Bird spikes
Spikes are rows of blunt stainless steel rods set in a polycarbonate or steel base strip. They do not injure the bird; they take away the flat surface it needs to land and settle. Strips are screwed or glued along the surface, and wider strips cover wider ledges.
They suit parapet tops, roof edges, the tops of walls and fences, window ledges, sign tops and the top of a rooftop air conditioning unit. They are the standard answer for a bird that lands in the same spot every day.
Bird netting
Netting closes off a whole space rather than a single edge. A knotted polyethylene net is tensioned on a cable frame under the open rafters of a patio cover, the underside of a carport, a balcony, a loading dock or an open eave. Done well, the net is nearly invisible from a few feet away, and a pigeon cannot get into the sheltered space behind it.
Netting is the usual answer for patio covers and pergolas, where pigeons roost on the beams and drop on the furniture and the deck below.
Ledge and track products
Some ledges need something lower profile than spikes. Angled ledge guards turn a flat ledge into a slope the bird cannot stand on. Low-voltage shock track gives a brief, harmless pulse when a bird lands and teaches the flock to avoid the ledge. These suit the ledges a homeowner can see from the street, where spikes would stand out.
Where each one fits
| Roost | Usual answer |
|---|---|
| Parapet top, roof edge, wall top | Spikes |
| Rooftop AC unit | Spikes on the top, cleanup of the unit |
| Under solar panels | Solar panel screening |
| Patio cover, pergola, carport | Netting |
| Balcony | Netting, or spikes on the rail |
| Signs, awnings, storefront ledges | Spikes, ledge guard or shock track |
| Established flock that keeps returning | Exclusion plus a trapping program |
Most homes need a combination. The provider walks the property, points out every place the birds are landing, and puts the full list and the price in front of you before any work starts.
Questions about spikes and netting
Do spikes hurt the birds?
No. The rods are blunt. They stop a bird from landing and settling; they do not injure it.
Will the netting be visible from the yard?
Black knotted netting tensioned tight under a patio cover is hard to see from a few feet away. Loose or sagging net is visible and does not work, so the tensioning matters.
Does the HOA allow spikes and netting?
Rules differ by association. Spikes on a parapet and netting under a patio cover are normally not visible from the street. Check your CC&Rs if the work would be on the front of the house.
Sources
- Bird B Gone, Bird Spikes. https://www.birdbgone.com/products/bird-spikes/
- Bird B Gone, How to Keep Birds Off Ledges. https://www.birdbgone.com/bird-problem/keep-birds-off-ledges/
- Bird Barrier, StealthNet Bird Netting. https://birdbarrier.com/stealthnet-bird-netting/
- Bird Barrier, Bird-Shock Flex-Track. https://birdbarrier.com/bird-shock-flex-track/
- Southern Nevada Health District, Pigeon Prevention and Clean-Up Guidelines. https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/pigeon-prevention-clean-up-guidelines/