Should I ever poison a bird?

Birds are a great source of trouble they bring serious kinds of issues and inflict some serious damages. People adopt different kinds of strategies for getting rid of birds like trapping, poisoning, relocation etc. Every method has a different approach and unique concept some are effective whereas others don’t provide any kind of results rather they inflict birds to extreme stress and pain. It is obvious that birds become a source of trouble for people and introduces some very prominent drawbacks, but main point to mention here is that they are living creatures and subjecting them to pain and discomfort is never an ideal approach. Besides there are also strict laws related with wild life protection, which don’t allow the use of inhumane ways for getting rid of bird problem.

Poisoning is one of the methods, which pest control companies normally use for killing birds and clearing the infestation. Concept present behind poisoning is simple and that is to kill the bird, but it should be highlighted here that not only poisoning exposes birds to great toil, but also it is ineffective in many ways. Common practice is that pest control companies are called for seeking advice and they in most cases suggest using poisons such as the Avitrol for the purpose of controlling populations of birds.

Generally common man is told avicides are good for dispersing birds and will scare the birds away and these are completely humane, but this is not at all the truth because using poisons can never be termed as humane. These are actually extremely toxic substances which make the birds to suffer in a great way. They produce their effect by damaging the nervous system of birds so birds, which ingest poisons become disoriented, exhibiting tremors as well erratic flights. In addition to this, poor creatures also suffer from violet kinds of convulsions and finally they meet death after going through great pain and discomfort.

This is not the only drawback associated with bird poisoning another issue is that many of the non-target species, which you initially don’t intend to kill are also made to suffer. Predators that include cats, dogs, raptors etc suffer from secondary poisoning after eating the dead bodies of birds that die because of poisons in the first place. This problem gets a worse shape very often and most of the times pet animals along with endangered species also face the negative side effects. Wild life pathologists have suggested again and again that many of the protected species like red tailed hawks are dying because of consuming remains of birds such as pigeons that have been poisoned in the first place. This is the reason that in many states now there are strict rules present which don’t allow bird poisoning and discourage the practice.

Poisoning is a cruel practice we can’t deny it, but at the same time it’s a practice, which can’t be termed as effective for solving different kinds of problems that are associated with pest birds. You simply can’t kill all the birds also dealing with dead bodies of birds is something, which is again a complicated and demanding activity, which deserves proper care and consideration so you are going to put yourself in more trouble. Also new birds will not stop visiting your place as long as it is attractive for them. Therefore, it is best that you should take steps for making your place unattractive so that birds don’t visit it in the first place.

How to make your place unattractive for birds? This may be the question present in your mind and the simplest answer to this question is that you will have to eliminate all those elements from your property, which are making the property attractive for birds. Remove all the possible sources of food and seal all entry points. In addition to this, you can take benefit from different kinds of aids that are considered as effective for scaring away birds. Some popular methods include betting, frightening devices and porcupine wires. They are known for providing decent results as birds are not allowed to enter and roosting is prohibited. Trapping and relocation is another technique which can be used here. It is again ineffective and works as a temporary solution.

We suggest that best thing to do for getting rid of pest birds is to drive them away from your property. In case you are finding it extremely difficult to manage things, then taking help from professionals is the best thing to do. They understand nature and behavior of birds in detail so they can provide better solutions considering the ongoing conditions. In case you notice that a bird is exhibiting a strange behavior like convulsions or shows signs related with poisoning, then report this immediately and take bird to veterinarian without any delay. Discourage other people living in your neighborhood from poisoning birds as this practice is dangerous also ineffective. Be careful while dealing with bird droppings as well as dead bodies because they act as sources of some really threatening diseases. Never take risks this will be a foolish thing to do.

Poisoning birds is a very bad idea. There are many reasons for this, but a few that you should consider for your own household include:

- Poisoned birds can go on to cause secondary poisoning for cats and dogs who capture and eat them, as well as other wild animals. 

- Poisoned birds could go on to die in waterways, farms, and other areas where the carcass decomposes and poisons the water/soil/ground.

- Poison is inhumane and causes a long, slow and very painful death. 

- There isn’t a registered poison to use for birds in the United States. 

- Many bird species are protected in the U.S. at a federal and/or state level. You could be committing a crime that is punishable by jail time and huge fines if you poison a bird. 

It is actually a lot harder to poison an animal than you might think, especially a bird. Because there isn’t a registered poison for birds, you will need to use other poisons, such as rat poison, or a DIY concoction. The latter isn’t recommended because you might accidentally poison yourself in the process. There is no recommended amount of rat poison to use for a bird, so you will need to make things up as you go along. Again, this can be dangerous for you, your family, neighbourhood pets and people, and other wildlife.