Best Bird Deterrent

Many people love watching birds in their natural habitat, and countless homeowners even supply birds with food, shelter, and birdbaths to keep them returning to their yards. While birds can be an incredible benefit to many homes and gardens by offering natural pest control, some species of birds can be seriously problematic.

Every year, birds cause millions of dollars in commercial damage to homes and properties. So, how do you maintain your bird-watching habit (if you have one) while also protecting your home and property from nuisance birds?

That’s what we’re here to find out in today’s article. Join us as we go over which types of birds are the most problematic in the United States and discover the best bird deterrent for you and your home.

Let’s begin.

Which Types Of Birds Can Become Problematic?

European Starlings are some of the most common nuisance birds in the US 

Birds are everywhere in the United States no matter what time of year it is or what region you live in. While some birds do migrate during the winter, others stick around all year round, including some of the biggest nuisance birds to commercial buildings and homes.

Of course, all birds can be problematic if they choose to nest on your property and especially if they choose to nest in large numbers. That said, there are some species of birds that are known to be more problematic than others.

Do you know which types of birds are considered the most destructive to American households and commercial properties? Some of the most common types of birds that are considered nuisance birds in the United States include:

• Woodpeckers
• Pigeons
• Sparrows
• European Starlings
• Crows
• Grackles
• Western Gulls

But what has attracted these nuisance birds to your yard or property in the first place? If you haven’t put out bird feeders, bird houses, and bird baths, some other common attractants to nuisance birds include shelter and food sources like gardens, fruit trees, and properties with a large number of insects.

Most birds are omnivores, with diets that include both plants and meats. This means birds could be attracted to your property because you have a large insect population, or you are growing some tasty veggies in your garden.

If you do have a large amount of nuisance birds on your property, this could be a sign of a larger issue. For example, a large number of woodpeckers pecking around your home and trees could mean you’re dealing with an infestation of wood-eating insects like carpenter bees, termites, or carpenter ants.

That said, we recommend learning about the species of bird causing you issues and, along with working on finding the best bird deterrent for that bird, also looking into other pest issues that could be attracting those birds to your property.

But how do you tell the difference between bird damage and other pest damage to your home? Well, when it comes to birds, the damage they leave behind is quite unique. Let’s learn more.

Bird Damage – How To Recognize A Bird Problem

Acidic bird droppings can lead to serious damage. 

Birds leave damage that is very unique to them and is not usually mistaken for other pests. The exception to this rule is if you are dealing with woodpeckers, who often leave behind holes in wood that may be mistaken for insect holes.

Still, for the most part you will likely know right away that you are dealing with a nuisance bird problem because you will notice an excess of:

• Chirping and other noises

• Bird feathers

• Bird droppings

• Property damage

Let’s take a look at the type of property damage you may have to deal with when it comes to nuisance birds.

• Roof Damage

Bird droppings are highly acidic, and even small amounts of bird droppings left on your roof can lead to serious damage, caved in roofs, and water leaks. Birds can also cause roof damage by pecking, nesting, and congregating on roofs with other birds.

• Clogged Gutters

Many nuisance birds like sparrows and pigeons like to build nests in drains and gutters. When this happens, they end up clogging gutters which can lead to roof leaks and other problems on your property including structural damage and even collapsed roofs.

• Machinery And Car Damage

Bird droppings can cause serious damage not only to roofs, but also to machinery and cars. The acidity of the droppings can lead to a breakdown in the paint on cars and can erode machinery like air conditioning units and more.

• Ventilation Damage

Many nuisance birds build nests in chimneys and ventilation systems, which can lead not only to property damage but also health issues in people and pets.

• Fire Hazards

When nuisance birds nest in large numbers, they accumulate dry straw, feathers, and sometimes trash. All of these materials are highly flammable and can lead to a higher fire risk in your home.

• Garden And Tree Damage

Birds who nest or congregate on your property in large numbers can cause serious damage to your garden, trees, and yard, leading many homeowners to seek the best bird deterrent for gardens and trees to protect their property from destruction.

Along with property damage, nuisance birds can also be hazardous to the health of your family and pets. Bird droppings alone carry a number of serious and transmittable diseases. Their droppings can also make ground surfaces dangerous and slick, and birds themselves can lead to an increase in allergies and other ailments.

For this reason, if you have a large number of nuisance birds hanging around your property, we recommend looking for the best bird deterrent to keep them at bay. There are a few bird deterrent methods you can use to get rid of birds on your property, but how do you know what the best deterrent method is for you?

Keep reading to learn more about the most common methods for how to get rid of birds below.

How To Get Rid Of Nuisance Birds – Three Most Popular Methods

Bird spikes are commonly used to deter birds. 

For the most part, birds are beneficial and many homeowners enjoy having them around. However, and as we mentioned above, nuisance birds in large numbers can wreak serious havoc on our homes and gardens.

Luckily, there are three common and effective methods you can use to get rid of nuisance birds, including:

• Commercial Bird Repellents And Deterrents

• Home Remedies

• Professionals

Wondering what the best bird deterrent method would be for you? Let’s learn more about the three most common bird deterrent methods mentioned above.

Commercial Repellents And Deterrents

Most birds are beneficial and play an important role in our ecosystem, so finding the best bird deterrent means looking for harm-free, safe bird deterrents. Some of the best bird deterrent products use non-toxic ingredients that repel birds like anthraquinone and methyl anthranilate.

You can also use deterrent paints as one of the best bird deterrent methods to help keep birds from roosting on your home and in nearby trees. This type of paint works best for repelling birds like woodpeckers and sparrows.

Some other repellents and deterrents you can buy include ultrasonic sound machines, bird mesh, garden netting, spikes, and predator decoys.

Home Remedies 

Home remedies allow you to be creative and use household items to make your own pest control. Best of all, home remedies for bird control means you know what you are using to repel birds is safe for your family and pets.

Remember, one of the main reasons nuisance birds come around is because something in your yard has attracted them, so oftentimes home remedies also work hand-in-hand with preventative methods, which we’ll cover further down.

Professionals

If you have a very large bird infestation and even the best bird deterrent products aren’t working, don’t wait to call in a professional. Remember, birds can cause expensive and serious damage to your home and property, and can also lead to serious health issues in people and pets.

So with that in mind, let’s not waste anymore time. Let’s talk about the best bird deterrent products for how to get rid of birds.

Best Bird Deterrent – Liquid Applications

Liquid repellents work best to deter birds like woodpeckers. 

Remember, the best bird deterrents will repel birds without harming or killing them. We like bird deterrents that use non-toxic repellents as their active ingredient when it comes to sprays and paints.

Not sure which deterrent is right for you? Take a look at some of our favorite products, which we have listed for you below.

Bird Proof Repellent Gel

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If you want to spot-treat your home, roof, and landscaping for common nuisance birds, we recommend trying a bird repellent gel like the above repellent by Bird X. This product uses non-toxic chemicals that startle birds and repel them from nesting wherever it has been applied.

This is one of the best bird deterrents for nuisance birds like woodpeckers, pigeons, and sparrows.

Critter Ridder Animal Repellent

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The above Critter Ridder spray works to repel a number of different animal pests, including birds. It uses common chemical ingredients to deter a number of nuisance birds but works well especially for woodpeckers.

This is a spot treatment and one of the best bird deterrent products for targeting specific areas around your home and property where you want to reduce or eradicate nuisance bird activity. That said, it does use chemicals to repel birds and should be used with caution around children and pets.

Liquid Bird Deterrent

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If you are looking for the best bird deterrent you can use that will also be safe for the environment, we recommend using a product like Bird-X liquid repellent. Like the other Bird X product on this list, it uses biodegradable chemicals proven to work to repel problematic birds and keep them from returning.

Best Bird Deterrent – Ultrasonic Repellents

Ultrasonic bird repellents can help prevent birds from nesting on your property. 

The use of ultrasonic repellents can help to deter a number of unwanted pests from your home and yard like insects, mice, bats, moles, voles, raccoons and yes, birds.

We recommend ultrasonic repellents as some of the best bird deterrent options because they are easy to apply, safe to use around children and pets, and don’t contain any chemicals or harsh ingredients. Ultrasonic repellents are also harm-free.

Let’s take a look at some of the best bird deterrent ultrasonic products below.

Ultrasonic Bird Repellent

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We have listed the ultrasonic bird repellent above because it uses sound vibrations to repel nuisance birds from your yard and property. This is ideal for homeowners looking to protect trees and gardens from nuisance birds like woodpeckers and sparrows.

That said, and while this is one of the best bird deterrent ultrasonic repellents, it can irritate dogs and cats and may also chase away birds you wish to keep around, so use it with caution.

Bird-X Electronic Bird Repeller

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Next on our list of best bird deterrent products is the Bird X electronic bird repellent. It is designed with nuisance birds in mind and works best to keep nuisance birds like sparrows and woodpeckers from causing damage to your home and property.

Like most other bird repellents on this list, it is safe, harmfree, and fine to use around children and pets. This will not harm dogs or cats either as it works by using predator calls as opposed to ultrasonic sound waves to repel nuisance birds and keep them from returning.

Best Bird Deterrent – Visual And Spike Repellents

Owl decoys are a great way to deter birds.

When looking for the best bird deterrent to protect your home and property, we recommend using visual deterrents along with liquid repellents, especially if you are dealing with a very large bird problem or if you have recently vacated birds and want to keep them from returning.

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite products.

Bird-X Bird Spikes

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You have likely seen bird spikes on commercial buildings when out and about. While they may look scary, bird spikes are completely harmless to birds and simply work as a deterrent that does not allow for birds to land and nest.

Installing bird spikes around your property or on common surfaces where you know birds like to land can help prevent birds from causing serious and expensive structural damage.

Bird B Gone Deterrent

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Bird B Gone is one of the best bird deterrent products for wood-destroying birds like woodpeckers. You can hang these deterrents in trees or around your home to deter and repel woodpeckers from pecking up your home and surrounding trees.

The repellent uses brightly colored eye shapes to frighten the woodpeckers and other nuisance birds away without harming them.

Owl Decoy Bird Deterrent

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The owl decoy above is one of our favorites on this list of best bird deterrent products because it is so simple. Depending on where your bird problem is, you can purchase one or two of these inexpensive, weather-resistant owl decoys and place them around your home to help keep birds from coming to nest.

That said, predator decoys like owl decoys will often chase away other birds you may want in your yard and garden, so keep this in mind.

Monarchy Solutions Bird Deterrent

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Many birds are deterred by reflective surfaces. One of the best bird deterrent options is to use a reflective deterrent like the ones listed above by Monarchy Solutions.

You can hang these deterrents around your home, on trees, near your porch, and around your garden to help repel birds and keep your property damage-free. This product works to repel nuisance birds like woodpeckers, ducks, pigeons, sparrows, and more.

De-Bird Reflective Scare Tape

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Since birds don’t like reflective surfaces, you may consider investing in some reflective tape like the De-Bird reflective tape listed above. This product is specifically designed to protect your home and property from nuisance birds by unnerving them and scaring them off.

How To Get Rid Of Birds Using Home Remedies

Balloons can help deter birds the same way predator decoy do. 

If you’re not sold on the best bird deterrent products above, don’t worry. There are plenty of tried and tested home remedies you can use to protect your home and garden from nuisance birds.

Below are some of our favorite home remedies that make the best bird deterrents:

• Make Your Own Bird Repellent Spray

Did you know the best bird deterrent spray can be made with ingredients you likely already have at home? You can make your own homemade bird repellent by adding water, vinegar, and chili or cayenne to a pot. Heat the solution for a couple of hours and then put it in a spray bottle. Voila! Now you have your own bird repellent spray you can spray around your home and garden to repel nuisance birds.

• Tie Up Balloons Or Draw Eyes On Beach Balls

Balloons work well as temporary bird repellents because they move freely in the wind. Beach balls work similarly and last even longer. You can even draw eyes on the balloons or balls so they look like predators or people to help scare nuisance birds away.

That said, balloons are very temporary. They can also be hazardous to the environment if they accidentally float away, so keep that in mind when looking for the best bird deterrent home remedy.

• Make Your Own Reflectives

Now that we know nuisance birds don’t like reflective surfaces, why not go around your home and look for old pocket mirrors, scratched CD’s, or even aluminum foil? It is simple to make your own bird deterrent using any of these household items, and you can simply hang them up on trees or place them around the outside of your home to keep birds from nesting.

How To Prevent Future Bird Problems On Your Property

Garden balls are a beautiful and safe way to deter nuisance birds. 

Not all birds are nuisance birds, as we learned above. If you want to continue enjoying the birds on your property without inviting nuisance birds, you can do so with a few tricks and tools described in this video below.

Other ways to reduce nuisance birds on your property include:

• Put Up Garden Balls

Garden balls are those lovely, mystical looking orbs people have around their gardens and yards. While these garden balls look like decoration, they actually help deter nuisance birds and other pests with their shiny, reflective surfaces.

• Keep Up With Routine Pest Control

Remember, having a large number of birds on your property is usually the symptom of a bigger pest problem like insects. Along with using the best bird deterrent product for you, we also recommend taking care to ensure insects are removed from your home, yard, and garden.

• Install Pest-Proof Bird Feeders And Bird Houses

Because you still might want to enjoy the non-problematic birds on your property, it may be smart to remove any free-feeding bird feeders and replace them with protected, pest-proof bird feeders to help reduce the number of nuisance birds coming around looking for food.

• Remove Dead Trees And Trim Back Branches

This preventative specifically applies to birds like woodpeckers, who are attracted to dead and dying wood because it is usually filled with grubs and other insects for them to feast on. Removing dead and dying trees from your property will help decrease the amount of insects, and therefore reduce the number of problematic birds.

• Leave Up Predator Decoys 

If you don’t want any birds on your property, you can leave up predator decoys all year round. Predator decoys like owls, rubber snakes, and even hawks and eagles can help deter birds and other pests like squirrels, chipmunks, and voles. In fact, as we mentioned above, decoys are some of the best bird deterrent products to prevent nuisance birds and keep them from returning.

• Keep Bird Spikes Up Year-Round

Last, make sure you keep bird spikes up all year. Many nuisance birds don’t migrate, so in order to prevent a future bird problem, the best thing you can do is to ensure your home is not an inviting place to them.

We hope you now have a good idea of how to keep nuisance birds from destroying your property using the best bird deterrent products and home remedies! Best of luck and happy gardening!