Do Pigeon Repellents Work?

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Pigeons are usually classified as a pest species because they are filthy gutter birds that inhabit cities, roost everywhere, and crap all over everything. The most common repellents include the following:

• Fake Plastic Owls
• Flashing Mylar Owls
• Flashy Spinning Tops
• Fluttering Tinsel Strands

Pigeons don't care about these repellents. Go ahead and try them for yourself. The birds need a place to roost and nest, and they aren't at all discouraged by these festive decorations.

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Birds can sometimes be an irritation if they frequent your porch and leave their nasty bird poo in there. Pigeons in particular can always be seen roosted anywhere from your roof, to your chimneys and even in ledges in condominium units or apartments in most urban areas. Tendencies of them making it inside to take a peek on any inviting food source would not a good sign because this might be a start of more frequent visits and more company flying in your unit or house. Read more about How Can Pigeons Enter Your House? or read about How to Find Pigeon Entry Holes In Your House.

Before engaging in any complex pigeon repellent method, you should first try to observe to know which attracts them in your property. Being aware of the things that bring them in your area would definitely help you in trying to take them away or to eliminate them giving no reasons for these pigeons to constantly keep coming back to your place.



But if it does not work, you can always try to look into a more effective method of getting rid of these birds. Some people would recommend scaring them away by using some devices that would make these pigeons feel too uncomfortable to still continue to stay in your place. Perhaps the most widely used is the plastic owl which was thought by many people as an effective tool of shooing them away but unfortunately pigeons are much more wiser not to know the difference between the live one and the one that you are hanging in your house even in the middle of the day. Read more about Do plastic owls scare pigeons. Some thought that they can scare off the pigeons by the use of objects that are usually hung and reflects light. But the truth of the matter is neither method is effective in eradicating your pigeon problem according to the experts.

One thing that might work though is trying to scare them with a flock or starlings or perhaps a single woodpecker that would emphasize the ownership of the territory as belonging to that specie and an unwelcome trespasser is not welcome. But if you can’t do with the real thing try to create an environment with their replicas and sounds that might scare away other birds. But you must remember to try to imitate their real behavior and not leave them stationary for a long time that might lead to another failed attempt because pigeons have already deciphered and gotten accustomed to the sight and sounds.

If this won’t work, you can try to enhance your own homes perhaps by doing some roost modification techniques. These methods would try to lure them away by not giving them a space or an area to land. One of the most recommended is the use of pigeon control spikes. You can use them in strategic areas where you normally see these pigeons land and stay. With the use of these almost invisible spikes, they might learn their lesson the hard way but of course without killing them.

If you have pigeons roosting inside a building, you'll want to get them out and do building repairs to close up the openings that they use to enter the building. This is crucial in cases of pigeons in the attic, because if you don't seal the holes, new birds will continue to enter.

One more thing that you might be able to do is to cover the area with nylon nets so as not to allow them the space that they need for landing. This is most recommended for wide open areas such as garages and courtyards. But other than this, you can also try to change the angle of elevation of some of the areas that these pigeons frequent. You can create an almost slanting angle of 45 degrees in ledges so that they cannot surely establish a strong foothold especially in slopes where they are easily pulled down by gravity. Doing it this way would surely show them how futile it is to try and land on your property. Not giving them a chance to roost is better than trying to scare them away. As most people say it would be better to take on the prevention method than to wait for the problem and do the treatment. Read the guides Can You Use Mothballs to Help Repel Pigeons? and Needle Pigeon Strip.

For more info, go back to my main Pigeon Removal page.

If you wish to trap pigeons, read my pigeon trapping page. But beware, trapped and relocated pigeons return, so you have to euthanize (kill) any trapped pigeons.

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About Pigeon Repellents: Gel, Spray, Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon, Walmart. Pigeons for all their peacefulness and intelligence, can become a great inconvenience when they decide to come to roost at your home – you wake up to their cooing sounds and then you see your roof, windows or balcony get stained with bird droppings and what not. They just act like they own the space! If you have had your fill of them or perhaps, just finished getting rid of them, there are ways to discourage them from coming back. Read more about using rice or alka seltzer to repel pigeons.



Pigeon repellents are materials, objects or substances that can repel or deter pigeons from your property. Repellents can either be home-sourced or store-bought. Examples of pigeon repellents are electronic sound emitters, pigeon spikes, scare owls, repellent gel etc.

Use Fake Owls (scare owls)
Scare owls are not real owls but they are designed to look like real owls, which are the natural predators of the pigeon. Just place them at the spot where your nuisance pigeons roost and the birds will move away. You may have to reposition the fake owls from time to time so they look mobile and real, or else pigeons will detect that they are not real faster (because they will eventually, anyway) and persist in frequenting your space. Some fake owls are capable of turning their heads on their own, this would definitely be a plus. Also available for the same purpose, are fake snakes and fake hawks.

Repel them with sound
There are two ways to do this; by using recorded predator sounds or store-bought electronic sound emitters. You can record sounds of predators (hawks or owls) by yourself and play it from a strategic position to make it look like the predator is lurking around. Electronic sound emitters can be purchased from local pets stores. Sound emitters, like the Bird-X emitter, produce sounds that may not be picked by human ears, but can be heard by pigeons. This sound may keep them at bay for some time at least, though they will eventually find a way to live with it.

Pigeon spikes
Pigeon spikes are needle-like structure that prick a pigeon as soon as it tries to settle down on the spiked surface. These spikes are not lethal and are almost invisible, so they will not cause any structural changes to your house. Glue the spikes to roofs, ledges, rafters etc. with adhesive and it will be there permanently, to be cleaned every now and then.

Scare them with spices
Sprinkle spices like cinnamon and cayenne pepper on the surfaces that the birds perch on whenever they come visiting. Pigeons do not like spices and this is meant to discourage them from settling down. They have been known to kick the spices aside unperturbed though.

Balloons
Brightly colored balloons with predator eyes drawn on them can scare pigeons for a limited period only. You may use them to hold the birds at bay while you find a lasting solution.

Gel Repellents
Store-bought pigeon gel repellents may be manually applied to the surfaces on which the pigeons roost. These gels are sticky and slippery, making it hard for pigeons to stay on. Repeated application is necessary as the gel stops being sticky or slippery after some time.

Methyanthranilate
This is a chemical substance that can be sprayed on soil and plants to give them an unpleasant taste when consumed. Methyanthranilate works best for farmyards or gardens that are being frequented by pigeons. It has no harmful effect on the soil or plants.

Spray pigeon with water
Yes, you read it right - just spray them with water. Get a water hose and spray water directly on the pigeons while they are perched on their favorite spot on your property. It will scare them away for some hours or maybe even days. An alternative is to use a small water pistol loaded with ice cold water. Ice-cold water works even better and will not harm the pigeons.

Note: While all of these repellent solutions have the potential to keep pigeons away, their success rate leaves much to be desired. This is so because pigeons are highly intelligent birds and are able to quickly get acquainted with or work their way around the repellent. For example, pigeons will detect fake owls as being fake in few hours or days, they will also get acquainted with balloons and may even find a way to push spices aside to find a way for them to roost there. So overall, repellents are not dependable way of getting rid of pigeons.