Feral Birds

Feral Bird Control in Melbourne

Pest bird populations are growing at alarming rates throughout Australia, affecting commercial and domestic buildings, airports, marinas, as well as the horticultural and agricultural sectors. Feral pigeon flocks have increased in numbers and dominate the urban landscape.

Birds can become a nuisance when they choose to nest or roost in unwanted areas of your home or business. Pigeon problems can affect employees, maintenance personnel and potentially customers. EPC – Enviro Pest Control understands that Birds congregating on ledges and signs, or droppings covering footpaths and driveways look unsightly and do not portray a clean image for your business.

  • Bird droppings and nests are an unattractive feature defacing homes and businesses and can lead to unpleasant odour and noise issues.
  • Bird faecal matter and feathers can have devastating effects on the heating and cooling units and indoor air quality of a commercial facility.
  • Pest birds can also gain entry into premises through loading bay areas or damaged roofing. Pigeons and sparrows in particular are often a nuisance in urban areas like manufacturing and food processing plants contaminating food and products
  • Gutters and drainage pipes clogged with nests can back up and cause extensive water damage
  • Fires have been attributed to electrical shorts from machinery housing sparrow nests
  • Can lead to escalating costs through public liability insurance from slipping on droppings build up

The longer birds are allowed to nest or roost in an unwanted area the harder it will be to get rid of them. It’s important to take a proactive approach when dealing with pest birds.

EPC – Enviro Pest Control finds the most common pests are Pigeons (‘sky rats’ or ‘city doves’), followed by Sparrows, Indian Mynas and Starlings.

  • Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
    • Only require the smallest amount of shelter on buildings and will nest on ledges
    • Generally produce 2 eggs twice each year when nesting. It takes 17-19 days for the egg incubation
    • Pigeon commence breeding at 6 months
    • Most common colours of feral birds are a mixture of grey, black, white and brown, with purple and green sheens
    • Flock size can vary from 50-400 birds depending on available food and each flock has a distinct territory. Some interchange between neighbouring flocks and they are not necessarily returning to the same group to roost.
    • Diet consists of seeds and scraps
    • Breeds anytime of the year, but peak times are spring and summer (July to February)
    • Pigeons remain near their birth site (within 3km) for their whole lives and create generations of habit

Some other Pest Birds EPC – Enviro Pest Control regularly encounter include;

  • Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
    The Myna is an extremely aggressive territorial bird which chases out native birds and small tree dwelling marsupials such as feather-tailed gliders.

    • Invasive species. Introduced to Victoria in the 1860’s
    • Medium size brown body with yellow beak, legs and eye patch
    • omnivorous and feed on almost anything including eggs and young of other birds, small mammals, lizards, pet food, food scraps etc
    • Mate for life
    • Average lifespan of four years in the wild
    • The breed 4-5 glossy pale blue eggs in spring and summer.
  • Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
    • Invasive species. Introduced to Australia in the late 1850’s
    • Highly speckled iridescent coat – Dark to black with a greenish sheen
    • Can be recognised by their pointed wings and short tail when flying
    • Starlings can rear up to two broods a year, from April to July. Each clutch usually consists of 4–6 pale blue eggs, the young staying in the nest for about 3 weeks.
    • Aggressive when competing for nesting sites and readily drive out native species
  • House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
    • Invasive species. Introduced to Victoria in the 1860’s
    • Approx. 16 cm long
    • Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black throat, grey crown, white, and brown markings
    • When breeding, the black of the males throat extends to the chest and upper belly and his bill also changes from brown to black.
    • Commonly reuse nests which results in a build-up of nest debris, and insects associated with their nests
    • They prefer small, enclosed, places such as house drainage piping and building rafters for nesting sites. They will build a spherical nest in a tree or another exposed place if they have no other option.
    • Nests will often hold several families.
    • Sparrows are flocking birds and will gather in the thousands to take over feeding and roosting areas

Disease and Contamination from Pest Birds

  • Bird infestations encourage a range of other pests such as flies, fleas and particularly bird mite.
  • They can also carry several diseases, (including Salmonella), which can be passed on to humans and pets
  • Faeces can lead to structural damage from the uric acid in droppings which can erode stone, metal and masonry
  • The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites in bird faeces pose a health risk

Fun Facts

  • In captivity, common Mynas are able to imitate human speech.
  • Sparrows usually fly at the speed of about 38km, in the case of emergency they can speed up to 50km
  • House Sparrows are actually large finches
  • Starlings frequently form large flocks, called murmurations, which may move in synchrony in order to avoid predators.
  • Pigeons are one of only a small number of species to pass the ‘mirror test’ – a test of self-recognition
  • Pigeons can fly at altitudes up to and beyond 6000 feet, and at an average speed of 125km. The fastest recorded speed is 148.8km
  • There is a breed of domesticated pigeons from Scotland named Parlor Rollers that can’t fly but is known for its unique performance of turning somersaults on the ground

Why choose EPC – Enviro Pest Control?

If you live in Melbourne and have a Feral Bird problem of any size, you should choose us to help you solve it because:

  • EPC technicians are Trained Specialists and are very experienced at getting rid of Feral Birds
  • We arrive on time
  • EPC technicians are discreet, friendly and professionally presented
  • Fairly priced service with advice to help prevent Feral Birds coming back
  • EPC pest control services including Feral Birds are effective

If you need to speak to a professional about Feral Bird Treatments in Melbourne, call 03 9988 5066 now. There is a variety of bird control and management solutions available which EPC will tailor to your circumstances.