There are 15 types of special use Do It Yourself bird control methods and devices we test, rate, and review. We start with the most popular and go from there.
Bird Spikes
Sound Devices
Bird Wire
Slant Board
Motion Devices
Bird Gel
Fogging/Spraying
Optical Gel
Lasers
Decoys
Drones
Dogs
Pigeon Birth Control
Rooftop Wire Grids
Avitrol Bird Poison
Bird Spikes: Does not deter nesting birds, may make nesting worse, vultures destroy…
- Bird Pressure Rating 35%
- Aesthetics 25%
- Deters Nesting Birds 5%
- Deters Overnight Roosting Birds 75%
- Deters Daytime Loafing Birds 75%
- Deters Feeding Birds 25%
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Bird Spike Effectiveness
Sound Devices: Low cost solution, usually fails, sound pollution is horrible…
- Bird Pressure Rating 25%
- Aesthetics 70%
- Deters Nesting Birds 5%
- Deters Overnight Roosting Birds 40%
- Deters Daytime Loafing Birds 30%
- Deters Feeding Birds 10%
Sound Device Review
Bird control sounds– Bird control sound devices typically become completely ineffective within weeks of initial installation. Birds react to sounds mostly in the 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz range. That is their primary range of hearing. Birds can barely hear sounds much lower and much higher. Birds become accustomed to any sound no matter how alarming that is not associated with some dynamic or alive threat. Thus, it is puzzling that ultrasonic devices that birds may not really hear very well, although they may find them irritating, are supposed to actually work to deter birds. In addition, distress calls are typically combined with alarming sounds of different types, which again is puzzling how sounds that prove to represent no real threat will have any effect on birds for a very long. The answer to these questions is that neither of these devices works well for longer than a few weeks in most situations. There is limited effectiveness in small enclosed areas where the sounds annoy the birds and some may look for other areas. These devices are everywhere and the birds learn to ignore them quickly. These devices has zero effectiveness in open areas. It’s interesting to note the guarantee of these products is only weeks also. These devices may work for bats though because bats always seek very small enclosed areas.
Bird distress calls-bird distress calls work great for a few weeks, until the birds realize there’s no real threat. Then the bird device emitting the bird call distress recordings typically stops working more and more until it stops working completely after a couple of months or so. One sure way to find huge flocks of birds in trees and downtown areas is to listen for these devices! Where these bird control devices are installed in trees many birds will typically be roosting in those trees. In fact, bird call distress sound devices tend to attract nesting birds because distress calls are common in nesting bird areas. It is a common sound in large bird colony nesting areas, and therefore may attract even more birds into nearby trees to nest during the spring!
Thus, the allure of a low cost solution means these are the highest selling and most disappointing bird control devices. This method simply does not work in most situations and even may make migratory bird nesting worse.
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Sound Device Effectiveness
Bird Wire: Will not deter nesting birds, vultures will destroy, look for newer electric versions that work much better…
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Pin & Wire Effectiveness
Slant Board, Metal or Bird Slide™: Limited use on narrow ledges, filthy mess buildup of bug & rat nests behind it after a few years…
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Slant Board or Angled Metal
Motion Devices: Partially effective on very small residential roofs and boats, will not work on larger roofs, near food/water, nests, or in trees…
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Motion Devices Effectiveness
Bird Control Gel: Temporary results, permanent destruction of surfaces…
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Bird Gel Temporary Effectiveness
Fogging/Spraying: Unique and neverending…
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Fog/Spary Temporary Effectiveness
Optical Gel: No effect out in the open near bright sunlight…
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Optical Gel Temporary Effectiveness
Lasers: Partially effective in dark enclosed area without food, water, or nesting…
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Lasers Temporary Effectiveness
Scare Device Decoys: Little to no effect after a few weeks in most situations…
- Bird Pressure Rating 5%
- Aesthetics 10%
- Deters Nesting Birds 5%
- Deters Overnight Roosting Birds 10%
- Deters Daytime Loafing Birds 15%
- Deters Feeding Birds 5%
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Decoys Effectiveness
Drones: Not effective for birds, nesting and feeding, helps scare geese and ducks in landscaped areas only, growing grass above 4 feet tall works much better…
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Drones Temporary Effectiveness
Dogs: Man’s best friend, and a goose or duck’s worst nightmare if the dog is well trained…
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Dogs Effectiveness
Pigeon Birth Control: Attracts more pigeons for food, decreases population partially over 5 years, may never solve a specific problem, and never ending…
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Pigeon Birth Control Effectiveness
Rooftop Wire Grid: Good for very large flocks on large roofs…
(Restaurant Mono-filament Lines): in contrast, clear “fishing line” version inhumanely breaks bird’s wings near pools and restaurants…
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Rooftop Wire Grid Effectiveness
Avitrol Poison: Poor Stewardship, it is POISON, kills non-target migratory birds, slow painful death, increasingly outlawed for almost every use by many states, this is stroke inducing poison not crazy corn…
Avitrol Poison is inhumane and should be banned in the US. Avitrol is painful slow kill poison, and it should never be used in any application because it cannot be limited to a few pest birds. Avitrol almost always harms migratory birds and other non-target species. Many companies using this poison told buyers it was crazy corn or like LSD for birds. In reality, the birds fly around crazy because Avitrol causes the birds to die by stroke or brain hemorrhage.