3 Migratory Birds that can be Pests on Your Property
Canada Geese, swallows, and woodpeckers can wreak havoc on commercial and residential property, but because they are protected under federal law, lethal eradication methods are legally restricted. Here is what property owners must know about the biology of these three migratory pest birds and how to deploy humane, compliant bird deterrents.
What Is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918 is a strictly enforced federal statute that protects Canada Geese, swallows, woodpeckers, and hundreds of other avian species.
Migratory birds are defined as species that traverse international borders, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Japan, during annual migration cycles. This includes both short-distance regional migrants and long-distance neotropical species.
The MBTA prohibits pursuing, hunting, capturing, killing, or possessing protected birds, eggs, or active nests. A misdemeanor conviction for violating these regulations carries federal penalties and fines of up to $15,000 per violation.
Canada Geese
As many as thirty species of geese exhibit migratory behavior each year, with Canada Geese wintering heavily across North America. Their iconic V-formation flights are highly visible during seasonal transitions.
A growing percentage of urban Canada Geese populations have become non-migratory resident pests due to artificial winter food sources and a lack of natural apex predators. When a resident gaggle establishes a territory on turf, structural property damage and health hazards scale rapidly.
An individual goose consumes 2 to 3 pounds of turfgrass daily and deposits approximately 1 to 2 pounds of fecal matter. This waste is highly corrosive to walkways, docks, and landscaped areas, while accumulation poses documented health risks due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and secondary insect vectors.
Swallows
Cliff and Barn Swallows construct heavy mud structures on vertical surfaces, typically anchoring them in the 90-degree angle where an exterior wall meets a soffit or structural overhang. These nests begin as small pellets of wet mud that rapidly cure into rigid, high-adhesion structures.
Under the MBTA, it is illegal to remove or disturb a swallow nest once it contains eggs or young. Property owners must ensure professional-grade exclusionary barriers are fully installed prior to seasonal arrival rather than attempting reactive mitigation.
Pressure washing or hosing down nests during early construction is rarely effective, as swallows possess high site fidelity and will repeatedly rebuild in the exact same location. Once the brood matures and vacates, the mud nests must be removed immediately to prevent secondary pest birds and parasites from infesting the abandoned structures.
Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers can drum at frequencies up to 20 pecks per second, averaging between 8,000 and 12,000 pecks per day. This behavior serves to excavate nesting cavities, forage for insects, and establish territory, resulting in severe structural perforation of wood siding, EIFS stucco, and fascia boards.
Because woodpeckers fall under federal MBTA jurisdiction, physical exclusion, visual scare tactics, and auditory deterrents represent the only legally compliant methods for mitigating structural damage.
Humane Bird Deterrents for Migratory Pest Birds
Effective management of federally protected avian species requires proactive, non-lethal engineering controls. Remediation hardware must be deployed before migratory arrival patterns begin to prevent birds from establishing territory or completing nest building.
Bird B Gone engineers a comprehensive suite of commercial-grade, humane bird control solutions, including heavy-duty exclusion netting, visual scare products, and specialized physical barriers, designed to resolve pest pressures while maintaining full compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.