Bird abatement
Encyclopedia
The risks that birds create in certain circumstances have brought the need for bird abatement. Amongst those risks are loss of investments in farming and aviculture
, aircraft crashes, and bacteriological
and viral contamination
. With more recent outbreaks of Newcastle disease
and the Avian Flu
, it is reasonable to expect that bird abatement will become a larger industry.
s, starling
s, bluejays and many other species also pose a threat to crops.
Raptor
s and other predators are an age-old concern for those who raise gamebirds and pigeons as livestock
.
, or causing a jet
to crash when a bird is sucked into the aircraft's turbines, airborne birds are a hazard at an airport.
hazard by dropping feces
in nearby waters.
that farmers used to erect in their fields to keep the birds from eating planted seeds and crops. Fashioned of a stick frame covered in human clothing stuffed with straw, and often garnished with tin cans on strings and pie tins, the image of a scarecrow in a farmer's field has become classic.
Unfortunately, it proves ineffective, as the birds quickly become comfortable with the statue. In more recent times, netting has been placed over berry crops, poisons have been put out in the fields, and falconers' services employed, all of which are far more successful. The proverbial scarecrow, which often ended up serving as a perch for the birds they were expected to frighten away, are now largely a romantic relic of agriculture.
has been set out to kill off the offending birds. This environmentally unsound practice still occurs, but is on the decline because other creatures also consume the poisons. Secondary kills of desirable predators, as well as roaming dogs, cats, have demonstrated the dangers. Poisons are not discriminating. There is also concern that a child may inadvertently eat the poison bait. In recent times, more evolved and ecologically friendly methods have been used.
to fly trained raptors over the fields, landfills and airports. When the raptor appears and chases the offending birds, the prey quickly scatters. Without regular flights several times a day, they will return, but so long as the raptor's presence is maintained, the problem is largely solved. Falconers' services are employed all across the country, with considerable success. Thus falconry, which has long been an antiquidated pastime since its medieval origins, has resurfaced as a profession.
Aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
, aircraft crashes, and bacteriological
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and viral contamination
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
. With more recent outbreaks of Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease is a contagious bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species. First found in Newcastle, United Kingdom in 1926, then by Burnet in 1943 in Australia in connection with laboratory infection where the virus was isolated from a ocular discharge of a patient to show the...
and the Avian Flu
Avian flu
Avian influenza, sometimes avian flu, and commonly bird flu, refers to "influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds." Of the greatest concern is highly pathogenic avian influenza ....
, it is reasonable to expect that bird abatement will become a larger industry.
Damage to farming
When a flock of birds descends upon a farmer's field, they can eat up the seed and produce, damaging a farmer's crop. Canadian Geese, once a fully protected species of migratory bird, have become so comfortable at some farms as to abandon their migrations and take up residency. CrowCrow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s, bluejays and many other species also pose a threat to crops.
Raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
s and other predators are an age-old concern for those who raise gamebirds and pigeons as livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
.
Aircraft crashes
Birds tend to see the open grasslands of an airport as an oasis. They quickly become desensitized to the planes, and set up residency, however birds flying near an airport have been responsible for many aircraft accidents resulting in loss of life and property. Whether by merely distracting the pilot, breaking a windscreen, striking the propellerBird strike
A bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
, or causing a jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
to crash when a bird is sucked into the aircraft's turbines, airborne birds are a hazard at an airport.
Health hazards
Concentrations of seagulls frequenting landfills in search of discarded food in coastal areas have been shown to cause significant healthHealth
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
hazard by dropping feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
in nearby waters.
Scarecrow
One of the earliest methods of bird abatement is the scarecrowScarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
that farmers used to erect in their fields to keep the birds from eating planted seeds and crops. Fashioned of a stick frame covered in human clothing stuffed with straw, and often garnished with tin cans on strings and pie tins, the image of a scarecrow in a farmer's field has become classic.
Unfortunately, it proves ineffective, as the birds quickly become comfortable with the statue. In more recent times, netting has been placed over berry crops, poisons have been put out in the fields, and falconers' services employed, all of which are far more successful. The proverbial scarecrow, which often ended up serving as a perch for the birds they were expected to frighten away, are now largely a romantic relic of agriculture.
Poison
In some places, poisonPoison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
has been set out to kill off the offending birds. This environmentally unsound practice still occurs, but is on the decline because other creatures also consume the poisons. Secondary kills of desirable predators, as well as roaming dogs, cats, have demonstrated the dangers. Poisons are not discriminating. There is also concern that a child may inadvertently eat the poison bait. In recent times, more evolved and ecologically friendly methods have been used.
Falconry
One of the more common and popular modern methods of bird abatement is employing falconersFalconry
Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
to fly trained raptors over the fields, landfills and airports. When the raptor appears and chases the offending birds, the prey quickly scatters. Without regular flights several times a day, they will return, but so long as the raptor's presence is maintained, the problem is largely solved. Falconers' services are employed all across the country, with considerable success. Thus falconry, which has long been an antiquidated pastime since its medieval origins, has resurfaced as a profession.