Humane bird control, explained
Get pest birds off your property, and keep them off.
Plain, sourced guides for homeowners: what is drawing the birds in, which fix fits your spot and when the law says to wait.
- Primary sources Extension services, wildlife agencies, CDC
- Independent review Every new guide is checked before it goes live
- Humane and legal No poisons, no glue traps, protected nests flagged
Guides by bird
Find your bird problem
Each bird has its own habits, so each has its own fix. Pick yours.
Topic hub
The pigeon guide hub
Pigeons are the bird most people write in about. The hub pulls all 7 of our pigeon and dove guides into one place, from roofs and balconies to nests, traps and what the law allows.
- How to Get Rid of Pigeons: Humane Methods That Actually Work
- How to Keep Birds Off Your Roof (Spikes, Wire, and Netting)
- How to Keep Pigeons Off Your Balcony (What Actually Works)
- Pigeon Nests: Identification, Timing, and What to Do
Just published
Newest guides
Fixes that work
Three kinds of fix handle most bird problems
None of them harm the birds. The right one depends on where the birds land, roost or nest.
Bird spikes Stop pigeons and other large birds landing on ledges, sills and rooflines. Quick to fit, long-lasting and harmless. The first thing to consider for any ledge problem. 
Bird netting The most complete fix: it closes off balconies, gardens, eaves and whole buildings. The standard answer for a persistent problem, because birds cannot adapt their way around it. 
Repellents and scare devices Scent sprays, gels, reflective tape, decoys and motion sprinklers. Best combined and moved around, since birds learn to ignore anything that never changes. What we use
The five-piece setup that cleared our balcony
Pigeons kept landing on our Bangkok high-rise balcony until we combined these. Nothing worked on its own. All five together did.
See what we use →- 01Railing spikes
- 02Outdoor zip ties
- 03Bird netting
- 04Reflective discs
- 05Wind chimes
Catch it early
Signs you have a bird problem
- Droppings piling up
- Corrosive droppings damage buildings and cars and can carry diseases like histoplasmosis. What bird droppings mean
- Nesting in vents and eaves
- House sparrows and starlings push into vents and soffits, and nest material blocks airflow. How to stop birds nesting
- Roosting flocks getting louder
- An established roost grows every season, and pigeons rarely leave on their own. Get rid of pigeons
- Birds under solar panels
- Pigeons nest in the warm gap under panels. Mesh skirting closes it for good. Full bird proofing guide
One thing before you start: most native birds and their active nests are protected by law, so timing matters. Bird proofing works best before nesting season begins. The full bird proofing guide walks through a whole house step by step, and the bird deterrent guide compares every product type.
Free checklist
The bird-proofing checklist
Work through the right steps in the right order, before spending money on the wrong deterrents. Free and printable.
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Photos: roof hero via BirdProofingHQ. Feral pigeon by Satdeep Gill, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pigeon on a ledge by Benoit Brummer, CC BY 4.0. Canada goose by Qwertyxp2000, CC BY-SA 4.0. Downy woodpecker by Mvrcie, CC BY-SA 4.0. Barn swallow with nest by Sarum blue, CC BY-SA 3.0. American crow by Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0. House sparrow by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons. Product photos via BirdProofingHQ.
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