Sparrow Identification:
House sparrows are an increasingly common problem bird
in urban areas. These small, quick, intelligent pest birds
are predominately brown and grey in color, with black striping
around the eyes and neck in the male of the species. Sparrow
legs and toes favor branch and wire perching and their short
conical bills are ideal for cracking seeds and grain. Sparrows
are very adaptable and have learned to nest in our structures
and eat our scrap food. Sparrows often gather in huge flocks
to fed and roost, aggressively forcing other birds out of
their territories. Sparrows prefer nesting in small enclosed
places such as house shutters, drainage piping, building
rafters and corrugated metal siding. These pest birds average
about 20 offspring a year, allowing their numbers to increase
rapidly to infestation levels.
Damage Caused by Sparrows:
Sparrows are noisy problem birds, especially when they
congregate in large flocks. Besides the annoying noise factor,
sparrow problems are often found in manufacturing and food
processing plants. These areas are particularly appealingto
sparrows for their variety of nesting and feeding sites.
Sparrow nests cause flooding from backups in gutters and
drainage pipes, as well as clog machinery and even start
fires from nesting materials in machinery housings. Sparrow
droppings contain uric acid which is highly corrosive and
can cause extensive damage to metals and other substrates
it sits on for long periods. In addition, the bacteria,
fungal agents and ectoparasites found in sparrow droppings
and nesting materials are responsible for a host of serious
diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella,
meningitis, toxoplasmosis and more. Many companies also
retain significant clean up and maintenance costs due to
sparrow control problems they don't resolve.
Sparrow Control:
The best sparrow control product is 3/4”
StealthNet bird netting. Bird
net is extremely durable and creates a true
bird barrier against sparrow problems. Bird netting permanently
resolves sparrows problems, keeping these pest birds completely
away from the area.
In addition to bird net, another effective sparrow control
product is an electrical
wire/track product. This is particularly useful
for sparrow control on building ledges. Sparrows do not
react to bird scare products, but two-chambered sparrow
traps are a viable option for controlling small quantities
of sparrow problems. A nest removal program should be implemented
along with trapping for long-term effectiveness to get rid
of sparrows. A new technique for sparrow bird control that
has found some success is fogging with methyl anthranilate,
a grape extract that reacts with the birds olfactory sense
like pepper spray. This is a technique that should be undertaken
by experienced professionals only. |
StealthNet
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