if all goes to plan then the reflective surfaces moving in the wind will scare the pigeons and they will fly away
- Aluminium foil. Similar principle to the CDs. Cut long strips of aluminium foil and hang them on the balcony. The fluttering strips reflecting the light will confuse the pests
- Glitter balls. You can also create light reflections to scare away the birds using shiny balls made from glass or plastic. Attached to a wooden stick, these useful defence systems can simply be stuck in a flower bed or plant pot
- Windmills. These contraptions make uncontrolled movements and this scares away the pigeons.
Acoustic and haptic systems to get pigeons off your balcony
Acoustic defence systems are usually only effective for a limited time. Pigeons quickly get used to noises and are then no longer disturbed by them. You should therefore constantly vary the tone to ensure that this method is successful. Dog barks, cries from birds of prey or loud bangs, which sound like they are random, are good examples of effective noises. However, it’s likely that your neighbours will also not particularly enjoy these noises – this measure must not degenerate into a noise nuisance.
Haptic systems offer more promise.
- Nets. Although these do ruin the view, the upside is that pigeons will no longer be able to rest on your balcony.
- Spikes. These are not just found on sports shoes worn by athletes – they are also an effective pigeon defence system. You can buy spikes in DIY shops and attach them to your balcony, preventing the birds from landing. The disadvantage is that your balcony no longer looks so nice. You can now also get spike borders, which are made from plastic. These can be attached to your balcony railings – if don’t mind the slightly military-like view.
Removing pigeon nests from your balcony
If pigeons start to nest on your balcony, you should remove the nests quickly – and always wear gloves and a face mask when doing so. Otherwise, a whole clan could settle on your balcony and it will become more and more difficult to get rid of them. It’s tricky if the birds are already breeding. In this case, you should seek help from a professional. Contact us today!
Protecting your birdhouses from pigeons
Back to the issue of birdhouses: these shelters intended for members of the tit family and other small birds are also popular with pigeons, who steal the food away from the smaller birds during the winter. You should therefore protect the source of food from unwelcome visitors. All you need to do is to run a piece of string or wire through the middle of the opening to the house. The small birds will still be able to get into the house, but the entrance will be blocked to pigeons. Hanging bird-feeder rings do not generally need extra protection because pigeons are too big to perch on them and feed.
source
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 26, 2020 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Pigeon Family Life
Pigeons and their family live in groups called “flocks.” Each flock has an equal number of male and female members. A courting male pursues his intended mate on the ground, circling her, with his neck feathers inflated and his tail spread, bowing and cooing all the while. Pigeons mate for life, but if one partner dies the survivor generally will attempt to find another mate.
Pigeons show a strong affinity for human-built structures. Nests, a haphazard combination of twigs, leaves, and a few feathers, are built on window ledges, behind signs, and under bridges. Parents take turns incubating the clutch of one or two white, unmarked eggs for between 16 and 19 days. After the eggs hatch, both parents feed the baby pigeons, or squabs, a crop secretion called “pigeon milk,” which is produced from the lining of the crop, a sac-like food storage chamber located under the bird’s esophagus. The milk is a highly nutritious and an efficient way of feeding young. Squabs fledge at four to six weeks of age but remain dependent on their parents for as long as the adults will tolerate them — generally another one or two weeks. Individuals may be capable of breeding at six months of age.
Pigeons leave their nesting and roosting sites during daylight hours to search for food, but they return at night, as well as periodically during the day when raising young.
source
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Bird Gone, Pigeon Gone, Seagull Gone, Pigeon problems, pigeon spikes, 1-877-4NO-BIRD, 4-S Gel, Bird Control, Pigeon Control, bird repellent, Bird Spikes, bird law 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, pigeon family pest controller, pest control operator, Bird law pest control technician, Pigeon Control Products, humane pigeon spikes, pigeon deterrents, type of birds, pigeon traps, Pigeon repellents, Sound & Laser Deterrents, wildlife control, raccoon, skunk, squirrel deterrent, De-Fence Spikes, Dragons Den, Canada bird spikes, Pigeon behavior ,Canada pigeon, pigeon control, pigeon patrol, pigeon. Kill pigeons, crow, starling, Pigeon Habitat,
by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 26, 2020 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Guide To Type Of Birds: Maybe it’s due to the fact that birds were a central component of my household for many years (parakeets), but birds are often on my mind. Everyone romanticizes birds because of their ability to fly. Yes, flight is awesome, that’s why we invented the airplane. Bats and bugs fly, but rarely are those animals included on anyone’s list of “animals I’d like to be.” Oh, I wish I were a bird, then I could fly anywhere and be with other birds to peck at millet or something. I’m really happy I’m not a bird. If you were a bird then flying would be normal, and you wouldn’t understand that you were flying because you’d be a stupid bird. The only thing you would think about is probably some form of seed or worm, and its proximity to your beak. The rest of your time would be spent squawking, tweeting, or cawing for extended periods of time about nothing in particular.
Crows are apparently some of the “smartest” birds, which is like being the “most athletic” cripple.This is not meant as an assault on birds; anything but. I’m just laying out the facts as I see them. I love birds. Birds are hilarious. One of my fondest memories of visiting Spain was when I hit this pigeon with a rolled-up newspaper in a courtyard. It was awesome for some reason. Hitting any other animal with a rolled-up newspaper would be much less funny (including a human), but birds have that bit of comedic magic that puts their reactions above and beyond. If you haven’t laughed at a bird before, maybe you should look a little closer. If you still don’t think birds are Earth’s comedic gift to us (along with many other things; Jewish comedy writers mostly), then you should reexamine your sense of humor.
Let’s face it, birds are really stupid. Chickens, turkeys, and ducks are especially stupid for allowing themselves to be bred and murdered by the millions every day, but let us not excuse the less-notably stupid, but still fascinatingly dumb members of the bird kingdom. I think I could break down all groups of birds into a few distinct categories, and this will be the new biologist’s guide to understanding and analyzing birds and their behavior, and general stupidity and ridiculousness.
Group #1: Birds we eat a lot of.
Examples: Chickens, ducks, turkeys, maybe some geese if you’re in 19th century Britain.
These birds are really stupid and extremely funny. One time we put a live chicken in my friend’s room while he was out, and he came back in and freaked out. Just the mere presence of a chicken demands a mirthful response. Look at the greatest comedy props of all time: the whoopie cushion and the rubber chicken. They both appeal to the most primal of human comedic needs. The whoopie cushion is great because it makes a farting sound, and the rubber chicken is great because it looks like a chicken and that’s just funny. Eating chicken is awesome too, and they also lay eggs which I eat a ton of. These two points are not funny, but should be noted to access the chicken’s overall value to human society.
All ducks look partly confused but generally in the moment and satisfied. Ducks seem to need human names like Roger, Stanley, and Ralph. The “quack” is also a very underrated bird noise. In my opinion it sits just above a goose “honk,” and right below a crow’s “caw” on the bird noise hierarchy. Famous ducks include Donald, Daffy, and the Aflac duck.
Turkeys are funny because they are so awkward. I know turkeys in factory farms are pretty messed up, so to appreciate good turkey humor you have to see wild turkeys. They’re kind of scary but at the same time, whatever, they’re stupid turkeys. In English, the word “turkey” is used to describe someone of questionable intelligence and above-average awkwardness. Benjamin Franklin wanted to make this our national bird instead of the bald eagle—one of the many reasons I don’t really like Benjamin Franklin.
Group #2: Birds that hang out near people and annoy them.
Examples: Pigeons, crows, seagulls.
These are perhaps the funniest birds because they’re so annoying and stupid. What’s better than watching a seagull or pigeon swoop in out of nowhere and steal French fries from beachgoers and random middle-aged people? Pigeons are everywhere around the world and they bob their heads when they walk. This is pretty funny. How did pigeons get to so many different places? I think maybe world leaders back in the day got together and had a summit about bringing more generic comedy into cities worldwide. Unanimously they agreed that these stupid birds could bring cultures together better than anything else.
Crows are apparently some of the “smartest” birds, which is like being the “most athletic” cripple. I’d rather be a stupid human than a “smart” bird. Have you ever heard one of those obnoxious crows that just keeps on cawing, and eventually it becomes some bastardized version of the original caw? It starts as your formal CAW CAW before descending into RAW WAW AWWWWWWW. I still remember waking up to the stupidest cawing I’ve ever heard back in eighth grade. Crows are really funny.
Seagulls always steal stuff from people, but it’s fun to throw bottles at them. I love when people get angry at you for hitting a seagull with something when you’re at the beach. People defend seagulls so much until they’re actually robbed by one of these ridiculous creatures. Now there’s a cause to really get behind, save the seagulls.
Group #3: Birds that kill rodents on nature shows.
Examples: Eagles, hawks, owls.
In my opinion, this is the only group of birds that I can consider “badass.” I know there are obvious outliers like certain carnivorous birds in Australia or something, but I really don’t care. I love seeing these birds kill stuff on nature shows, and if I had to make any bird really big so I could saddle it and ride it, it would probably be an eagle. Eagles are the symbol of America, and that’s pretty cool.
Hawks like to fly in circles over random places so people will stop and say, “Oh, look at that hawk! I wonder what he’s flying over?” He’s flying over a bunch of people who care about seeing a hawk fly in circles. Congratulations on feeding a hawk’s ego.
Owls are really wise for birds. I know this because they somehow convinced all fourth graders that it was reasonable to dissect their puke for science class.
Group #4: Big, dumb flightless birds.
Examples: Ostriches, emus, penguins, kiwis, peacocks.
These birds taste better than those in Group 1, but people don’t give them enough credit for that. I’ve never tasted penguin, but I suppose it may be a bit fishy. Either way, ostrich is delicious. These birds could probably mess some stuff up if you left them alone in your apartment. They would probably walk around scratching and pecking at stuff with their awkward bodies until everything broke. I think that’s inconsiderate, but big, dumb, flightless birds don’t know any better.
This group is synonymous with stupidity. Dodo’s were big, dumb flightless birds that eventually became too stupid to live on the island of Mauritius and subsequently rendered themselves extinct. I’ve met a bunch of emus, and each one was really unintelligent. They can barely hold a conversation, let alone begin to write an essay or solve a math problem. Purely idiotic creatures.
Penguins get a lot of credit for mating and living where it’s cold. They’re also acknowledged for sort of looking like they are wearing tuxedos. I would like to see a penguin actually wearing a tuxedo tailored to its proportions. It would have such a difficult time doing anything penguiny, and that would be comedy gold.
Group #5: Pet birds that may be able to talk.
Examples: Cockatiels, parrots, parakeets.
I’ve had a lot of experience with these types of birds. I lived with a number of parakeets for many years. They like to squawk and annoy people who aren’t used to them. They can also smell fear like dogs, and will pester those that find them most repellent.
Parrots have tricked a lot of people into thinking they’re smart because they can speak some English. I don’t buy into the parrot hype. They kind of creep me out. If I wanted to hear words over and over again, I would just say those words over and over. Or, in the true nature of parrots, I would just record my voice and whenever I needed a little dose of language, I would just play the recording. Everyone I know speaks better human language than parrots (this may be because I don’t personally know any infants right now), so maybe stop giving them so much credit and they won’t cost $1,500 at Petco.
Group #6: Birds that people like to see and know the names of, but are generally useless otherwise.
Examples: Cardinals, robins, goldfinches.
These birds are cool because they can make anyone sound like a birdologist at any given moment. “Ooh, look at that cardinal! You know it’s a male because it’s bright red; the females are less brightly colored.” This is a great way to sound smart by regurgitating well-known knowledge as if it were the result of years of consistent bird-study. Robins are good because it’s my mother’s name, as well as the name of Batman’s gayboy sidekick. They also mean spring is here, or something.
Group #7: All the little black birds that hang out on power lines and no one really cares about.
Examples: Those little black birds that hang out on power lines that I don’t know the names of.
Sometimes a bunch of these things will fly all at once off of a power line. It makes you feel like you’re in a movie where something really epic and scary is about to happen. No large group of birds is better at being ominous and setting the stage for something badass. Other than that, these birds are pretty useless.
Group #8: The peregrine falcon.
Yeah, it gets its own category for some reason.
This bird is “the fastest animal in the world,” though here’s another bird fallacy I don’t buy into. Barring humans (the actual fastest animal in the world; we have planes and rocket ships, those are way faster than falcons), I still give the “fastest” card to the cheetah. Peregrine falcons are just sort of plummeting when people test their speed. It’s not like this thing is flapping its way to the record, it’s just falling and flapping simultaneously. Just because it can control itself while falling doesn’t mean it deserves the title. Still, this bird is badass for killing doves in midair and having a really intense and dramatic stare.
So there you have it: the 8 distinct type of birds, meticulously categorized and analyzed for the scientific community. I hope you feel a newfound respect for these hilarious, not-at-all mysterious, omnipresent creatures.
source
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 21, 2020 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Pigeon Behavior
Most birds take a sip of water and throw back their heads to let the water trickle down their throats. But pigeons (and all of their relatives in the family Columbidae) suck up water, using their beaks like straws.
Pigeon Behavior: Do pigeons have compasses in their heads? Not really, but pigeons, especially those bred for their homing instincts, seem to be able to detect the Earth’s magnetic fields. Cornell University pigeon researcher Dr. Charles Walcott says that magnetic sensitivity, along with an ability to tell direction by the sun, seems to help pigeons find their ways home.
On the ground, pigeons don’t hop the way many birds do. They walk or run with their heads bobbing back and forth. Pigeons are strong fliers and can fly up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. Some pigeons are raised for their exceptional abilities to fly fast and find their ways home. These pigeons may fly as far as 600 miles in a day. Although feral pigeons are good fliers too, most of these birds seem to stay close to their regular feeding sites.
As gregarious animals, feral pigeons tend to nest in flocks. Once they settle, they tend to nest at the same place for the rest of their lives. Pigeons are extraordinarily intelligent. Even when removed from the nest, they will return back to it. The distance doesn’t play a role—pigeons have “built-in” compasses in their bodies which provide tremendous help with orientation. No matter how far away from their home they are released, they will still find their way back.
Feral pigeons breed rapidly. They lay two eggs, up to six times a year—depending on the food available. If a local population is decreased, pigeons from other areas flock to take advantage of the abundance of food. Thus, poison often causes population boom rather than decrease.
Natural Predators
Man is by far the greatest predator of pigeons. Yet they also have plenty of other predators too including Falcons, Sparrow, hawks, Owls, Foxes, Ferrets, Snakes, Rats, Cats, Dogs and more.
One species of falcon, Merlin, eats so many pigeons its scientific name is Falco columbaries (with the “Columba-” meaning pigeon) and it was formerly called pigeon hawk. Merlin’s are medium-sized falcons and although they are not very common in cities, you can bet they are preying on pigeons living in open parks near marshes and ponds.They are small and quick and they tend to prefer park areas rather than high towers. They hide in trees, or drop down from light posts. The one I saw took his pigeon back up to a tree and the only evidence was a few feathers drifting down occasionally. I only ever saw that once, but I know they are around. I bet you have them too. Another falcon that is a natural predator of the pigeon is the peregrine falcon, a bird that can achieve speeds of up to 200 miles per hour in a dive and one of the few birds that has the speed and the maneuverability to outpace and catch a pigeon in flight. In North America some big cities have wild Peregrine Falcons. These falcons like to nest on high cliffs, and city high rises work too. There is a famous pair in San Francisco, for example. Whenever these birds find a ledge to nest on, the Eagle-cam team is usually not far behind.
Source
About 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 Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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