What You Should Know About The Midwest’s Most Common Nuisance Birds

Which Midwestern bird species top the list for nuisance issues?

1. 1. Canada Goose. The Canada Goose is an amazing conservation success story. In fact, they have been so successful at adapting to urban areas that they are the top nuisance bird nationwide and the bread and butter of the bird control industry. With their copious waste deposits and aggressive behavior, the Canada Goose comes in at number 1 for the most common nuisance bird!
   2. European Starling. A small invader to our lands, the European starling causes a wide variety of damage both to humans and the local ecosystem. Flocks, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands, decimate crops, eat and foul livestock feed, damage buildings by stuffing nesting material into crevices, and kill native birds to take over nesting space. A menace in every industry and environment, the European starling brazenly takes the bronze.

1. 1. Pigeon. Also known as the rock dove, the pigeon is another non-native resident to this continent. With thousands of years of living closely with humans, these birds do not shy away from people, dwellings, or cars. Able to nest year-round and sneak into small openings, pigeons quickly infest every available barn, warehouse, overpass, loading dock, and city street, leaving a mess of droppings, feathers, and egg debris everywhere they go. And they go everywhere. It’s no surprise to find this adaptable bird occupying our fourth spot.

1. 1. House Sparrow. Like our third and fourth-place nuisance birds, the house sparrow is also an invasive species from Europe. Similar to European starlings, house sparrows love to nest in building crevices, stuffing anything remotely like nesting material in every nook and cranny they can find and aggressively removing native species like bluebirds from their birdhouses. Their nesting material can create a fire hazard and their droppings make a mess. No structure is safe from encroachment by house sparrow, whether residential, commercial, or industrial. It’s easy to see how this species wedged into the final spot on our list.

Dishonorable Mentions

Even though this bird may not make our top 5 list, we still get plenty of calls to help manage issues it causes in urban areas:

1. 1. • Black Vultures. Black Vultures are highly social and will roost and migrate in large groups. Often seen following turkey vultures to carcasses, they will wait until the larger species has finished eating before diving in. They are generally not shy when it comes to humans or their structures and can often be seen warming up, cooling off, and generally loitering on tall buildings or utility poles. They enjoy the smell of oil based rubbers and will eat weatherproofing strips right off of cars or windows.

Regardless of the species of bird causing your issues, Wild Goose Chase Indy has the experience and expertise to help! Our team can handle any nuisance bird.

Give us a call to learn about the wide array of solutions we can provide to ensure the health and safety of your property and minimize the risk of bird conflicts. Our tools and solutions are safe, humane, cost-effective and driven by biologist-led strategies and expertise.

Contact us for help managing your nuisance bird issues