Bird Library

Pest Bird Identification & Prevention In Florida

Bird issues can range from frustrating to deadly, and it all depends on what kind of infestation you’re dealing with. Understanding the impact that birds can have on your facility is essential for designing a proper defense. Learn all about Florida’s birds and all about how we can stop your bird problems in Florida for good.

Crows

Crows are a large, glossy black bird that makes their presence known with their loud caws. These birds are very social and will live and travel together in groups, sometimes in groups of thousands. Adapted to living near people and taking advantage of the food and shelter our commercial properties offer them, these birds can become a huge source of frustration in urban areas. Crows are very inquisitive and adept at solving problems, which is why keeping these pests off our commercial properties is difficult.

Tall, steep buildings are where crows like to roost; urban buildings are reminiscent of the cliffs where they would roost in the wild. Crows eat insects, plants, carrion, and almost anything they can scavenge from trash cans and dumpsters. They are a significant issue for commercial farmers and commercial business owners. The large numbers of crows that flock to our properties make these birds especially difficult to control and prevent and increase the amount of damage they can cause. These birds will tear through garbage bins, damage crops, are noisy, leave behind mass amounts of feces, and cause structural damage to the buildings they are roosting on.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s crow problems. Crows are federally protected migratory birds, so partnering with a professional is essential when managing them.

In conjunction with our professional services, the following tips will help make your commercial property less attractive to crows:

• Crows like to roost in tall trees; remove trees located close to your facility’s exterior.
• Keep lids or covers on all trash receptacles on your property.
• Keep outdoor eating areas, parking lots, and other areas of your commercial property free of food debris.
• Use deterrents like music or “scarecrows” to deter crows from roosting on your building.

Pigeons

It is safe to say that pigeons are among the most problematic pest birds that commercial property owners have to deal with regularly. Pigeons are dirty and unapologetic when deciding to make a commercial building into their nesting and roosting site. Pigeons are often called the “rodents” of the bird world, and for a good reason. These birds spread pathogens, damage structures, and are challenging to prevent. A light gray body, a beak that is grayish-pink in color, and two dark bars going across their wings help to identify pigeons.

It is common for pigeons to establish large populations in urban areas and commercial parks. They have learned the benefits of using roof ledges as roosting sites. However, buildings that pigeons are roosting on sustain damage to roof eaves, roof shingles, gutters, electrical equipment, and ventilation systems. Also, pigeons spread many diseases, including histoplasmosis caused by a fungus in their feces. They are covered in fleas, ticks, and mites that introduce onto properties where they’re roosting and feeding. Another unpleasant issue that pigeons cause is excrement buildup on roofs, which causes the erosion of metal and roofing materials. Their droppings will accumulate on the ground below also and create slip and fall hazards as well as being an eyesore.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s pigeon problems. In conjunction with our professional services, the following tips will help make your commercial property less attractive to pigeons.

• If your building has gutters, make sure to keep them free of debris to stop water from building up in them and providing pigeons a source of water.
• Keep lids on trash cans and dumpsters and make sure to empty them regularly.
• Ensure that outdoor eating areas for employees or customers are always kept free of food debris.
• Never place bird feeders on your commercial property, and never encourage the feeding of wild birds.

Seagulls

Seagulls are a common sight in coastal cities and towns, making Florida a place these birds thrive. Seagulls are excellent swimmers and split their time between land and water. These large birds have, over time, become mostly unafraid of people. They alert us to their presence with their loud wail-like squawks. These birds usually have grey or white feathers and black markings on their heads or wings. Spending most of their time together in large groups, you commonly see these birds flocked together on beaches or in parking lots. Seagulls are well-known as aggressive scavengers, and while technically they are carnivores, these birds won’t turn down any food from fish scraps to french fries. A single morsel of food discarded on the ground will attract hordes of seagulls to an area.

Seagulls are especially problematic on commercial properties in areas where there are dumpsters and trash cans. They will make huge unsightly messes as they scavenge for food. Piers, beach areas, and parking lots can quickly become overrun with these birds who have no shame and take food directly out of people’s hands. They are also a hazard around airports where large flocks of these birds threaten low flying planes. The roofs of commercial buildings often become a place for these birds to roost. Their acidic droppings will cause erosion to surfaces and are a health risk to people. Also, large groups of these birds can drive customers away and damage HVAC units and other electrical equipment.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s seagull problems. Seagulls are federally protected migratory birds, so partnering with a professional is essential when managing them.

In conjunction with our professional services, the following tips will help make your commercial property less attractive to seagulls:

• Any trash cans or dumpsters located on your property need to have locking or tight-fitting lids on them at all times.
• If you have outdoor eating areas on your property, make sure they are always clean of food debris.
• Keep parking lot areas free of trash and other debris that attract seagulls.
• Post “no feeding birds” signs on your property.

Swallows

Swallows are small birds that have come to create big problems for Florida business owners. These small, sleek, slender birds are very territorial. Swallows are migrating birds that will return to the same nesting sites year after year. Natural nesting sites include caves and cliffs, which they have successfully traded for our building’s roofs. Unfortunately for us, swallows have adapted quite well to living in suburban and urban areas.

Swallows create cup-like nests out of mud and a mixture of other materials. They will put these nests under the overhangs and ledges of buildings, with many swallows (several hundred) placing their nests on the same building. Their nests will stain structures, damage gutters, and become an eyesore. Restaurants with outdoor dining can be affected by these birds; people don’t want to eat under bird nests or look at large amounts of bird feces while eating. Their excrement can spread diseases like histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, toxoplasmosis, and their presence can create health risks to your customers and employees.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s swallow problems. Swallows are challenging to prevent and are federally protected migratory birds, so partnering with a professional is essential when managing them. The best way to avoid problems with swallows is to contact Bird Solutions and learn more about our preventative bird control solutions.

Turkey Vultures

The turkey vulture is not one of the more glamorous looking birds around. They have an appearance that generally only a mother could love. As their name suggests, the shape of their body and head is similar to a turkey. The head of a turkey vulture is featherless and red, so they can easily consume their primary food source:  carrion. Dark feathers cover the body. Turkey vultures are common along roadsides, fields, landfills, trash piles, and construction sites, all places where they can easily scavenge for carrion and other food sources. In the evening, these birds will group together and roost in trees or on the roofs of buildings in groups of 50 or more.

Having these unsightly birds on your commercial building or soaring around your property is problematic and can be unsettling for customers and employees. Their droppings are extremely acidic and will cause the paint to peel off buildings and cars parked below their roosting sites. Having turkey vultures roosting on your facility will damage electrical equipment and the structure of your buildings. These birds also sometimes pull the weatherstripping away from windows and shingles off roofs.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s turkey vulture problems. Turkey vultures are federally protected migratory birds, so partnering with a professional is essential when managing them.

In conjunction with our professional services, the following tips will help make your commercial property less attractive to turkey vultures:

• Keep tight-fitting lids on trash cans and dumpsters located on your property.
• Keep grill areas free of food and grease.
• Keep an eye out for carrion on your property and immediately have it removed

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are striking looking birds known for the noise they create when pecking at trees or wooden structures. Male woodpeckers have some red coloring on the head, and males and females usually have black and white patterned feathers on the body. Their sharp, chisel-like beaks are what allow these birds to peck at pieces of wood to claim a territory, attract a mate, create nests, and find food (insects). The problem with woodpeckers is that they are not good at determining the difference between trees and buildings.

The woodpecker’s preferred food is insects like beetles, ants, and caterpillars. To gain access to these insects, they will peck at the exterior of trees. However, they don’t always choose trees to peck at to find food or create nesting sites; they often choose the exterior of buildings. They will damage siding, roof shingles, drain pipes, vents, and chimneys with their strong, sharp beaks. In addition to the damage they cause, the sound they produce while pecking can become annoying to deal with day after day and distracting to employees and customers.

Partnering with Bird Solutions is the best solution to your Florida commercial facility’s woodpecker problems. Woodpeckers are federally protected, so partnering with a professional is essential when managing them.

In conjunction with our professional services, the following tips will help make your commercial property less attractive to woodpeckers:

• Place metal sheeting over areas of siding that woodpeckers are attacking to encourage them to leave that site.
• Place find mesh covers over vents on your buildings to protect them from woodpecker damage.
• Hang objects around or on your structures that are reflective or make noise.

Learn more about our commercial bird solutions, and our bird control system.

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