**Acknowledgements**

We would like to thank TTU for their financial help in conducting our research. We would like to thank all volunteers for their time and efforts in researching pigeon ecology on Texas Tech campus. We would also like to express our gratitude toward Eric Wolf and Alex McDonald from Innolytics, LCC for their valuable insight on using nicarbazin bait to decrease reproductive output of pigeons on TTU.

*Wildlife Population Monitoring*

bird [57].

effectiveness [56].

**3.6 Birds of prey**

**4. Conclusion**

(Bird-shock, Flex-Track) can also be placed almost anywhere and has limited visibility. The device shocks the bird enough to scare it away, without harming the

Noise-making devices such as those that emit a high-frequency sound have proven to be ineffective in removing pigeons [56]. Scaring pigeons with lights, fake snakes, owls, and other devices also seem ineffective on pigeon abundance [56]. Chemical repellents have also been used to decrease pigeon presence [56]. While effective at first, pigeons can get used to the repellent and decrease repellent

Falconry is becoming a popular and "new" method in pigeon management. Using falcons may be a useful technique if there is no way to pigeon proof an area or a building [58]. Birds of prey can scare away pigeons and greatly influence their behavior [58]. In Calgary, falcons have been released at the South Health Campus [59]. Effectiveness of commercial use falconry or having falcons permanently live on buildings is not known. Increase in predator abundance within a location would be more beneficial than in areas where pigeons have very few predator encounters. Such an approach may be more beneficial than using fake owls. Pigeons can become

Pigeons can influence humans through disease transmission, infrastructure damage, or financial loss. How to rid an area of pigeons is not always straightforward. Some methods are not effective in decreasing populations (**Figure 4**). Due to their rapid reproductive output, high fledgling success and homing ability, culling or trapping pigeons does not work when trying to decrease abundance. Culling and removal deems to be a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Scaring pigeons

One of the most important aspects and the first step to any population management plan is to study the population that is a nuisance. Studying abundance, population hot spots, colonial nest locations, and primary food resources can create the building blocks of an effective plan to modify habitat and decrease carrying capacity of the location. Nest and roosting locations can be removed by modifying ledges or crevices. Decreasing the attractiveness of buildings in Perugia, Italy resulted in a 23% decrease in pigeon abundance within a year [60]. If an organization can determine the primary food source for the population, decreasing it or educating the public can prove to be very effective. Venice, Italy used to have more than 10,000 pigeons living in St. Mark's Square [18]. When they decreased the number of tourists feeding the population, the number dropped to 1,000 individuals [18]. However, if the population is flying to nonurban areas, such as agricultural fields, this method of decreasing carrying capacity by decreasing feeding sources may not work. Population models performed by Guinchi et al. found that influencing the habitat is the most effective and long-lasting method in decreasing abundance [18].

with fake birds of prey or with sound or lights also proves to be ineffective.

Simply killing off pigeons was least likely to control the population [18].

Guinchi et al. also discovered that controlling fertility with habitat modification may create the most profitable outcome [18]. However, when designing this plan, a city or organization needs to take into account effective budgeting. A population decrease will not happen immediately and it may take years to reach an optimal abundance. A multifaceted approach, using sterilization and habitat modification

accustomed to fake owls and no longer fear them [56].

**46**
