Do plastic owls scare Pigeons?

Should I buy a plastic owl to scare away my pigeons?

These are both great questions. The short answer is no!! Now let’s get into the why plastic owls fail to do the pigeon control you so desperately need.

Here is a list of reasons why pigeons will not be deterred by a fake owl

• Pigeons are homing birds
• Pigeons are faced with predators already every day and they haven’t left
• Pigeons really aren’t that smart, they just have good instincts
• Pigeons quickly realize your fake owl is… well… fake.

Pigeons are homing birds

A pigeon, born a baby into it’s nest faces the rest of it’s life with the flock. The safest place for a pigeon is with family. Pigeons do not migrate. They are born into a flock, and live with the rest of the fam until the end of their days in the same nest area. As such, pigeons have an extremely strong sense to stay home. Do you think a fake owl has the power to make them leave this nest? After all they planned on staying here forever.

Pigeons are faced with predators already every day and they haven’t left

Pigeons face many predators on a regular basis. Predators such as:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Pigs (Yes I’ve seen a domestic pig eat a pigeon)
• Wild animals
  • Bobcats
  • Mountain lions
  • etc.
• Prey birds
  • Falcons
  • Hawks
  • Eagles
  • Owls
  • Etc.
• People
  • bbguns
  • pellet guns
  • traps
  • poison

I once watched a pigeon snatched right off the roof by a Harris hawk. The hawk swooped in and grabbed the pigeon from the middle of the flock. I heard the squawk of the pigeon and looked up to see all the other pigeons fly away. The hawk flew to the next house and began devouring his prize. Soon, the pigeons circled back and landed exactly where they had sat when their buddy George was snatched by the hawk ending his days.

Pigeons really aren’t that smart, they just have good instincts

Pigeons have very small brains, but they seem so smart. I mean they can fly back home from a thousand miles away. How do they do that? It’s not understood completely even today, but many theories abound about using the magnetic field of the earth to navigate, and sensing the exact smell of their family nest to return home.

The truth is they have good instincts that keep them safe and alive. They fly away when a predator comes around just based on instinct, but then another instinct kicks in and they fly right back home to the safety of their nest. These instincts are powerful and will bring those pigeons home over and over again. The pigeons will soon realize something….

Pigeons quickly realize your fake owl is… well… fake.

The fact is your fake owl is….. FAKE. Pigeons soon realize this and return to standard operating procedure. You know what that means, more pigeon poop, more feathers, more smell, more flies, and more pigeon problems.

It’s time to get rid of your pigeons the right way.

Let’s ditch the whole fake owl idea. Read up on our website. If you’re in the Phoenix Metro area call us or fill out our estimate request form, and let’s get your pigeon problem under control.

Call Pigeonpros if you have a pigeon problem you need handled. 480-888-8838