Damage Caused by Birds

Pest birds cause tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to American buildings, machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and much more. Bird droppings and nesting materials which are allowed to accumulate pose a host of physical problems which can become very serious if they are not corrected immediately.


 
 

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Damage to Roofs by Droppings

Bird droppings are very acidic in nature. They actually eat away at many substrates, especially tar-based roofing materials. Droppings which are allowed to accumulate on roofs will eat into the material and eventually cause leaks. The life expectancy of a warehouse roof can be cut in half by just a light, but continuous, application of bird droppings. The accumulation of pigeon droppings caused a gas station canopy to collapse in Arizona in 2008.

Bird Damage to Roofs by Nests

Pigeon, starling and sparrow nests are often built in rain gutters, drains and corners of roofs where drains are located. Several warehouses every year experience great damage, even collapsed roofs, when drainage systems are blocked and standing water is allowed to rise just six inches. A collapsed roof that resulted in death or great physical damage could put a company out of business.

Bird Damage to Machinery

Acidic bird droppings can do great damage to air conditioning equipment, industrial machinery, siding, insulation, etc. Not only is the equipment being damaged, but workers are exposed to a dangerous health-risk any time they work on or around the machinery.

Fires Started by Bird Nests

Nesting materials are usually very flammable due to their construction of straw, twigs and dried droppings. When birds build their nests inside electric signs or other machinery there is a great risk of fire. Electric sign companies blame bird nests for most of their sign fires.

Ventilation Systems Blocked by Bird Nests

Bird nests built in chimneys and ventilation systems can not only spread diseases through the system, but can actually block air-flow which can have horrible consequences. A family of five in Cleveland was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning just before Christmas 1995 because the exhaust system of their fireplace was blocked by bird nests.

Automobile Finishes Damaged by Bird Droppings

Most bird droppings, but especially pigeon and gull, will fade paint finishes by actually eating into the protective coating and the paint itself. The longer the droppings are allowed to sit on the paint, the more damage it will do.

Damage to Food and Other Products by Bird Droppings

Birds flying around the insides of warehouses, airplane hangars, factories and convention centers can wreak havoc. Bird droppings can ruin plastics when they are being molded, they can destroy any number of different chemicals and liquids which are being manufactured, they will ruin new and old paint jobs on aircraft, and they can contaminate food which is being made or packaged. These types of ruined products often cost millions of dollars in waste.

Droppings and nesting materials on or around a building send a message to the public that this building is not properly maintained. One is forced to wonder how clean a restaurant’s kitchen could be if they don’t even care about bird droppings dripping down the sign.

Collapsed Ceilings

Pigeons have been know to enter attics of houses, apartments, restaurants and other buildings through openings that have been either broken or never sealed off in the first place. In most cases the pigeons set up homes in these protected areas, build nests and discard their bodily waste. Often the weight of the droppings becomes so great that the actual ceiling collapses. One would guess that this type of occurrence would be extremely random but it happens with alarming frequency.

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