Birds are fascinating, sociable, and even beautiful creatures. However, they can also be huge pests. You don't want birds to leave messes on your property, damage your buildings or landscape, or become a constant annoyance.
Fortunately, there are a number of bird deterrents that you can use to drive away any unwelcome avian visitors. This guide will discuss the different bird deterrent options that are available and how you can use them to protect your property. Also, we'll look at the industry-leading products that Bird Barrier offers to our customers.
Bird Exclusion
The concept of bird exclusion applies to situations in which you want to keep birds completely away from your building, yard, or another specific location. Bird exclusion products generally protect against nesting in the undersides of roofs and ceilings, and on ledges with a back wall that provides protection from the elements.
Bird exclusion deterrents are suitable for:
- Roof and building protection
- Lake protection
- Parking lot protection
Bird Barrier Products for Bird Exclusion
StealthNet
StealthNet is a strong and durable bird netting system that attaches to a pre-installed cable system. It is great for bird control in any enclosed or semi-enclosed area, opening, or configuration. It denies birds access to commercial buildings, loading docks, bridges, and other structures.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Involved
BirdSlide
BirdSlide is specially designed for "ledge and edge" protection. It creates a slippery surface that prevents birds from landing — they simply can't get a grip, so they slide right off! BirdSlide is useful for excluding birds from eaves, angle irons, I-beams, and other horizontal surfaces that butt up to a vertical wall.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Optical Gel
Optical Gel is Bird Barrier's "flagship" multi-sensory bird deterrent. It leverages sight, smell, and touch to promote bird exclusion.
Optical Gel comes in circle-shaped dishes. These dishes scare birds away because their appearance suggests danger, similar to fire or smoke. Birds also can't stand the citronella and peppermint oil smell contained within the dishes (even though it's pleasant to humans). In addition, unwelcome birds will steer clear of the gel's stickiness in the unlikely event that they actually touch it.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Bird Deterrents for Ledges
Ledge deterrents use their physical attributes to discourage birds from landing or perching in areas and leaving a mess behind.
Ledge deterrents are suitable for:
- Ledges
- Roof peaks
- Window sills
- Beams
- Pipes
- Parapet caps
Ledge Deterrent Products
The ledge deterrents available from Bird Barrier are listed below in order of strength.
BirdSlide
BirdSlide is specially designed for "ledge and edge" protection. It creates a slippery surface that prevents birds from landing — they simply can't get a grip, so they slide right off! BirdSlide is useful for excluding birds from eaves, angle irons, I-beams, and other horizontal surfaces that butt up to a vertical wall.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Bird-Shock Flex-Track
Bird Barrier's low-profile electrified track comes in 50-foot rolls. It is an effective solution for any surface where total exclusion is the desired outcome and low visibility is key. These electronic bird repellent tools can conform to any architectural configuration by curving up and down or side to side. Electric tracks scare birds away by giving them a memorable, but completely harmless, electric shock when they land.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Somewhat Involved
Optical Gel
Optical Gel is Bird Barrier's "flagship" multi-sensory bird deterrent. It leverages sight, smell, and touch to promote bird exclusion.
Optical Gel comes in magnetic, circle-shaped dishes. These dishes scare birds away because their appearance suggests danger, similar to fire or smoke. Birds also can't stand the citronella and peppermint oil smell contained within the dishes (even though it's pleasant to humans). In addition, unwelcome birds will steer clear of the gel's stickiness in the unlikely event that they actually touch it.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Dura-Spike And Bird-Flite
Dura-Spike bird spikes are constructed from 100% stainless steel while Bird-Flite has stainless steel spikes with a polycarbonate base. Both bird spikes can gently curve as well as bend dramatically to conform to the structure's layout.
The difference in the type of material that comes in contact with the building surface is one differentiating factor between the two options. Other differentiating factors include workability and portability. Bird-Flite is easier to shorten into smaller lengths while Dura-Spike is stackable, making it easier convey up ladders and to job sites.
These bird spikes are effective for birds that are pigeon-sized and larger. Don’t use these products where birds are nesting.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
TowerGuard
Bird Barrier's TowerGuard is an excellent repellent for large birds like vultures, hawks, and owls. Once installed, it forms a physical barrier that also acts as a visual repellent. Birds looking for a safe and easy perch will avoid structures protected by TowerGuard since the treated area is too small and unstable for a safe landing.
TowerGuard is simple to remove, so maintenance workers can easily perform necessary tasks on antennas and railing and then re-attach the product afterward. Moreover, TowerGuard is made from the same plastic material that telecommunications companies use for their outdoor boxes, meaning it's able to withstand UV degradation for a long time — even years.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Birdwire
This spring-tensioned wire system is designed to form an unstable landing area for pest birds. It is great for applications that call for a low-visibility solution. It also carries GSA approval for use with historic buildings.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Involved
Bird-Coil
Bird Barrier's Bird-Coil product is an effective anti-perching solution for treated areas. It's an especially good match for long, narrow, exposed ledges, and it is highly adaptable to most architectural features. What's more, it virtually "disappears" when viewed from a distance of 20 feet or more, making it an excellent fit for applications that require an aesthetically pleasing approach.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Bird Deterrents for Flat Surfaces
Flat surfaces have their own unique challenges and require a different kind of bird deterrent solution.
Flat surface deterrents are suitable for:
- Large commercial flat roofs
- AC equipment
- Other types of equipment with flat horizontal surfaces
Bird Deterrent Products for Flat Surfaces
Daddi Long Legs
The unique design of Daddi Long Legs bird deterrents allows them to repel gulls, pigeons, and other large birds from landing in open or hard-to-protect areas. At the same time, plastic tips on the waving rods prevent injury to either birds or humans. Moreover, Daddi Long Legs works well for high-visibility applications like promenades or parking lots.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Gridwire
Gridwire or Fluorescent GridTwine (which is more visible to birds) is a wiring system that makes for an excellent bird repellent. It can be suspended in a range of horizontal and vertical patterns to deter large aquatic birds from coming near the area. Gridwire is ideal for large commercial flat roofs
- Installation Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Eagle Eye
Eagle Eye reflects sunlight from its rotating reflective pyramid to harmlessly scare birds away. The light spectrum disorients birds in flight causing them to deviate in flight and fly to another destination. Eagle Eye’s rotating platform can be powered by an onboard electric motor, or by solar, wind power.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Visual Deterrents
Purely visual bird deterrents are not always effective on their own and should be considered short term solutions. But they work as a great supplement to other bird repelling techniques. In certain situations, such as when pest birds are new to the area and are easily frightened, visual deterrents may be all that is needed to keep your property bird-free. When used correctly, bird scaring devices make pest birds like pigeons, crows, starlings, sparrows, ospreys, and vultures so uncomfortable that they fly off.
Visual deterrents are suitable for:
- All types of applications
- Pest birds that are easily frightened or not established in the area
Bird Barrier Products for Visual Repellents
Bird Barrier offers a wide variety of 100% visual bird repellents. These products may work well on their own. You can also use them in conjunction with other bird-deterring techniques. From scare eye balloons to holographic repel strips, Bird Barrier's catalog runs the gamut of visual deterrents.
Bird Barrier's product line of visual repellents includes:
- Intimidator (for woodpeckers)
- Scare and Screech Owls
- Scare Eye Balloons
- Fly Away Lasers
- Goose Guard Kits
- Holographic Repel Strips
- Holographic Guardian Owls
- Octopus Figures
- Flash Tape
Whether you want to implement a standalone scare tactic or an extensive strategy, Bird Barrier's visual repellents may be just what you need.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Varies
Audio Deterrents
Audio deterrents drive away birds by matching disruptive noise to their pattern of behavior. There are basically two types of audio bird deterrents: alarm/distress calls and frightening noises. Alarm calls signal to pest birds that danger is near at hand and that they need to leave the area immediately. The second audio deterrent, loud and unexpected noises, can scare birds away or irritate them to the point that they move on.
For such devices to be effective, they must be timed according to the birds' behavior. Otherwise, the birds will realize that the noise is not paired to their behavior and is therefore not a threat to them.
Audio deterrents are suitable for:
- All types of applications
Bird Barrier Products for Audio Deterrents
Bird Barrier's audio deterrent products include:
- BirdXPeller Pro
- Extreme Ultrasonic System
- Zon Scare Gun
You can match these audio deterrents to the specific species of pest bird. Alternatively, you can program them to operate at specific times to achieve the maximum effect through precise timing.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Varies
Taste Deterrents
Non-toxic taste repellents can be a highly effective bird repellent solution, especially when combined with audio and visual products. For example, if birds are damaging your crops or ruining your landscape, you can spread EPA-registered chemicals that will deter pest birds from coming near without harming them or upsetting human residents or other animals.
Taste deterrents are suitable for:
- All types of applications
Bird Barrier Products for Taste Deterrents
Bird Barrier's product line for taste deterrents includes:
- Avian Control Bird Repellent
- Avian Fog Force TR
- Fog Force TR Dispenser
All of the ingredients in Bird Barrier's Avian Control Bird Repellent are food-grade, so they will not cause any harm to pest birds, humans, other animals, or the treated area. This, along with other taste deterrents, is effective against foraging birds like geese, grackles, pigeons, and starlings.
- Installation Difficulty Level: N/A
Capture
Sometimes it is necessary to first capture intrusive birds before permanently removing them from your property. Bird capture products can trap pest birds in a humane manner while presenting zero danger to protected bird species.
Capture products are suitable for:
- All types of applications
- Both protected and non-protected birds
Bird Barrier Products for Bird Capture
Mist Net Kits
Bird Barrier's Mist Nets are fine-mesh nets that are incredibly easy to install and remove. Mist Net Kits come with all of the required equipment to set up the capture net. They also enable you to do so with minimal time and effort. The pieces of hardware include an angled magnet, rubber-coated hooks, a locking coupler, telescoping poles, and a flexible fiberglass chase pole.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Bird Traps (Sparrow Traps)
These bird traps enable you to reduce the bird population prior to the installation of bird deterrent products. At the same time, captured birds are not harmed and can be housed and fed — or simply released later. Of course, it does take time and effort to trap birds such as sparrows or pigeons successfully. To start, proper site selection is a must, and it may take several journeys to the trapping site before you capture one of your target birds.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Specialty Deterrents
Besides the many bird deterrents discussed above, you can also select products specifically designed with certain applications in mind. These encompass several areas, including the following:
- Trees
- Gutters
- Solar panels
- Dryer vents
You can also slow or stop the growth of flocks by using bait that controls the reproduction of treated birds.
Specialty Bird Deterrent Products
Tree-Shock
The Tree-Shock wiring system protects trees in a unique, visually attractive way. When a bird's foot touches the positive and negatively-charged wiring, it receives a "training shock" that encourages them to stay away.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Somewhat Involved
Gutter-Point
Bird Barrier's Gutter-Point product is specifically designed as an attachment for the inside lip of rain gutters. Its thin, stainless steel spikes that protrude upwards from a plastic base keep pigeons and other large birds away from gutters.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Solar Panel Protection
At times, birds have been known to get trapped under solar arrays, resulting in a big mess. Bird Barrier's innovative system of mesh netting and plastic clips are specifically designed to keep birds from getting under solar arrays while protecting the roof, wiring, and equipment from damage.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy to Involved
OvoControl
This birth control bait is effective and humane and is especially effective for managing pigeon flocks in larger areas. It doesn’t hurt the birds, it just stops their eggs from hatching. OvoControl is a good option for large sites like refineries, power plants, paper mills, airports, malls, food processing plants, parks, and campuses.
- Installation Difficulty Level: Easy
Bird Barrier for All of Your Bird Deterrent Needs
If you have trouble keeping birds away from your business, home, yard, crops, or other property, then consider using one (or more) of Bird Barrier's customized, specialized, and highly effective bird deterrents. We have a proven track record of helping customers resolve their avian issues by means of exceptional solutions. Browse our product pages today for more details on each of our bird deterrents, or reach out to our friendly team of experts for assistance.
