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attack, and they respond well to whistle and verbal commands. A single border collie and its handler can keep an area of approximately 50 square kilometres (19 square miles; 5,000 hectares; 12,000 acres) free of larger birds and wildlife. However, although they are effective at deterring ground foraging birds such as waders and wildfowl, they are not so useful for species that spend most of their time flying or perching, such as
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reduce bird strike risks, minimize agricultural losses due to pest bird foraging, displace nuisance birds that cause extensive repair and chronic clean-up costs, and reduce bird mortality from flying into man-made structures. The sounds, referred to as a "Sonic Net," do not have to be loud and are a combination of wave forms—collectively called "
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Historically, humans have been employed to scare birds from crops, using a variety of deterrents including throwing stones, flashing with mirrors, or operating noise devices. This is only cost-effective where the cost of labour is sufficiently low relative to agricultural profit margins. In
Victorian
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have proved effective in dispersing birds at airports, landfill sites, agricultural crops and aquaculture facilities. At airports in the United
Kingdom, shellcrackers fired from a modified pistol are the most common means of dispersing birds, as they allow the bird controller to have some directional
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Ultrasonic devices are static sound-emitting bird deterrents, which, in theory, will annoy birds to keep them away from enclosed or semi-enclosed areas. Ultrasonic scarers are not harmful to birds, however, there is debate around birds' ability to hear these frequencies at loud enough decibels. Birds
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In 2013, Dr. John
Swaddle and Dr. Mark Hinders at the College of William and Mary created a new method of deterring birds using benign sounds projected by conventional and directional (parametric) speakers. The initial objectives of the technology were to displace problematic birds from airfields to
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Cartridges are projected from a shotgun with a range of 45–90 metres (148–295 ft), or pistols with a range of approximately 25 metres (82 ft), before exploding. Bird scaring cartridges can produce noise levels of up to 160 dB at varying ranges but in some countries both the cartridges
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Cartridge scarers include a wide variety of noise-producing cartridges usually fired from rockets or rope bangers, or on aerodromes from modified pistols or shotguns, which produce a loud bang and emit flashes of light. They include shellcrackers, screamer shells and whistling projectiles, exploding
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Audible bird scarers use noise stimuli that makes birds uncomfortable. However, once birds realize these pose no real threats, they can easily become habituated to sounds that seemed initially frightening. If just being placed in situ and left, audible bird scarers can easily become ineffective bird
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which is in the shape of a human figure. The scarecrow idea has been built upon numerous times, and not all visual scare devices are shaped like humans. The "Flashman
Birdscarer," Iridescent tape, "TerrorEyes" balloons, and other visual deterrents are all built on the idea of visually scaring birds.
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has been used at aerodromes, golf courses and agricultural land. The dogs represent an actual threat, and so elicit flight reactions. Habituation is unlikely as they can continually pursue and change their behaviour. Border collies are used as they are working dogs bred to herd animals and to avoid
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Birds can become habituated to the sound of regular cannon detonations, especially if it does not vary in its magnitude, pitch, or time interval. However, regularly moving the cannon, utilizing on-demand firing options, including radio control, and combining cannons with other methods of deterrents
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that individual bird species don't like, but at night the light beam is visible over a large distance and can cause widespread (non-species specific) disturbance. Lasers use can be limited due to safety concerns of the beam and some nations have laws which prohibit lasers above a certain power from
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bird scarer is a lighter-than-air combination of a helium balloon and a kite. Helikites fly up to 200vft in the air with or without wind. Although they do not look like hawks, they fly and hover high in the sky behaving like birds of prey. Helikites successfully exploit bird pests' instinctive fear
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properly refers to any method of scaring wild animals, including the
Western scarecrow). Instead of using a visual method to distract pests, as the scarecrow does, it uses the sound of a heavy pipe repeatedly and rhythmically hitting a rock, using water as a timing device. The sĹŤzu is also used in
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have been used to scare or 'haze' bird pests since the early 1980s, mainly over airfields, but have also been used over agricultural areas, fisheries and landfill sites. This method has been shown to be very effective and birds habituate more slowly to a treatment in which they are being actively
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Technically, the Sonic Net technology is not a bird scarer, but discourages birds from flying into or spending time in the target area. The impact on the birds is similar to talking in a crowded room, and since they cannot understand each other they go somewhere else. Early tests at an aviary and
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These combine multiple deterrents, such as using a pop up scarecrow combined with a gas gun, which in turn activates the distress call of a bird. These combination scarers are often managed by computers and synchronised across an area via the use of radio links. This synchronisation becomes more
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became the first commercial airport in the world to employ a border collie in an airfield wildlife control programme. After the use of the collie, numbers and species of birds on the airport declined and most birds that remained congregated in a drainage ditch away from the runway. The number of
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Balloons are an inexpensive deterrent. However, this method relies on the movement of balloons, which is something that birds can become used to. The addition of eye illustrations on the balloons has been shown to increase this method's effectiveness as it combats the birds' ability to adapt.
518:, causing a flight reaction in birds. The similarity between a scare cannon and a 12 gauge shotgun is thought to cause a startle/fear reaction, although it is also effective against birds that have not been exposed to hunting pressure. Propane cannons can also be used for scaring away deer.
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Japanese popular culture to denote inordinate amounts of wealth, combined with a traditional sensibility: by design, the shishi odoshi uses copious amounts of water, meaning either a very high water bill, or that it is situated on high-value land with a stream or river running through it.
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initial field trials at a landfill and airfield indicate that the technology is effective and that birds do not habituate to the sound. The provisional and full patents were filed in 2013 and 2014 respectively, with further research and commercialization of the technology being ongoing.
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of birds, and, in some cases, calls of predators of the target species. Some emitters randomize pitch, magnitude, time interval, sound sequence and other factors in an attempt to prevent birds from getting used to them. Many of the sounds produced are regarded as annoying to people.
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can also be used as bird scarers, and some jurisdictions issue special licences for agricultural fireworks. This practice has been criticised as a loophole for the sale of consumer fireworks. Again, the loud bangs can also irritate people living on nearby properties.
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Propane scare cannons are very loud and can be disruptive to people living nearby. One study found that restricting cannon use to only hours when birds are active and incorporating better bird damage plans drastically reduced the number of complaints from neighbours.
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The use of model or actual dead birds is used to signal danger to others. Initially, birds often approach the corpse but usually leave when they see the unnatural position of the bird. This approach has been frequently used in attempts to deter gulls from airports.
679:, Delaware, bird strike damage to aircraft caused by birds has been reduced from an average of US$ 600,000 per year for the proceeding two years to US$ 24,000 per year after the initiation of a bird control programme that included the use of border collies.
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as predators, so their presence in the area encourages problem species to disperse. The natural reaction of most prey species is to form a flock and attempt to fly above the falcon. If this fails, they will attempt to fly for cover and leave the area.
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Commercially available "scare-eye" balloons have holographic eyes that follow birds wherever they go. The long-term effectiveness of this method can be increased by periodically moving the placement of the scare devices.
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Research conducted at
Wageningen University shows the potential of laser technology to prevent the spreading of Avian Influenza. When the laser was used at a poultry farm, a 99.7% wild bird reduction rate was recorded.
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Bird scarers are also often present on airfields to prevent birds from accumulating in proximity to runways and causing a potential hazard to the bird and/or aircraft as well as potentially increasing the frequency an
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to dissuade birds from consuming and defecating on recently planted arable crops. Numerous bird scarers are also readily available to the public direct to consumer, or by means of purchase from independent retailers.
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Many species of bird are also naturally afraid of predators such as birds of prey. "Hawk kites" are designed to fly from poles in the wind and hover above the field to be protected. They are shaped to match the
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are believed to have similar hearing to humans, with studies showing birds do not hear on an ultrasonic level, meaning that ultrasonic scarers often have little or no effect in deterring birds.
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This method doesn't work so well with all species, considering that some species frequently perch on scarecrows. By analogy, people make monkey scarers to protect their cropland in
Ethiopia.
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can be an effective method of bird scaring, although there is some evidence to suggest some birds are "laser-resistant". As the effectiveness of the laser decreases with increasing
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Sonic bird repellers are not effective; the birds quickly acclimate to them. Usually consisting of a central unit and several speakers, the system emits digitally recorded
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is a blanket term used to describe devices designed for deterring birds by startling, confusing or otherwise repeling them, typically employed in commercial settings by
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Propane Cannon in action in a corn field. Note that the cannon rotates with each blast, thereby directing the sound to different portions of the surrounding area.
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control solutions, however when managed on an ongoing basis or used as part of a greater bird deterrent system, sound methods can deliver quality results.
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Manually operated laser torches and automated laser bird deterrent robots that move the laser automatically towards the birds are available on the market.
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dropped to zero compared to 13 for the same period the previous year. Several other airports and airbases have now started similar programmes.
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Using predators as a natural bird deterrent has become a recommended form of controlling bird infestations. Specially selected species are
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1114:"Review of international research literature regarding the effectiveness of auditory bird scaring techniques and potential alternatives"
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Dieckman, E.; Skinner, E.; Mahjoub, G.; Swaddle, J.; Hinders, M. (June 2013). "Benign exclusion of birds using parametric arrays".
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between the ambient light and the laser beam. During low light conditions this technique is very selective and can be tuned to
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However, as with all similar noises, there is a high risk of birds becoming used to any pyrotechnics or cartridge explosions.
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levels, it is likely to be most effective at dawn and dusk. Although some lasers prove to be effective during daylight hours.
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feed sacks often have an image of an owl with large eyes so that when empty they can be strung up to scare predators.
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to deal with working in un-natural environments with distractions and dangers they would not usually encounter.
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Propane scare cannons are one of the most common types of bird scarer available in Europe and
America. It is a
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being used. Lasers are being looked at as an additional scaring system to add to wildlife management programs.
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The success of this method of bird control is based on the fact that many birds have a natural fear of
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868:"Laser deters wild waterfowl from free-range area of poultry farm in fight against avian influenza"
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projectiles, bird bangers and flares. Bird banger cartridges commonly use a low explosive known as
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effective if there is some kind of detection system involved such as bird detecting radar.
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841:(Report). Warsaw: International Bird Strike Committee. IBSC26/WP-AE7. Archived from
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The control of birds and other wildlife such as deer through harassment by trained
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984:. British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. February 2002.
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1067:"Fireworks, Agricultural Permit - Oregon Licenses, Permits and Registrations"
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1986 U.S. Air Force video about methods to scare birds away from airfields
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In the United
Kingdom the use of balloons is subject to approval from the
1017:. International Congress on Acoustics, June 2–7, 2013, Montréal, Canada.
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A new laser equipment designed for avian dispersal in airport environment
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have historically been as decoys and deterrent to birds and other pests.
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control over birds in flight, so they can be steered away from runways.
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979:"The Use Of Audible Bird Scare Devices In British Columbia In 2001"
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1041:"Natural Falconry Bird Scarers and Falconry Bird Deterrent"
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of hawks and can reliably protect large areas of farmland.
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The method relies on birds being startled by the strong
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England, children were employed to do this job. In the
931:"Frightening Devices | Forestry and Natural Resources"
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Briot, Jean Luc; Philippe, Bataille (5–8 May 2003).
152:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1112:J. Bishop; H. McKay; D. Parrott; J. Allan (2003).
956:Harris, Ross E.; Davis, Rolph A. (February 2002).
810:"How to protect birds and bats from wind turbines"
1021:(5 Suppl). Acoustical Society of America: 3536.
1015:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
456:One very old design is the Japanese sĹŤzu, known
286:One of the oldest designs of bird scarer is the
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565:and the gun require a firearms certificate.
510:-powered gas gun which produces a periodic
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
967:. LGL Report TA2193 – via nimby.ca.
885:"Audible Bird Scarer and Noise Deterrent"
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412:An example of a visual bird-scare balloon
230:Learn how and when to remove this message
212:Learn how and when to remove this message
110:Learn how and when to remove this message
1151:Code of Practice for using bird scarers.
635:, use USVs and multiple devices to keep
73:This article includes a list of general
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665:Southwest Florida International Airport
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1069:. Licenseinfo.oregon.gov. 2011-10-08
150:adding citations to reliable sources
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34:This article has multiple issues.
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866:Elbers, Armin (March 8, 2021).
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269:requires maintenance, and near
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16:Device designed to scare birds
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627:, rural labourers, primarily
1090:. TheLedger.com. 2007-04-30
963:. Aerodrome Safety Branch,
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1088:"Fireworks In Agriculture"
579:Benign acoustic deterrence
1000:November 6, 2011, at the
717:Radio controlled aircraft
522:can prevent habituation.
319:used as a bird scarer at
422:Civil Aviation Authority
728:Whiteman Air Force Base
94:more precise citations.
936:University of Kentucky
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995:What Can Birds Hear?
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1047:. EcoEnvironmental
891:. EcoEnvironmental
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161:"Bird scarer"
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1132:. Retrieved
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889:Bird Scarers
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850:. Retrieved
843:the original
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818:. Retrieved
816:. 2021-06-03
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775:Bird netting
765:Bird control
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623:in Northern
621:Huleh Valley
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483:propane gas
433:Garden owls
428:Garden owls
377:wavelengths
373:frequencies
356:The use of
92:introducing
1159:Categories
1149:NFU online
1134:2007-01-30
1094:2012-07-14
1073:2012-07-14
1051:12 October
942:2024-09-17
895:12 October
852:2017-02-06
820:2022-12-20
796:References
726:hazed. At
481:A typical
391:Dead birds
333:silhouette
302:, Ethiopia
172:newspapers
75:references
39:improve it
743:Fireworks
738:Fireworks
683:Predators
663:In 1999,
512:explosion
339:Helikites
307:Hawk kite
288:scarecrow
282:Scarecrow
248:scarecrow
202:June 2009
100:June 2009
45:talk page
1045:Falconry
998:Archived
814:BBC News
759:See also
658:swallows
516:decibels
404:Balloons
398:Pheasant
369:contrast
345:Helikite
267:airstrip
734:roost.
706:falcons
699:trained
654:raptors
508:propane
321:Lysaker
258:farmers
186:scholar
88:improve
625:Israel
614:Humans
448:SĹŤzu (
358:lasers
352:Lasers
325:Norway
188:
181:
174:
167:
159:
77:, but
1128:(PDF)
1121:DEFRA
1117:(PDF)
1106:Notes
982:(PDF)
961:(PDF)
846:(PDF)
839:(PDF)
710:hawks
633:Druze
629:Arabs
596:Other
460:as a
362:light
193:JSTOR
179:books
1170:Fear
1053:2013
897:2013
708:and
656:and
643:Dogs
631:and
375:and
343:The
165:news
1023:doi
1019:133
675:At
317:owl
148:by
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