Best Humane Ways to Deter Birds (and the Ones That Don't Work)

1. Take away food, water and nesting spots

The cheapest step and the one every other method depends on. Spilled feed, open trash, pet food, standing water and cluttered ledges and rafters are what draw birds to a building in the first place. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management puts removing food, water, roosting and nesting sites first in its pigeon control priorities. Clean up the old nests and droppings too, outside the nesting season.

2. Exclusion netting

Netting across an open area, such as the underside of a porch roof, a carport, a loading bay or the rafters of an open barn, is the most effective long-term fix for birds that roost or nest in a space. USDA Wildlife Services rates exclusion netting as highly effective, and the ICWDM notes that 1-inch UV-stabilized polypropylene netting can last up to 10 years. The catch is installation: netting has to be tensioned and closed at every edge, or a bird gets behind it and is trapped. Our bird netting and exclusion page explains what a proper install involves.

3. Mesh and screens over openings

Vents, soffit gaps, flue terminals and holes in siding are how starlings and house sparrows get inside a building. Covering them with quarter-inch mesh or purpose-made vent covers, after confirming nothing is nesting inside, closes the building to them for good.

4. Changing the ledge angle

Pigeons need a flat place to stand. An angled cover over a ledge, sill or beam, at 45 degrees or steeper according to the ICWDM, leaves them nothing to land on. It is permanent, invisible from the ground if done well, and needs no maintenance.

5. Spikes and coils

Blunt plastic or stainless spikes, sometimes called porcupine wire, and spiral coils make a ledge, sign or beam impossible to perch on without harming the bird. They suit narrow, linear surfaces where netting would be awkward. They need occasional cleaning, since debris and leaves caught in the spikes can give birds a foothold again.

6. Tensioned wire

Thin wire or monofilament strung a little above a ledge or parapet leaves birds nowhere stable to land. It is discreet on historic or visible facades. USDA Wildlife Services notes overhead wire is less effective on small birds, so it is best for pigeons and larger species.

7. Electric shock track

A low-profile track that gives a mild, harmless shock when a bird lands, teaching it to avoid the surface. The ICWDM gives it about an eight-year life on residential structures. It suits high-visibility ledges and signs, but it costs more than spikes and needs power and upkeep.

8. For swallows: barriers before they return

Swallows come back to the same eaves each spring. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recommends removing old mud nests before the birds return, then installing smooth barriers such as plastic sheeting or panels where they nest. Once they arrive, you can wash away mud while they are still building, but only until the first egg is laid. Our barn swallow guide covers the timing.

Which bird deterrents don't work?

Most of the scare products sold online. The ICWDM reports that noise makers have little lasting effect on roosting pigeons, that ultrasonic devices do not work on pigeons, and that revolving lights, flags, balloons, rubber snakes and plastic owls have little or no effect. Birds get used to anything that does not physically stop them, often within days. The Fish & Wildlife Service also notes that repellents are not effective on swallows. Spend the money on exclusion instead.

Which birds are protected in Montana?

Most of them. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects native birds, including swallows, woodpeckers, crows, magpies and blackbirds, along with their active nests and eggs. It does not apply to three introduced species common on buildings: rock pigeons, house sparrows and European starlings. Montana state law exempts those three as well, and while state law also exempts crows, blackbirds and magpies, those species are still federally protected, so treat them as protected.

For protected birds, the Fish & Wildlife Service's 2025 guidance is that an inactive nest, including one still being built before an egg is laid, can be removed without a permit, but a nest with eggs or young cannot be touched until the young have fledged. That is why timing is everything: exclude before nesting season, not during it. Our guide to Montana bird nest removal law goes further.

Should you install bird deterrents yourself?

Removing food sources, cleaning up and screening a single low vent are reasonable DIY jobs. Netting a porch ceiling, working at height on a roofline or covering a commercial frontage is where a poor install creates a worse problem than the one you started with. For that, see our bird mitigation service, or compare the few local specialists in our list of the best bird control services in western Montana.

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