A pigeon is hanging out on my window sill, leaving its droppings and feathers everywhere. I can’t leave my window open because of the mess and my super is no help. What can I do?
Nothing is quite as synonymous with life in New York City as its pigeons. These urban birds have been the subject of documentaries, poems, and even one 16-foot-tall monument in Chelsea. But for owners and renters, pigeons can become a nuisance when they take up residence on city windows, AC units, and balconies.
In addition to depositing feathers and grime, pigeons can carry bird-borne illnesses and bird mites, said Gil Bloom, president of Standard Pest Management. It’s best to stop them from relaxing or nesting at your apartment immediately, he added.
“If you’re starting to have a bird issue, try and address it as soon as possible because it will only get worse—and more complex—if you allow them to start nesting, laying eggs, and breeding,” Bloom said. “Birds are great, you just don’t want them on your window sill or terraces.”
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If your super won’t address the issue, you can banish these feathered fiends yourself. Your first step should be to clean the area thoroughly, but make sure you wear gloves and a dust mask to protect yourself, Bloom said. Remove any debris, feathers, or droppings from your window sill. Then, take a 10 percent bleach solution to disinfect the area to kill any bird-borne pathogens, Bloom added.
Once your window sill is clean and dry, you should install bird spikes. Bloom recommends Bird-B-Gone spikes with a width of five inches. Bird-B-Gone offers plastic bird spikes that will cover a 10-foot area for $21.60 in a handful of different colors.
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And if you’re concerned about harming your new-found companions, you should know that these spikes don’t hurt pigeons. Spikes just make it impossible for a bird to land on your window sill.
“Spikes come in different forms; they’re not sharp things that are going to harm the bird, but it repels them,” Bloom said. “They can no longer land on it.”
Five-inch spikes will be wide enough so that a bird cannot fit behind the plastic skewers, Bloom said. Make sure you spike your entire sill, and your window AC unit if you have one, he added.
In Bloom’s experience, bird spikes are always effective when installed correctly on a window sill. But if you have a larger space, such as a terrace, he recommends enclosing it in a fine netting that prevents birds from landing within the terrace itself.