As of: March 7, 2024, 4:00 p.m
By: Sophie Kluß
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A pigeon's nest on the balcony can be an unexpected surprise.
But how do you deal with it?
Find out what you should do now here.
A pigeon's nest on the balcony can lead to mixed feelings - on the one hand it is fascinating to watch the birds, on the other hand they can cause disorder and noise.
Here are some tips on how to best deal with this situation.
Because the pigeon's nest doesn't necessarily have to be a nuisance.
With the right measures, you can achieve peaceful coexistence with the birds while maintaining the cleanliness and tranquility of your balcony.
Read here about an injured pigeon who sought help from a woman and stayed until her death.
1. Keep calm and observe
Did you know that pigeon chicks are fed milk by both parents?
The so-called crop milk provides important nutrients and is mixed with the food of their parents.
According to PETA, crop milk is richer in protein, fat and minerals than cow's milk.
© IMAGO
If you spot a pigeon nest, it is important to remain calm and observe the birds.
Important to know: All pigeon species are protected wild birds, so according to the EU Birds Directive and the German Animal Welfare Act, it is illegal to disturb or remove their nests as long as they are inhabited - even if there are only eggs in the nest.
2. Provide alternative nesting sites for city pigeons
You should only take the following precautions if you are sure that the pigeons on your balcony are definitely city pigeons (also known as street pigeons).
The easiest way to recognize city pigeons is by the metallic sheen on their necks, as
NABU
describes.
To encourage the pigeons to build their nest in a different location, you can either remove the individual branches immediately during the nest building phase or offer them alternative nesting locations in your area.
This includes nesting boxes or other elevated areas that may be attractive to the pigeons.
If the nest has already been built and there are already eggs in it, but they have not been incubated for more than four days, you can replace the eggs with plastic eggs.
After about 17 days the pigeon is ready and you can remove the dummies.
If the pigeon has been incubating its eggs for a long time and when you carefully look through it with a flashlight you can see a dark filling and a lighter air bubble in the egg, an embryo has already developed.
You are no longer allowed to exchange the eggs, but must wait until the chicks have hatched and fledged before removing the nest.
If the finished nest with eggs cannot remain on the balcony for various reasons,
PETA
recommends removing the eggs up to four days after the first incubation and placing them in the freezer for a day.
You can then place them in a meadow so that wild birds can pick them up.
Now you can remove the nest.
However, you should know that "premature removal of the nest will cause stress to the pigeon and it will attempt to lay and hatch new eggs in the same location," according to
PETA
.
Coming soon: Exchanging eggs from city pigeons - here's how to do it
If you spot a city pigeon nest near you, you can offer the birds an alternative nesting box.
If you accept the box, you can replace the pigeons' eggs with dummy eggs.
Before you take this measure, you should make sure that the birds on your balcony are not wild pigeons.
According to PETA
, such reproductive regulation is
possible “since these feral animals are no longer truly wild animals.
Due to their domestication, they reproduce much more often per year than wild birds.
Because of human breeding, city pigeons breed up to six times a year, whereas wild pigeons only breed twice.”
City pigeons are birds that are loyal to their location and will breed again in the same place after breeding is terminated prematurely.
By regularly replacing real pigeon eggs with plastic eggs, you prevent the reproduction of city pigeons in an animal-friendly way and allow the animals to live out their breeding instinct.
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However, if the pigeons on your balcony are wild pigeons, you must not disturb them during their breeding season.
This also includes exchanging eggs.
For example, if cats pose a danger to birds, you should contact the Wild Bird Help Center.
3. Purification and deterrence
Keep the balcony clean to prevent the pigeons from getting too used to it.
Food sources such as bird seed or garbage cans attract the animals.
So get rid of them so that pigeons don't get a taste for them in the first place.
Also use deterrents such as reflective tape, wind turbines or screens to deter the birds from perching on your site.
If the nest has already been built, laying out newspaper will help keep the balcony clean.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
4. Plants keep pigeons away
To keep wild or city pigeons away from the balcony, you can plant perennials such as fuchsias, petunias or lavender and herbaceous plants such as arnica, autumn crocus or watercress on your balcony.
However, be aware of which plants might be toxic to your pets.
5. Get professional help
If the problem is severe or you are unsure how to deal with it, you can contact professional pest controllers or wildlife experts.
They can help you solve the pigeon problem in an animal-friendly way.
If you are concerned about your health, you should know that the nests of urban pigeons pose no greater risk than those of other wild birds.
Find out here what you can do if a blackbird has built a nest on your balcony.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.