Southwestern
States Commercial Service 1.877.828.2473
PIGEONS FACTS
Height/Weight
12"-15"
10oz-16oz
Life Span
3-4 yrs. wild
12-16 yrs. captive
Flight speed
28-82 mph
Range
All 50 states
Food
Varied,
grains, seed,
corn, human
food
Habitat
Protected ledges,
roof tops,
palms, AC's
Contact
us today at 602-942-6550 - 480-969-2337 to see about scheduling an inspection of your property and see how we
can help you stop all the noise and mess as well as protecting you, your family,
employees and customers from possible slip & fall dangers or health hazards associated with pest
birds that are roosting or nesting in and around your home or business.
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Pigeon information habits id control removal
Pigeon Sparrow
Swallow Starling Woodpecker
Feral Pigeon Information
Most of the pigeons you
see around a city, building, bridge, billboard
or other structure,
are pigeons that were born and raised close by. A few may be "vagrants" and
constantly on the move, but most of them are going to be your neighborhood pigeons
that will be nesting and breeding near to where you see them if food and water
is close by.
Feral pigeons
(Columbia livia)
are the number one urban pest bird,
causing damage where ever they nest or roost. Pigeons
are descendants of domesticated European homing pigeons or Rock Doves, so they have a
varied diet and feel at ease making their homes in man-made structures.
Generally blue-grey in color, with iridescent feathers on the head and
neck, pigeons often have markings in black, white or brown on the
wings and neck. A short neck and small head characterize the standard
pigeon; their short legs, hind toes and level front allow for both easy
perching on pipes and ledges or walking on flat surfaces. Pigeons generally
nest in small, flat areas away from the ground such as building ledges, air
conditioning units or window sills.
Pigeons will inhabit any
area that will offer them shelter from the climate, for example: ornate
architectural features of buildings, lofts, church steeples, attics, and any
place with openings that allow for roosting, loafing, and nesting. Pigeon
nests consist of twigs, sticks, and grass clumped together to form a
platform. Pigeons are monogamous birds. "Eight to twelve days after mating,
the female will lay 1 or 2 eggs which hatch after approximately 18 days. The
male, during this time, is providing nesting material and guards the female
and the nest." When pigeons are born, they feed on pigeon milk which is "a
liquid/solid substance secreted in the crop of both adults that is
regurgitated" into the mouths of the young pigeons. Most young leave the
nest at approximately 4 to 6 weeks of age. During this time another batch of
eggs may have already been laid. Breeding most commonly occurs during the spring
and fall, but reproduction can occur all year long. A flock of pigeons
will normally have an equal amount of males and females. A pigeon's normal
lifespan in nature is about 3 to 4 years.
A pigeon can go, if necessary, a long time without food or even water.
Most birds need a constant water source and that they will visit every day.
Pigeons are skilled in finding water and food sources, and rarely have
trouble finding a source in the city. Individual pigeons can have a home
range of 150 miles, although most will stay close to home, which is
generally considerably less than 25 miles or so. If their food and water
sources change drastically, however, they will migrate, to another spot,
near or far, with better provisions.
Damage caused by Pigeon Problems
Pigeon control is important due to the damage and disease problems these
birds often create, check out Health Risk page. The uric acid in pigeon feces is highly corrosive and
can cause extensive damage to metals and other substrates it sits on for
long periods. Debris from flocks of problem pigeons often build up, backing
up gutters and drains which can cause flooding and roof damage. Nesting
materials and other debris has caused failures in machinery, especially
rooftop air conditioning units which are a prime nesting spot for pigeons.
Other frequent pigeon problems include slip and fall liability from feces or
debris, plus an unclean, dirty company image is presented when pigeons are
roosting all over a building or store front sign. The bacteria, fungal agents
and ectoparasites found in pigeon droppings are responsible for a host of
serious diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella,
meningitis, toxoplasmosis and more.
Pigeons also carry ectoparasites for example:
fleas, lice, mites, ticks, and other biting pests. Many companies
have significant
clean up costs due to the pigeon problems that they don't resolve.
The pigeons that are located
around airports threaten human safety due to a possible bird-aircraft
collision. The U.S. Air Force considers pigeons as a "medium priority
hazard" to jet aircrafts.
FLYING RATS ?
In today's world, the common structure-dwelling pigeons have become the
avian equivalents of city rodents. "Flying rats," as they have been
described. Unfortunately, they have been forced into this role by man, as
much as by their own natural instincts and habits. First and foremost to the
problem of overpopulation, are the numbers of nooks and crannies that modern
man builds into the exterior of all of his structures, forming the basic
nesting home sites for pigeons and other birds. This means that almost every
house, commercial building, bridge, billboard, gas canopy, or other large
structure harbors a number of these potential nest or roosting sites. Bad
for us, good for the pigeon.
Although pigeons are
not very smart, they are creatures of habit and will try to return to the
same places as before looking for a way back into it's old nest site of
favorite roosting spot, that's call bird pressure.
PLEASE
DON'T
FEED
THE
BIRDS
Pigeons also become habituated to humans, by being extensively fed by
humans, as in outdoor eating restaurants, parks and schools which only
aggravates the problem. Pigeons, domesticated for thousands of years, are
easily tamed and handled by humans. It is important to note that NO wild
animals, including wild pigeons, should be fed, at any time, for any reason,
by anyone.
Pigeon Control Products
The best pigeon control product is 2' or 3/4”
bird netting.
Bird net is extremely durable and creates a true bird barrier against problem pigeons
"homing" to their natural instinct to stay near their birth site. Pigeon
netting completely controls pigeon problems, forcing the birds to look
elsewhere for a nesting site.
In addition to bird net, other very effective pigeon control products are
electrical shock track,
bird spike,
chemical bird aversion hazing systems,
bird wire and many other
products. These pigeon control products work best where pigeons are nesting
or roosting and the pigeons are "homing" (committed to remaining at the
site). For pigeon problem areas where the birds are not nesting live catch pigeon traps can be
an effective pigeon control method. TOXICANTS AND POISONS
In certain areas, the use of a toxicant for pigeons is allowed for the
control of pigeons. There are several types, the two most often used is
a product with the brand name of "Avitrol".
Both are
used exactly the same way, by pre-baiting with ordinary feed corn or seed for 5 - 7
days and then when the pigeons or birds are accepting the bait readily, the corn is
laced with the toxicant and doled out to the pigeons when the birds eat the
treated bait the birds have a reaction, some act loopy and many die or get very
sick. Then the process
can be started again with pre-baiting for 5 - 7 days etc.. This process is
very labor intensive if it is done correctly and according to label
directions a service person must stay around and pick up dead and dieing
birds then remove any remaining treated bait so protected birds don't get into
the bait.
Unfortunately most of the time we see a Pest Control Technician putting
a pie tin or something on a roof top, put in the bait and leaving the bait
there all month long which will only make the birds that survive shy away
from the corn. In most cases baiting when done right the affected pigeons
die. No matter what kind of story some technician
will give you, these bait products do not make the pigeons forget
where they live, act like BIRDIE LSD, or make the pigeons act crazy and fly
away, it kills many of them.
We do not use poison baits for
any type of bird.
We feel
Live Trapping is a much better more effective solution.
These products all act as a poison to birds since they are
flock reduction products and you carry the added liability of having
a poisoned bird dropping into someone's yard where the dog or cat can eat
the baited bird and possibly get sick or worse yet die - Then who do you
think your neighbors will be looking for to sue $$$
SOME UNUSUAL PIGEON FACTS;
Remember to respect the pigeon. This chubby little bird has the uncanny
ability to find it's way home, no matter what, and no matter from where. To
date, science can only theorize as to exactly how the pigeons do this.
Trying to discover or prevent pigeons from returning home, researchers have
tried to confuse them in every way possible. By transporting them to a
remote location: In the dark, in randomly rotating cages, with strong or
weak magnetic fields, with flashing lights, and even anesthetized, or any
combinations of these, (and others too) nothing seemed to affect their
navigation skills, even in unfamiliar territories. Pigeons are suspected of
using magnetic structures already known to be in their brains, but there was
still no change in their ability, even when tiny, removable magnets were
attached to their heads, supposedly to confuse these structures.
RACING PIGEONS
Most people can't tell the difference between a racing pigeon and a regular
feral pigeon. Hobbyists race homing pigeons all over the world and U.S.
hobbyists all across North America. They do lose birds occasionally, and
those years when there is a poor return rate of the birds are said to
correlate with strong magnetic storms. Alternatively, the birds may have
found a more appealing park or gutter en route. Some pigeons you may see on
the street, therefore, could be the pigeons that didn't make it back home.
Rescued pigeons, or birds of any kind, should not be handled. Actual domestic
pigeons that have escaped from individual owners, are usually banded
and can be identified by the National Pigeon
Association. This website contains information and even a link on how
to report lost pigeons.
The pigeon's owner will certainly appreciate any information you can
supply, as a lost pigeons is an investment of time and money for the pigeon
owner.
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