Many home and business owners use fake owls to deter unwanted pigeons from landing on or near their building. The logic behind this is that pigeons see owls as predators, and as such, they should be inclined to stay away from them. But does placing a plastic owl really keep pigeons away? The answer to this question is revealed in this article.
How Could Tricking Pigeons be Hard?
While pigeons can be quite the hassle to deal with, these birds are quite smart. While many buildings try to use plastic owls to resemble the pigeon’s predators, these birds are not falling for it. If they could speak, they would likely tell us how dumb humans look to think that.
How Do Pigeons Know Plastic Owls are Fake?
Pigeons not only have a high intelligence level, but they also have magnificent sight. From meters away, these birds can differ a real owl from a fake. How they can notice from such long distance is not exactly known. One of the most obvious answers to that question is that pigeons often stay around the same areas. Think about it, if your city had a fake police car parked in the same spot, every day, would you still be watching your speed every time you pass it? You likely would figure it out after passing a few times. This is the same with pigeons. If they realize that your plastic owl is always in the same place and never moves, they will have no issue getting closer.
What is a Better Solution?
Plastic owls are not the way to go about having pigeons on your property. Instead, you can use shock tracks which will give a slight electric shock to birds that land on them. Another method is to simply install needle / spike strips. These are plastic or metal tools that will be pointy enough to keep the pigeons from landing near you.
What is the Difference Between a Real and Fake Owl?
The differences should be obvious. Firstly, real owls do not stay in one place for years. On top of that, real owls make noise and move their heads to see their surroundings. Lastly, owls are likely to go after birds that come close to them, and, unfortunately, your plastic owl just will not do that.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, there are better methods that actually work when it comes to preventing pigeons from coming on your property, and a fake owl will simply not do the job.
Tags
Animals