Today, pigeons have made themselves feel at home in the cities like New York, but they actually belong to the seaside cliffs in the rest of the world where they were domesticated thousands of years ago. They were farmed for protein at first, like chicken. Then they were bred as messengers. Around the 16th century, pigeons became show birds because of the hobbyists. And when Europeans moved to North America in the same century, they brought pigeons with them. To cut it short, the link between humans and pigeons goes way back.
All that is really impressive until they become a nuisance for us humans. Unlike us, these birds do not have a selected spot for their droppings. Add in the fact that it is acidic and damaging to the property; this ‘unhygienic’ nature of theirs makes them even more repulsive. As pigeons are more interested in tall buildings with nooks and crannies where they can roost, their droppings become a serious threat. They can damage their historic fabric with their droppings, their content, and even their elegant finishes.
Considering these facts, it becomes a necessity to look for an effective pigeon control solution to control pigeon activity in such places and save these structures from such expensive and sometimes irreversible damage. The top five such places that require bird control are mentioned below.
1. Holy places
Because religious buildings like temples, churches, and mosques are generally huge and have numerous holes which act as houses for pigeons, these birds are easily attracted to these places. Being very tall, these structures are safe from human-caused disturbances such as capturing them.
In addition to this, human activity nearby ensures that the supply of food remains consistent. Moreover, unlike other birds that have their nests in the trees, pigeons prefer homes made of clay and bricks.
2. Hospitals
The next place on the list is a hospital. Fresh pigeon droppings are carriers of more than sixty diseases, but that is not all. The dried droppings carry viruses and bacteria as well, which can be taken inside the hospital premises via unsuspecting pedestrians’ shoes.
Pigeons mostly gather on the rooftops or near the air ducts as well as the HAVC units. These places are both a perfect place for pigeons to nest and roost and an excellent passage for pathogens carried by these birds to enter the hospitals. The hospital building is not safe from these pest birds either. The acidity of pigeon droppings can permanently damage grass, plastic, vinyl, aluminum, and steel.
3. City skyscrapers
Pigeons can nest in rocky cliffs just fine as they do in many parts of the world like the Middle East and Asia. Cities having tall buildings are the mimic of those native cliffs they are used to, and therefore, they find it quite comforting to nest and roost in them. Places like AC units, fire escapes, and even ledges made for decorative purposes are all similar to those cliffs they are used to.
The second major attractive factor in cities for pigeons is the consistent and ample supply of food. Being the incredible navigators that they are, pigeons can trace back their tracks to about a thousand kilometers. The two factors combined to make a city the perfect place for them to stay.
4. Tourist attraction sites
For tourists, pigeons are a normal sight when traveling across the world. These pest birds can be seen nesting and roosting on almost all historical buildings, ancient and modern alike, palaces, and museums. Their acidic feces causes staining on the ancient structural fabric of the buildings, which cannot be restored in many cases. It can only be replaced by modern alternatives, which are costly and unoriginal.
The use of soft stones in historical buildings such as sandstone or limestone makes them more vulnerable as these stones are highly absorbent and can readily absorb feces. This leads to not only staining but corrosion as well if they are not taken care of immediately, which is sometimes irreversible.
5. Airports
Birds like gulls, ducks, geese, pigeons, and others are a huge nuisance, hazard, and threat for all airports for two main reasons. First, their presence in the vicinity of airports, such as at the terminals or inside the airports, is problematic for the public and staff. Second, these birds can hit the planes while they are landing or taking off, which can cause accidents and deaths.
Pigeons choose to nest and roost in the hangars, especially in the rafters, where their droppings and feathers litter the floors and planes. Since their droppings are acidic in nature, they can damage the engine parts and result in serious malfunctions. The slip-and-fall hazards for the staff and maintenance crew are also due to these droppings.
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