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All About the Problems Caused by Dallas Birds

While many of us enjoy watching Dallas birds, and listening to their “song”, birds can become a nuisance. Depending on the type of bird, you can expect damage to your home, structures or yard. You can experience a loss of crops, or animals. You can even become sick from disease spread through their droppings. Here is a list of common birds and the problems they can bring. Woodpeckers, while beautiful and majestic, can also be destructive. Each year many of us put out special feeders filled with suet designed to attract woodpeckers. We enjoy their diverse appearances, clever style of eating, and antics during flight. These hardy and beautiful birds are beneficial as they consume thousands of pounds of nasty insects, like mosquitoes, ants, termites, and more each season. Unfortunately, the occasional woodpecker will single out your house to “peck” holes in or for nesting. In spring, as males set up territories to try to attract a mate, they use a technique called "drumming." Most of the time they choose a dead tree trunk. As we take out more dead trees in the name of progress, woodpeckers may have discovered metal gutters, siding, and other parts of your home to “drum” on. Serious structural damage can occur when the persistent woodpeckers drill holes in window frames, siding, and roofing.



Although thousands of us put out feeders and buy special food to attract those, birds that consume fruits and vegetables as the main portion of their diet are the banes of many a farmer and home gardener. You spent the early spring preparing your land and carefully choosing your plants. You have pruned and babied your fruit trees in hopes of a bountiful harvest. You have a garden full of succulent berries and fruits almost ready to pick. Before you get a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labors, the birds swoop in and pick your plants clean. Blue Jays, catbirds, Orioles, blackbirds other birds are notorious garden robbers. These sneaky thieves can clear out your entire crop in just a few hours. This can be an inconvenience to the home gardener, or a serious financial drain for commercial farmers. While most Texas birds nest high up, some birds prefer to “roost” or sit for extended periods of time in trees or on posts, fences, and railings. The problem with a flock of birds sitting just over your head is obvious. Roosting Birds can cause huge messes and spread disease through the amount massive of droppings they leave. Whether it is pigeons on railings or rooftops, seagulls on dock rails, or starlings, grackles and other blackbirds, when flocks roost in the trees, they not only create a mess, but can present a serious health hazard. Birds dropping carry a myriad of hemorrhagic and staph related ailments that can be airborne or spread through direct contact. For more reasons to dissuade roosting birds, just park your car under a roosting tree, and you will understand some of the problems caused by these winged menace. Especially during mating season, most birds will look for a secure place to nest. They want a small space with limited access to make it easy to defend. It should also be hard to reach, and out of the elements. What might seem like a strange choice to us seems perfect to the bird. Some unusual choices include: House gutters, appliance vents, above exterior doors, in eaves and overhangs as well as hollow pipes. They can also sometimes choose boxes or containers in storage areas, or low growing shrubs. Abandoned boats and vehicles are also choice spots. Most any spot the bird can fit that looks as if it can be secured, and safe from the weather will be used. Swallows, finches, doves, tits, and pigeons are just some of the likely culprits.

Raptors such as Hawks and Owls are beautiful to watch. They can also be a huge menace for people raising poultry, rabbits, and other small animals. These Dallas birds are avid hunters with voracious appetites. They can terrorize bird feeders and small household pets too. If you are in a rural area, and have any of these situations at hand, you should expect a visit from a hungry raptor. Waterfowl such as ducks, geese, cranes and swans are often introduced to properties by homeowners who wish to add ambiance to a wetland area. The birds can cause problems near bodies of water like rivers, ponds and lakes. These birds typically feed on farmer’s crops, grasses and local vegetation. They can also seriously diminish the frog and fish population. During the summer, when these birds molt, they can create problems by trampling plants and leaving massive amounts of droppings. In the spring, while nesting, they can become excessively aggressive while protecting their nests and young.

Visit our Dallas bird control home page to learn more about us.