Do pigeon spikes work?

If you look up while walking through any town or city, you’ll see upward pointing wires or ‘spikes’ on the roof of buildings, walls, ledges, on windows sills, gutters and even on top of CCTV cameras and commercial signs.

What are pigeon spikes?

These are bird or pigeon spikes and act as a physical barrier to prevent pigeons landing on the spikes, without harming them. Bird spikes are usually made from stainless steel and/or polycarbonate and come in a variety of lengths and styles.

The pest pigeons don’t actually come into contact with the spikes, and this is why pigeon spikes work so well. They are recommended by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) as one of the best forms of pigeon control.

How do pigeon spikes work?

The bird or pigeon spikes deter pigeons from nesting and roosting by making the building surfaces hard or unpleasant to land on, thereby bird proofing the building. Pigeon spikes can be fitted to almost any surface and by using different heights of bird spiking gives you optimum control of pigeons.

By stopping the feral pigeons from landing on buildings, prevents them from doing what pigeons do and fouling the building or pavements underneath. The damage caused by pigeons can be substantial and expensive, with pigeons nesting materials even blocking guttering and down piping causing water overflow and water damage to walls. 

Can pigeon spikes deter other birds?

Pigeon and bird spikes come in a variety of different designs for different bird problems.

Different heights of bird spiking mean optimum control of either pigeons or seagulls. Although if you have a bird control problem with the smaller birds, pigeon spikes are not as effective. The reason being, small birds have feet designed to hold on to twigs (which are spike like), while larger birds, such as seagulls and pigeons don’t have feet adapted for landing on spikey branches. Therefore, bird spikes work better as a gull or pigeon deterrent. 

Installation of bird and pigeon spikes is relatively quick and starts working immediately. We have nationwide teams of bird proofing experts, and all installations are guaranteed from the moment we commence installation and is completed by qualified and experienced bird control technicians.

Bird spikes, once installed, can work as an effective pigeon deterrent for many years, with the typical life span of a strip of bird spikes being between 5 and 10 years. Full stainless steel bird spikes can last much longer, even up to 20 years. 

Traditional pest bird such as bird netting, bird wire and bird spiking can all be used in conjunction as bird proofing solutions. Simply call 0333 567 2020 for further information on bird control methods, advice on pigeon spikes or contact us online, to arrange a no obligation survey today.

Author: NBC Environment/Orkin