Monday, June 4, 2012

Birds pecking holes in screens

I have a neighbor who had asked me if I knew why birds might peck holes into one of their (bedroom) window screens.  I haven’t been able to find an answer yet.  There are holes only at the bottom of it, and in no other screens at their house.  It is very near a small tree (or very lrg. bush) they have.  So the window doesn’t seem to get a lot of sun in it throughout the day, if that makes any difference. Thanks for any input.

Finch collecting nesting material
I've never heard of birds pecking away at screens. He could be looking at his reflection behind the screen or using the screen as nesting material. However, you need to repair the hole in the screen as soon as possible and then find a way to deter the bird from returning.

Strategies to Control Bird Damage
Unfortunately, there is no easy guaranteed solution. So with that being said, try the following strategies:

1. Check for insects. Birds feed on insects in wood.
2. Cover or repair all damage as soon as possible.
3. Scare the bird away using one or more of the following:
  • Mylar tape: Wild Birds Unlimited has some Mylar tape (1-inch-wide strips) flutter ribbon you can hang in the area. If you don't have Mylar, hang tinfoil, aluminum pie plates, or old CDs or DVDs.
  • Mylar balloons: The dollar stores usually have shiny Mylar balloons you can hang in the area. The helium filled, shiny balloons will scare the birds away with their motion.
  • Garden hose: One animal damage controller recommends placing a garden hose with a sprinkler set at an angle to reach where the bird is pecking.
  • Attack spider: This is a relatively new (2003) technique. A large spider drops down at the first knock to scare birds through sight and motion. These can be found at Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing and party stores now. It also scares little trick or treaters. Bonus!
  • Rubber snake: I’ve had some customers report back that a little rubber snake scares the birds away.

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2 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 25, 2017 at 2:26 PM


    Little bird has trashed 2 screens on my house. Heard the noise and watched from inside. Three days later caught him while outside. Cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch at a time, for nest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LoriMarch 28, 2021 at 11:20 PM

    They are building a nest with the screen fibers-Caught them in the act tearing up my screens as well.

    ReplyDelete