Pigeons love urban areas. There is usually lots of food, shelter, and places to roost or just hang out.
They are seen all over the greater Tucson area sitting on buildings, light poles, electric wires, and they are found roosting in attics, under eaves, or anywhere there is enough safety to keep them protected from predators or the weather. Unfinished attics, buildings with consistently open windows, rooftops with structure, and even unused, but sheltered commercial air conditioning units or swamp coolers can offer them locations for overnight stays and roosting sites.
Pigeons are usually tolerated because they are not aggressive to homeowners or business owners. They are good looking birds and, they mostly stay out of the way of direct contact. With no deterrents or barriers to roosting sites, pigeons will often choose where they want to roost or hang out for daylight hours, resulting in piles of droppings which are both annoying to business and homeowners and, which may be harmful.
1st Response Wildlife works with residential customers who call with a pigeon in their chimney, trapping and removing pigeons that have chosen a home or business as the best place to roost, hang out, and create a nuisance. 1st Response Wildlife also has techniques and pigeon barriers that can be installed to keep pigeons from landing on ledges, hanging out on rooftops and over entrances.
Below are a couple of pictures of pigeons being removed, by 1st Response Wildlife from a customer site, where they were creating a nuisance.
Pigeon droppings from large flocks of pigeons can result in a much larger problem, beyond just being a nuisance. Large flocks of pigeons can create a significant problem. This material has been well documented to contain dozens of harmful fungus and bacteria. So, in addition to the droppings being unsightly and annoying to homeowners and business customers, large amounts/piles of droppings create a significant health hazard. Given the dry climate in Arizona, it does not take long for their droppings to dry and harden. When disturbed by foot traffic or by workers who are called to remove the dried material, it turns to dust. Attempts made to clean up the droppings, fungus spores and bacteria in the pigeon droppings easily aerosolize pathogens in the droppings. This material may contain harmful fungus, and bacteria which, when inhaled can cause respiratory problems for those involved in clean up or, if disseminated by wind, can affect others
The dangers of and variety of the pathogens in pigeon droppings is well documented. The CDC and most pest control companies warn homeowners or business owners with large amounts of pigeon droppings to hire experts for clean up. (See CDC publication- Control of Health Hazards Associated with Bat and Pigeon Droppings at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nas/RDRP/appendices/chapter6/a6-133.pdf.) In fact, professional clean up of large amounts of droppings often require respirators and other protection. (Hazmat suits are also a consideration.)
Below are two pictures of pigeon droppings in an unfinished facility that had openings that made it easy for pigeons to adopt the area for a roosting site. The first is an overall view and the second is a close up of the droppings that essentially have made the area unusable until the droppings are removed.
If you have or think you have a residential pigeon problem, consider calling 1st Response Wildlife. A rule of thumb in considering who to call would be to consider the location of the pigeons, the amount of and location of droppings, and the level of annoyance. For larger projects, call a pest control company. For example, if you have a pigeon problem where a large flock of pigeons is roosting or hanging around on top of rooftops, ledges, swamp coolers, air conditioners, etc., it might be time to call a pest control company like Arizona Pest Control. (Pest control companies usually have a division dedicated to installing pigeon deterrents around structures for large business projects and protective gear used in cleanup.) Below are two examples of pigeon barriers installed on a business. The first is a bird barrier that allows maintenance of the equipment, but prevents pigeons from roosting, nesting, and accessing the equipment.
The second is an example of bird spikes that discourages birds from landing on a ledge, edge of a roof, or entrance. These come in various sizes and lengths. Both the bird spikes and the bird barriers are manufactured to last for years.
To summarize, pigeons can be tolerated and enjoyed as part of the wildlife in and around your facilities-if they are not bothering or interfering with your business or creating a problem around your residence. If, however, they are creating a nuisance, consider calling 1st Response Wildlife or a pest control company to discuss approaches that can prevent them, using barriers, to discourage them from choosing your property as their home, or to have them trapped and removed.
Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife
Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517
Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), coyotes, pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, ducks, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), exotics, pigeons, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7. Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!
