Pigeons: The North American Pest That Keeps Coming Home
There are a number of reasons why getting rid of pigeons is no easy feat. To start with, they immediately have the winning edge over humans because ... well, they can fly. We can't. We can run, drive, swim, climb, and even jump, but we can't fly. If a pigeon wanted to get away from a human it could with relative ease, and there isn't very much that humans could do about it.
Moving on from the very obvious point, pigeons are known for their homing instinct. They're bred for it, kept as pets for it, and raced for it. They were once used as messenger animals, passing urgent snippets of chit-chat from one place to another, always somehow finding their way back home again. It's quite an incredible accomplishment when you take into consideration exactly how far these birds can travel. It doesn't help you when you want to get rid of them, though.
Because of that homing instinct, the pigeon isn't an animal that you can trap and release again, which means you'll need to rely on a number of approaches that combine repellents/deterrents with physical barriers. Holes that lead the birds into an attic or roof void must be sealed up, for example, and roosting or perch ledges should be secured so that the birds can no longer land there. You can only do all of this when the baby pigeons are removed alongside their adult counterparts, but unlike other wild pest animals that you'll encounter, the pigeon breeds all-year-round. There's a reason they have been given that unpleasant nickname — vermin of the skies.
There is a lot of information and advice on getting rid of pigeons on the internet, but not all of it is good advice. If you see anything that suggests using poison, lethal traps, or shooting the animal, you are being advised to take an unlawful course of action. You are also being advised to take a course of action that could have repercussions far and wide, perhaps even killing a number of other animals in the process, by accident. Unfortunately, this can mean local pets, including your own.
Any course of action you do take will need to result in the pigeons left permanently unable to roost where they were roosting before, and this means putting modifications in place, such as bird spike strips, in order to prevent them. Other methods are available, including bird netting and wire-lines, but there are pros and cons to both of those methods that could result in injury to the birds or other animals.
Also read our other bird tip:
Should I hire a pro, or remove pigeons myself?