Birds can be a beautiful part of our natural environment, but that beauty can be seriously disrupted by the damaging droppings, overpopulations, and incessant caws and cheeps of three common species designated as pest birds.

Pest Birds

Most birds, along with their eggs and nests, are protected against non-permit trapping or killing under the Migratory Bird Treaty and Endangered Species Act. However, neither U.S.


federal nor any state law holds protection against control or elimination of the nuisance bird species:

• Pigeons
• House Sparrows
• European Starlings

(Local ordinances may apply so should be checked prior to any control effort.)

These three species are considered pests because:

• They are non-native to North America and have no natural predators in the U.S.
  
  
• Their large populations can be have significant adverse effects on human health and safety.
  
  
• They can carry and transmit disease including toxoplasmosis, encephalitis, Salmonella; and breathing of their droppings can cause further disease, including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis.
  
  
• Their droppings can also cause significant damage and deterioration to structures and vehicles.
  
  
• Their nests can clog pipes, cause electrical outage, attract secondary insect pests, such as mites, gnats, mealybugs, and slugs.

Pigeons

Often called flying rodents because of the filth they carry. These birds are the largest and most damaging of the pest birds.

• Identification
  • Pigeons are up to 11 inches long and about 13 ounces in weight.
    
    
  • Their bodies are grayish with two black bars on each wing, with red feet.

• Habits
  • Though pigeons prefer grains, they will eat a vast array of human food.
    
    
  • Because they have become dependent on humans for their food and shelter, they tend to congregate in (and populate) areas in which food is plentiful.
    
    
  • In urban areas, pigeons gather where humans intentionally or unintentionally feed them - parks, outdoor restaurants, and around trash bins.
    
    
  • In rural areas, they often gather in agricultural areas, feed and grain mills, and food manufacturing plants.
• Damage and Disease
  • In addition to transmitting disease and causing structural damage, their droppings can cause slips and falls.
    
    
  • Disease transmission includes cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, food poisoning.
    
    
  • They may play host to insect pests such as fleas, lice, and ticks.

House Sparrows

• Identification
  • About 5 to 6 1/2 inches in length and less than one ounce in weight.
    
    
  • Light or reddish brown with streaks of black, and a gray underbelly.
• Habits
  • The sparrows prefer to feed on grains, but will feed on vegetables, fruits and flowers, and are not adverse to foraging through trash and spilled foods.
    
    
  • Their incessant sharp cheeping can become a great nuisance, particularly in areas of high populations.
    
    
  • House sparrows can very aggressive and year round pests in many areas of the U.S.
• Damage and Disease
  • These sparrows can cause significant damage in gardens and can displace desirable songbirds.
    
    
  • They can be very problematic in rural areas where they will feed on and contaminate livestock feed.
    
    
  • Their nests are often built in, on, or near buildings, where they can cause secondary pest infestations and fire hazards.
    
    
  • Their prolific breeding can increase populations from a few spring sparrows to a vast population by mid-summer.
    
    
  • Sparrows droppings will deface and damage structures, and cause an unsightly appearance that is difficult to remove.
    
    
  • They have been implicated as hosts of and contributors to the rapid spread of West Nile virus.

European Starlings

• Identification
  • Starlings are dark in color with faint speckles on their feathers
    
    
  • About 6 inches long and 3 ounces in weight
• Habits
  • When available, starlings prefer to feed on grubs and other larvae.
    
    
  • Secondary preference is seeds, but they will readily eat fruits in trees, as well as trash and spilled foods.
    
    
  • Starlings travel in flocks and are commonly found in trees or on clogged gutters, which provide them with drinking water.
• Damage and Disease
  • As with other pest birds, the starling's droppings can erode structures, and when roosting in flocks, significant damage can result.
    
    
  • Droppings can contaminate soil and lead to transmission of diseases such as histoplasmosis.
    
    
  • Starlings have been implicated in airplane crashes, caused by a strike with the aircraft.

Source: Pigeon and starling descriptions adapted from NPMA information.