by Pigeon Patrol | May 25, 2021 | history of pigeons, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Though they’re often described as “rats with wings” (a phrase popularized by the movie Stardust Memories), pigeons are actually pretty cool. From homing instincts to misleading rump feathers, here are 15 things you might not know about these avian adventurers.
1. THEY MIGHT BE THE FIRST DOMESTICATED BIRD.
The common city pigeon (Columba livia), also known as the rock pigeon, might be the first bird humankind ever domesticated. You can see them in art dating back as far as 4500 BCE in modern Iraq, and they’ve been a valuable source of food for thousands of years.
2. THEY WON OVER CHARLES DARWIN—AND NIKOLA TESLA.
Pigeon-breeding was a common hobby in Victorian England for everyone from well-off businessmen to average Joes, leading to some fantastically weird birds. Few hobbyists had more enthusiasm for the breeding process than Charles Darwin, who owned a diverse flock, joined London pigeon clubs, and hobnobbed with famous breeders. Darwin’s passion for the birds influenced his 1868 book The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, which has not one but two chapters about pigeons (dogs and cats share a single chapter).
Nikola Tesla was another great mind who enjoyed pigeons. He used to care for injured wild pigeons in his New York City hotel room. Hands down, Tesla’s favorite was a white female—about whom he once said, “I loved that pigeon, I loved her as a man loves a woman and she loved me. When she was ill, I knew and understood; she came to my room and I stayed beside her for days. I nursed her back to health. That pigeon was the joy of my life. If she needed me, nothing else mattered. As long as I had her, there was a purpose in my life.” Reportedly, he was inconsolable after she died.
3. THEY UNDERSTAND SPACE AND TIME.
In a 2017 Current Biology study, researchers showed captive pigeons a series of digital lines on a computer screen for either two or eight seconds. Some lines were short, measuring about 2.3 inches across; others were four times longer. The pigeons were trained to evaluate either the length of the line or how long it was displayed. They found that the more time a line was displayed, the longer in length the pigeon judged it to be. The reverse was true too: If the pigeons encountered a longer line, they thought it existed in time for a greater duration. Pigeons, the scientists concluded, understand the concepts of both time and space; the researchers noted “similar results have been found with humans and other primates.”
It’s thought that humans process those concepts with a brain region called the parietal cortex; pigeon brains lack that cortex, so they must have a different way of judging space and time.
4. THEY CAN FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO THE NEST FROM 1300 MILES AWAY.
The birds can do this even if they’ve been transported in isolation—with no visual, olfactory, or magnetic clues—while scientists rotate their cages so they don’t know what direction they’re traveling in. How they do this is a mystery, but people have been exploiting the pigeon’s navigational skills since at least 3000 BCE, when ancient peoples would set caged pigeons free and follow them to nearby land.
Their navigational skills also make pigeons great long-distance messengers. Sports fans in ancient Greece are said to have used trained pigeons to carry the results of the Ancient Olympics. Further east, Genghis Khan stayed in touch with his allies and enemies alike through a pigeon-based postal network.
5. THEY SAVED THOUSANDS OF HUMAN LIVES DURING WORLD WARS I AND II.
Pigeons’ homing talents continued to shape history during the 20th century. In both World Wars, rival nations had huge flocks of pigeon messengers. (America alone had 200,000 at its disposal in WWII.) By delivering critical updates, the avians saved thousands of human lives. One racing bird named Cher Ami completed a mission that led to the rescue of 194 stranded U.S. soldiers on October 4, 1918.
6. TWO PIGEONS ALMOST DISTRACTED FROM THE DISCOVERY OF EVIDENCE OF THE BIG BANG.
In 1964, scientists in Holmdel, New Jersey, heard hissing noises from their antenna that would later prove to be signals from the Big Bang. But when they first heard the sound, they thought it might be, among other things, the poop of two pigeons that were living in the antenna. “We took the pigeons, put them in a box, and mailed them as far away as we could in the company mail to a guy who fancied pigeons,” one of the scientists later recalled. “He looked at them and said these are junk pigeons and let them go and before long they were right back.” But the scientists were able to clean out the antenna and determine that they had not been the cause of the noise. The trap used to catch the birds (before they had to later be, uh, permanently removed) is on view at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
7. YOU CAN TRAIN THEM TO BE ART SNOBS …
Japanese psychologist Shigeru Watanabe and two colleagues earned an Ig Nobel Prize in 1995 for training pigeons, in a lab setting, to recognize the paintings of Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso and to distinguish between the painters. The pigeons were even able to use their knowledge of impressionism and cubism to identify paintings of other artists in those movements. Later, Watanabe taught other pigeons to distinguish watercolor images from pastels. And in a 2009 experiment, captive pigeons he’d borrowed were shown almost two dozen paintings made by students at a Tokyo elementary school, and were taught which ones were considered “good” and which ones were considered “bad.” He then presented them with 10 new paintings and the avian critics managed to correctly guess which ones had earned bad grades from the school’s teacher and a panel of adults. Watanabe’s findings indicate that wild pigeons naturally categorize things on the basis of color, texture, and general appearance.
8. … AND TO DISTINGUISH WRITTEN WORDS.
In a 2016 study, scientists showed that pigeons can differentiate between strings of letters and actual words. Four of the birds built up a vocabulary of between 26 and 58 written English words, and though the birds couldn’t actually read them, they could identify visual patterns and therefore tell them apart. The birds could even identify words they hadn’t seen before.
9. FLUFFY PIGEON FEET MIGHT ACTUALLY BE PARTIAL WINGS.
A few pigeon breeds have fuzzy legs—which hobbyists call “muffs”—rather than scaly ones. According to a 2016 study, the DNA of these fluffy-footed pigeons leads their hind legs to take on some forelimb characteristics, making muffed pigeon legs look distinctly wing-like; they’re also big-boned. Not only do they have feathers, but the hindlimbs are somewhat big-boned, too. According to biologist Mike Shapiro, who led the study, “pigeons’ fancy feathered feet are partially wings.”
10. SOME PIGEONS DISTRACT FALCONS WITH WHITE RUMP FEATHERS.
In a life-or-death situation, a pigeon’s survival could depend upon its color pattern: Research has shown that wild falcons rarely go after pigeons that have a white patch of feathers just above the tail, and when the predators do target these birds, the attacks are rarely successful.
To figure out why this is, Ph.D. student Alberto Palleroni and a team tagged 5235 pigeons in the vicinity of Davis, California. Then, they monitored 1485 falcon-on-pigeon attacks over a seven-year span. The researchers found that although white-rumped pigeons comprised 20 to 25 percent of the area’s pigeon population, they represented less than 2 percent of all the observed pigeons that were killed by falcons; the vast majority of the victims had blue rumps. Palleroni and his team rounded up 756 white- and blue-rumped pigeons and swapped their rump feathers by clipping and pasting white feathers on blue rumps, and vice versa. The falcons had a much easier time spotting and catching the newly blue-rumped pigeons, while the pigeons that received the white feathers saw predation rates plummet.
Close observation revealed that the white patches distract birds of prey. In the wild, falcons dive-bomb other winged animals from above at high speeds. Some pigeons respond by rolling away in midair, and on a spiraling bird, white rump feathers can be eye-catching, which means that a patch of them may divert a hungry raptor’s focus long enough to make the carnivore miscalculate and zip right past its intended victim.
11. DODOS WERE RELATED TO TODAY’S PIGEONS.
Though most of this list focuses on the rock pigeon, there are 308 living species of pigeons and doves. Together, they make up an order of birds known as the columbiformes. The extinct dodo belonged to this group as well.
Flightless and (somewhat) docile, dodos once inhabited Mauritius, an island near Madagascar. The species had no natural predators, but when human sailors arrived with rats, dogs, cats, and pigs, it began to die out, and before the 17th century came to a close, the dodo had vanished altogether. DNA testing has confirmed that pigeons are closely related to the dodo, and the vibrant Nicobar pigeon (above) is its nearest genetic relative. A multi-colored bird with iridescent feathers, this near-threatened creature is found on small islands in the South Pacific and off Asia. Unlike the dodo, it can fly.
12. AT ONE POINT, MORE THAN ONE-QUARTER OF ALL THE BIRDS LIVING IN THE U.S. MAY HAVE BEEN PASSENGER PIGEONS.
Wild/feral rock pigeons reside in all 50 states, which makes it easy to forget that they’re invasive birds. Originally native to Eurasia and northern Africa, the species was (most likely) introduced to North America by French settlers in 1606. At the time, a different kind of columbiform—this one indigenous—was already thriving there: the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). As many as 5 billion of them were living in America when England, Spain, and France first started colonizing, and they may have once represented anywhere from 25 to 40 percent of the total U.S. bird population. But by the early 20th century, they had become a rare sight, thanks to overhunting, habitat loss, and a possible genetic diversity issue. The last known passenger pigeon—a captive female named Martha—died on September 1, 1914.
13. THEY’RE REALLY GOOD AT MULTITASKING.
According to one study, they’re more efficient multitaskers than people are. Scientists at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum put together a test group of 15 humans and 12 pigeons and trained all of them to complete two simple jobs (like pressing a keyboard once a light bulb came on). They were also put in situations wherein they’d need to stop working on one job and switch over to another. In some trials, the participants had to make the change immediately. During these test runs, humans and pigeons switched between jobs at the same speed.
But in other trials, the test subjects were allowed to complete one assignment and then had to wait 300 milliseconds before moving on to the next job. Interestingly, in these runs, the pigeons were quicker to get started on that second task after the period ended. In the avian brain, nerve cells are more densely packed, which might enable our feathered friends to process information faster than we can under the right circumstances.
14. PIGEONS PRODUCE FAKE “MILK.”
Only mammals produce genuine milk, but pigeons and doves (along with some other species of birds) feed their young with something similar—a whitish liquid filled with nutrients, fats, antioxidants, and healthy proteins called “crop milk.” Both male and female pigeons create the milk in the crop, a section of the esophagus designed to store food temporarily. As is the case with mammal milk, the creation of crop milk is regulated by the hormone prolactin. Newly-hatched pigeons drink crop milk until they’re weaned off it after four weeks or so. (And if you’ve ever asked yourself, “Where are all the baby pigeons?” we have the answer for you right here.)
15. ONE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT, GIVEN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, THEY’RE AS GOOD AT IDENTIFYING CANCER AS DOCTORS.
We’ve already established that pigeons are excellent at differentiating between artists and words, but a 2015 study revealed they can also distinguish between malignant and benign growths in the right conditions. Researchers at University of California Davis Medical Center put 16 pigeons in a room with magnified biopsies of potential breast cancers. If the pigeons correctly identified them as either benign or malignant, they got a treat, According to Scientific American.
“Once trained, the pigeons’ average diagnostic accuracy reached an impressive 85 percent. But when a “flock sourcing” approach was taken, in which the most common answer among all subjects was used, group accuracy climbed to a staggering 99 percent, or what would be expected from a pathologist. The pigeons were also able to apply their knowledge to novel images, showing the findings weren’t simply a result of rote memorization.”
Mammograms proved to be more of a challenge, however; the birds could memorize signs of cancer in the images they were trained on but could not identify the signs in new images.
No matter how impressive their results, “I don’t anticipate that pigeons, no matter how good they become at pathology or radiology, will be playing a role in actual patient care—certainly for the foreseeable future,” study co-author Richard M. Levenson told Scientific American. “There are just too many regulatory barriers—at least in the West.”
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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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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 / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ 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
by Pigeon Patrol | May 17, 2021 | Bird Deterrent Products, Columbidae, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons
There isn’t anything called good or bad luck. It’s just people’s perception that make them think in such a way. If you are not in control of the situation you are in, you blame everything around you for your difficulties.
But you have to consider these things …
The biggest problem pigeons cause is the amount of feces (droppings) they produce. The build-up of pigeon feces on buildings and other structures is visually unappealing and is made worse by the fact that pigeon droppings are acidic and erode metal and stonework.
Pigeon droppings harbour fungi that could lead to hardening of lung tissues in humans and controlling the infection in the birds will help in reducing the incidence of lung diseases.
Pigeon droppings may pose a health hazard to the general public. Pigeons have been associated with a variety of diseases, including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis.
Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by a fungus that grows in pigeon droppings. While removing droppings, people may breathe in some of the fungus. When exposure is high, the fungus can cause infection.
Symptoms of histoplasmosis begin to appear about 10 days after initial infection and can include fatigue, fever, and chest pains. Most infections have no symptoms or appear as a mild respiratory illness. People with weakened immune systems are generally more at risk of developing histoplasmosis.
Cryptococcosis is another fungal disease related to pigeon droppings and grows in soils throughout the world. A major risk factor for infection is a compromised immune system.
Exposure to pigeon dropping is the cause for developing pneumonia in certain cases in India according to health experts.
Although avian influenza (bird flu) viruses are less common in birds more closely associated with human environments such as domestic chickens, turkeys, pheasants, pigeons and parrots, we still have to be careful.
So it is not advisable to have pigeon nests in human dwellings.
Source
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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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 / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ 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
by Pigeon Patrol | May 17, 2021 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons
The Duke of Queensberry once placed a bet that he could make a letter travel fifty miles in an hour without the help of carrier pigeons.
It is difficult to put a date to when cricket s love-hate relationship with pigeons had started, but it was obviously centuries before Jacques Rudolph accidentally killed one on the ground or Glenn McGrath acquired his famous nickname or Arafat Sunny, cricket s most famous pigeon fancier, got his cap or even before Charlie Elliott spotted Basil D Oliveira setting a cat among a flock in the 1968 Oval Test.
The pigeons, of course, did their bit to make their presence felt in the realm of cricket: they have blessed statues of cricketers in characteristic fashion; they have flocked to grounds in large numbers; and have even featured in luncheon menus.
Of course, the Pigeon-Hole principle turned out to be immensely useful when someone argued that Chris Martin had never reached the score of two. The bookies have had their shares of stool pigeons inside dressing-rooms, while Shane Warne had reduced many a competent batsman to clay pigeons during his illustrious career.
But seldom have pigeons competed with cricketers.
The Dukedom of Queensberry, created in 1684, still exists. The 6th Duke (also 4th Duke of Buccleuch but usually referred to as Earl of Dalkeith), played 3 First-Class matches. The 8th and 9th Dukes became MCC Presidents.
The greatest cricketer of them was the 8th Duke, William Montagu Douglas Scott (also 6th Duke of Buccleuch), who played for 22 First-Class matches, mostly for Oxford, Middlesex, and MCC. He scored 100 and 66 in the Varsity match of 1887.
So yes, they were a family who liked cricket.
The incident involves a Duke of Queensberry, but one cannot be sure which one. The 6th Duke is the most likely suspect, since he became Duke in 1812 and the anecdote appeared in print in May 1825.
The Duke once placed a bet that he would help carry a letter across fifty miles inside an hour without the aid of carrier pigeons. This was obviously an improbable ask.
So birds especially carrier pigeons were the fastest method for any transport of letters over a long distance. It is not clear whom he had challenged, but that person readily took up the bet.
The Duke obviously had a plan. He now started to work on it. He enclosed the letter inside a cricket ball. Exactly how this was done is not clear. Perhaps he had a ball made from scratch with the letter inside.
Once that was done, he placed 24 expert cricketers along the five-mile stretch. The cricketers, placed strategically, picked up the ball and transferred to each other .
Exactly how this was done is not clear. It was obviously not one throw per person, since in that case every throw would have to be a ridiculous two miles on average, and nobody in human history hit the 150-yard mark with a single throw. Nobody has hit a 175-yard six either, but perhaps this was hit with something heavier than a cricket bat. Perhaps the ball was of a different material or mass.
Whatever the method was, the Duke won the bet.
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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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 / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ 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
by Pigeon Patrol | May 17, 2021 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
When pigeons live on our buildings and deface it, it is possible to remove the birds by excluding them (netting) from the area, but we don’t need to kill them. You should make it a priority to clean the area’s they have been since pigeons do carry mites and you don’t want the mites going in your building when the pigeons are gone.
Pigeons are frequently called rats with wings. The term “rats with wings” came from a 1980 play, “Stardust Memories” starring Woody Allen. Allen used the term in the movie and apparently someone with a vested interest in misleading the public decided to use it in a campaign to drum up business for pigeon control. The facts are just the opposite. Yes, there are some diseases that can be transmitted by pigeons, but no more so than any other bird, including such popular pets as parakeets, canaries, etc.
They do have their attributes. During World War I, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War II pigeons continued to be used. Radios were frequently not working due to damage or when unfavorable terrain rendered them almost useless. Pigeons continued to fly through enemy fire, and amazingly 95% of them completed their missions. One pigeon in particular, named “Cher Ami” was a World War I Carrier Pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Signal Corps. Cher Ami was originally bred by the British Signal Corps. He was transferred to the Americans after the war on Oct. 27, 1918.
Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey’s “Lost Battalion” of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre” with Palm for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds. Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I.
Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War II and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals, was given to 31 pigeons in World War II, more than any other animal. (The next closest animals were dogs, with 8 medals).
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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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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 / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ 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
by Pigeon Patrol | May 10, 2021 | Bird Law, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons
Pigeons are bad news. While most homeowners don’t think twice about a few birds sitting on top of their home’s roof, they should when it comes to these “flying rats.” Pigeons can be a destructive pest, and their nests and droppings can damage your roof.
When you have pigeons on your roof, call KY-KO Pest Prevention to schedule your free pest inspection here in the Valley. We’re experts in humane pigeon control and removal, and we’ll get rid of the birds without any mess or fuss.
Dealing with pigeons on your roof
Unless you’re a business or commercial space, most homeowners don’t see pigeons as that big of a problem, or a threat like scorpions or rodents are. However, even if they’re not inside your home, pigeons can do serious damage.
1. Pigeon droppings are bad for your roof
Pigeon droppings naturally have high acidity, which actually is the case with most bird droppings. In fact, the acid content in them is so strong that it can cause damage to most roofing materials, particularly the underlayment of your roof.
If these droppings are left on the roof to accumulate, they’ll add to the wear-and-tear experienced by your roof. Here in Phoenix, your roof is already under assault from the elements, including the summer sun and the monsoon rains. Let KY-KO help you with pigeon problems, so that your home has one less thing to worry about.
2. Pigeon nests block water from moving off your roof
In addition to the problems caused by pigeon droppings, these birds also build their nests in roof drains, corners, and rain gutters. When the rain comes, these nests act as dams, blocking water from moving off of your roof and leading to the accumulation of water, wastage, and debris.
Severe cases of this issue can lead to roof collapses, as the continuous accumulation of water and dirt on the roof adds to the weight. The presence of pooled water is also not good for your roof’s structural integrity.
3. Pigeons will make a mess of your home and yard
For anyone who has parked their car in a public place and come back hours later to a mess, you know what this means. Left unchecked, pigeons will not only make a mess of your roof, but also your yard, your landscaping, your cars in the driveway—you get the idea.
Don’t have your home be the one on the block with obvious pigeon problems. Call KY-KO, and we’ll work on implementing a safe and humane way to keep pigeons away from your home.
For humane pigeon control and removal
Never take a pigeon infestation lightly. Given enough time, these birds can cause serious damage to your roof if you do not deal with them at the right time.
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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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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 / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ 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
by Pigeon Patrol | May 10, 2021 | Bird Law, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Color of Pigeons
Usually bluish-gray with black bands and reddish feet.
What does a pigeon look like?
Pigeons have broad and pointed wings, with small heads and short legs. They also have a wide and rounded tail. Their coat is blueish grey. They have a soft voice with guttural series of rolling coos.
Where are pigeons found?
Originally found wild in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, feral pigeons have become established in cities around the world. The lack of adequate sanitation, deliberate feeding of the birds by humans, and “cliff-type” nesting sites on older buildings are the principal factors that attract pigeons to cities.
They will inhabit roofs, ledges, drain spouts, lofts, attics, caves, etc. They also frequent parks and sidewalks, where they become habituated to people feeding them. Pigeons are mainly creatures of habit and tend to feed, nest, and roost in the same place day after day.
Pigeons are a pest in most urban areas in the US. On the West Coast our local pest control specialists find pigeons affect many of our customers in cities such as Boise, Roseburg, Salinas, Spokane, Novato, and Palm Springs.
What do pigeons eat?
These bird-brained beauties also eat livestock manure; they’re not picky, and actually pretty disgusting. (But please don’t feed the birds. They do carry diseases.) Other favorite treats include seeds, grains, some fruits and green feed; but will feed on insects.
Pigeon life span
Pigeons pair for life, which may last for 15 years or longer. In urban environments, they may live for 3-4 years. Pigeons have a hearing range close to humans, but they have a poor sense of taste and smell. Remember—they eat manure. They also exhibit distinct behavioral patterns like nesting, feeding, roosting, and loafing. Nesting and roosting sites (places where they sleep or rest) may occur in the same area or be as far as 5 miles apart.
Breeding occurs year-round with 1-2 eggs per batch. The eggs hatch after 17-19 days of incubation, and young pigeons will leave the nest after 4 to 6 weeks. More eggs may be laid before the first young are gone. An adult pigeon eats about one pound of food a week. Pigeons, their nests, and droppings are of major concern because 50 or more diseases and ectoparasites are associated with them.
Diseases spread by pigeons
Pigeons are of great medical concern because more than 50 diseases and ectoparasites are associated with them, which leads to their description by non-romantics as flying rodents. Pigeon nests and droppings will also lead to dermestid beetles, flies, clothes moths, and stored product pest infestations within buildings.
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Asthma – bird dropping can dry up and become dust. Once inhaled, this can trigger asthma attacks.
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Salmonella – also known as food poisoning, but droppings can lead to the contamination of food.
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Listeriosis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis – all fungal diseases that can come from growing on pigeon droppings.
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Diseases from parasites – pigeons often carry ticks and fleas which can lead to things like Lyme disease and other illnesses associated with those pests.
Signs of a pigeon problem
How do you know if you have just a few pigeons or if you have a serious problem? Well, there are signs that the pigeons around your property may be causing problems. They include:
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Large numbers of birds – just take a look around your property and see how many pigeons there are. Once one decides to set up shop, others are likely to follow. Are there a lot of birds on the ground? Are there more roosting above? Are people having trouble just walking through the area because of the number of birds?
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Nesting material – pigeons use sticks, twigs, branches, leaves and even garbage to make up their nests. Is there an increased number of this material lying around? Pigeons are not famous for their neatness, so if there is an increase of debris, it could be from too many pigeons trying to nest.
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Droppings – pigeons are rather notorious for the deposits that they leave behind. Are there so many that it makes it hard to walk? If so, time to call in the pros.
How to keep pigeons away
Got pigeon issues? Due to the problems that can come with these birds, you should have an infestation addressed right away. There are ways to keep pigeons away, such as spikes. Read more about these techniques below. Plus, you should make sure pigeons cannot get to standing water or food on your property. Get rid of garbage or food that has been spilled, so pigeons may find a spot less appealing.
Pigeon control methods
There are many techniques for excluding pigeons from an infested structure. Exclusion strategies include structural modification, bird netting, plastic and metal spikes, monofilament and steel lines, and trapping. In addition, gels, paste, and liquids can also be used for excluding the birds from the structure.
Structural modification: Birds like to land on flat surfaces. When the building ledges are angled (45 degrees), it prevents birds from landing on building edges. Sheet metals, styrofoam blocks, wood, stone, and other materials can be used to give the desired angle.
Bird netting: There are several types of bird nettings that can be used for exclusion. In general, netting provides the best long-term control in keeping the birds out of a structure. In warehouses and commercial buildings where bird activity is a major concern, bird nets can be used to prevent the birds from getting into overhead pipes, roof air conditioning units can be netted off from the birds, etc.
Plastic and metal spikes: Spikes can be used as a physical barrier in preventing the birds from landing on an area, such as perching on ledges and beams of buildings. Spikes have sharp pointed edges extending out at angles. They can be installed around ledges, roof peaks, eaves, window sills, or any places that are prone to roosting. Because netting and spikes are more effective long-term control methods, they are the preferred methods.
Pigeon repellent
Pigeon repellents are available in different formulations such as gel, paste and liquids. They differ considerably in cost, effectiveness, and texture (thick and tacky, jelly like or viscous).
Choose the one that works best based on the experience. These repellents are not non-toxic and because of their “sticky” properties cause the birds to move elsewhere.
How to get rid of pigeons
If you’re dealing with pigeons, you should contact a pest professional to figure out how to eliminate these pests. As you may have noticed, pigeons can get droppings on buildings, damaging the appearance of these structures. Their droppings can also pollute zones of human activity as well as food. A Western Exterminator expert can ascertain how to handle the situation and help you know how to inhibit these birds for the future.
Bird control solutions from Western Exterminator
Pigeons aren’t the only birds home and business owners need to be concerned about. Seagulls and starlings are known to cause damage and spread disease as well. With proper identification, our specialists can create bird control plans specifically made for you to ensure your property is bird-free.
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.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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