What Is Falconry Bird Control?

By Ellie Foster5 min readApr 2022
What Is Falconry Bird Control?

What is Falconry?

Do you have a problem with pest birds on your site?

Maybe it's pigeons roosting on your roof or gulls nesting and aggressively protecting their young.

One thing's for sure; you have to deal with the problem sooner rather than later, because pest birds can damage property and are a risk to human health.

So how can you deal with pest birds like gulls and pigeons before they do serious damage to your business?

Here's why falconry could be the perfect pest bird control solution.

What is falconry?

Falconry is a natural and effective way of getting rid of pest birds from your site and preventing them from coming back. Falcons are natural predators, so they'll scare away pest birds like pigeons and gulls, and make your site undesirable and unsafe to nest in. This is what makes it a great long-term bird control solution.

Why might you need falconry bird control

Falconry bird control is the ideal solution if:

  • You have a large site, like a landfill site, and you need to clear a nuisance bird infestation.
  • Other bird control methods are unsuitable (like if you a building is listed) or access is difficult.
  • You want to prevent pest birds from nesting on your site.
  • You want to get rid of nuisance birds so bird proofing can be installed.

What are the benefits of using falconry?

The main benefit is that it's a natural solution. There's no equipment needed, it simply uses the birds' own natural instincts to control nuisance bird populations. Because it forces the birds to change their behaviour, it's an effective long-term solution.

What other options are available?

Falconry can be used alongside other pest bird control methods such as:

  • Proofing: This could involve something like placing large nets over the areas where birds like to roost to prevent them from landing there.
  • Visual and sound deterrents: These can be kites, lasers, and bio acoustic systems. They are designed to scare off pest birds so they won't want to land or nest on your site.
  • Other methods: If the correct licences can be obtained, destroying seagull eggs can deter them from returning to your site to breed- note: never try to do this yourself, as it's illegal.

Licenses can also allow us to shoot or trap nuisance birds like pigeons if they are causing a health and safety issue*

*Lethal methods can only be used after all non-lethal options have been exhausted.

How we can help

At Contego, we offer all the services mentioned above.

Our highly-trained and experienced bird control teams will survey your site and recommend the best pest bird control method for your needs. Often, a range of methods used together is most effective, but for natural and longer term management of nuisance bird populations, falconry is a great option.

Our in-house bird of prey teams of over 60 hawks and falcons will scare away pest birds and deter them from your site for good.

Want to find out more about falconry bird control?

Get in touch.