Birds

Wild birds, including pigeons and seagulls, are protected by law, so you must not harm or injure them. In certain circumstances, DEFRA issues licences to permit otherwise prohibited action to be taken by authorised persons to resolve problems with wildlife. If you have pigeon problems, we recommend you contact a local private pest control company, who should be a member of the British Pest Control Association.

Pigeons

Feral pigeons form large flocks that roost on buildings, on ledges, sills and sloping roofs and under bridges. They prefer to eat grain and seeds, sometimes damaging flowers and leaves in gardens, but have adapted to become efficient scavengers – on rubbish tips, in the streets and at railway stations, and even on the mud of tidal rivers and the seashore. They will take food from birdtables and eat household scraps They tend to feed where drinking water is readily available, and often feed at night in areas with artificial lighting.

Feral pigeons nest on ledges, roofs and in holes on buildings, bridges, piers, columns, and even cranes. If they can find an entrance they will nest in lofts. Feral pigeons may raise between three and six broods a year, and young birds may begin breeding when six months old. It is easy to see why their numbers increase so rapidly.

Pigeon problems

1. Damage: pigeon droppings are acidic and cause damage to buildings and machinery, and also to lawns and shrubberies. Nest material, droppings and feathers can clog drains and air vents.
2. Public health: pigeons carry many diseases, some of which can be transmitted to humans if droppings contaminate food stores, bakeries or canteens. They also carry a mite which causes skin disease, and feather dust can cause allergic alveolitis or 'pigeon fancier's lung'. Feral pigeon flocks can harbour Newcastle disease which can be passed to domestic poultry if their feed is contaminated by droppings.
3. Accidents: droppings fouling pavements can make them slippery and dangerous. In cities pigeons can startle motorists and may be responsible for some traffic accidents.
4. Large numbers can drive small birds away from feeding areas, and may reduce their populations.

Controlling factors

Feral pigeons have few natural predators. They are occasionally taken by cats or run over by cars.

Crows, magpies and large gulls may take young birds or rob nests. The main influences on their numbers are the availability of food and, to a lesser extent, nest sites. The best way to control pigeons is to reduce the food supply by persuading people to stop feeding them so that the large flocks disperse, and to put rubbish in secure bins so they can't scavenge. Reducing access to nest sites will also help to limit the population.

To feed small birds in your garden without encouraging pigeons, put all food in feeders rather than loose on the birdtable, or put food for ground feeding birds under a cage with a three-inch mesh size that does not allow pigeons and other large birds to enter but will let in blackbirds and thrushes.

Deterrents

'Pigeon proofing': tightly stretched polypropylene or galvanised wire netting is often used on railway arches and bridges to stop pigeons nesting. However, if the netting is loose or deteriorating, birds can get in and become trapped. On buildings, a less visible method is to fit rows of spikes, boards sloping at 45 degrees, or sprung and tensioned stainless steel wires across ledges and window sills. Please contact the RSPB if you would like more information on pigeon proofing.

In warehouses, stores and canteens, rapid roll doors or curtains of heavy duty plastic or rubberoid strips will let pedestrians and fork-lifts in but keep the pigeons out. Air blowers, blowing outward, also deter birds. Pest control firms can advise. Please take care not to displace birds like swifts or house martins, as they are fully protected. Please contact the RSPB if you would like further information. Smell deterrents, high frequency sound, and model birds of prey have very little effect on pigeons.

This information supplied by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds