Controlling Birds in Buildings

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Jan 4, 2007

In early December, the Norwich Evening News reported that a supermarket in Great Yarmouth, UK intended to kill two House Sparrows that had gotten into the store and made themselves at home in the roof. Despite stating that the food in the store was safe, the store justified its decision to use lethal methods with the claim that the two sparrows represented a threat to human health. Humane methods to trap the birds apparently failed.

House Sparrows are listed as a threatened species in the UK and a license was required before a lethal method could be used. Despite opposition, however, the store went ahead. On Dec 21, East Coast Live reported that the sparrows had been shot.

Situations like this one generate a great deal of controversy: many people feel that killing birds to remove them from buildings should be an absolute last resort. The controversy becomes even more heated when the bird species is threatened.

Interestingly, the response to this particular dilemma would probably be quite different in North America. The House Sparrow was introduced to North America in the 1800s and is now found throughout the continent (except in the far north) and in Central America and the Caribbean. Though populations are declining in North America, the bird is still abundant. It’s considered a pest by many: its depredations include nests blocking gutters and drainage pipes and damaging machinery, droppings posing a health risk to humans, and competition for nesting sites threatening native birds.

What should we do when birds make themselves comfortable inside buildings? Start a discussion!