Are Birds Taking Over Your Home? Here's How Much It'll Cost to Remove Them

Average Cost to Remove Birds and Nests

Bird and Nest Removal Cost Factors

The total cost for animal removal, including bird and nest removal, depends on several factors. Below are some of the major influences.

Bird Species

The type of bird can play a major part in the cost of removal. Pigeons, for example, flock to roost. You’ll usually need to have the existing birds removed, clean up the mess made by a large flock and install preventative equipment to prevent them from returning.

The combination of these factors means the job will cost more. If it’s a large flock of pigeons roosting on a large house, you can easily pay upwards of $1,000 for professional removal and prevention measures.

Swallows and robins, for example, commonly build small nests in eaves, but they don’t flock like pigeons do, and the removal of a single nest may only cost $100 to $350.

Location

The location of your home and where the birds have set up a nest can influence the price for removal. If you live in a rural, hard-to-reach area, you may have to pay more to hire a pro, and large cities, such as New York, could also incur a premium.

Then there’s the nesting spot in your home. Accessing nests in hard-to-reach high places, in attics and within vents make removal more of a challenge and can increase the cost.

If a bird has set up home within a vent, a pro will need to establish the location, remove the nest, clean the vent and cover it to prevent future nesting. Nests can occupy multiple vents sometimes and expect to pay at least $200 for each vent.

Home Size and Complexity

The cost of setting up preventative measures varies depending on the size of the home and the amount of equipment required. Running a row of spikes along the guttering of a small, simple one-bedroom bungalow, for example, will cost considerably less than it would on a large, four-bedroom, three-story home with intricate architectural features.

Cleanup

Many bird control professionals offer a cleanup service as part of the job. As well as removing the birds and nest, they’ll also remove any feathers and droppings left behind and sanitize the area to remove any harmful bacteria. For larger-scale jobs, this could add on as much as $100 to $300 to the job.

Preventative Measures

It’s usually the preventive measures that hike up the cost of bird removal services. However, these can be vital to prevent future problems when you’re dealing with large flocks of birds like pigeons.

Preventative measures include the sealing up of entry points (in places like attic spaces and vents) and the use of netting or spikes to prevent birds being able to roost on gutters, walls or other house ledges. The cost includes the materials themselves and the installation fees. Purchasing and installing nets or spikes can cost as much as $1,000 or more for large buildings.

Cost to Remove Birds and Nests Yourself

Calling out a professional ensures you aren’t breaking any laws, and they will carry out the job safely and effectively. If you’re on a limited budget but want to apply some preventative measures, you could take advice from a professional and then source and install the materials yourself. However, be aware of the risks of improper installation and purchasing the wrong materials.

Spikes

To deter larger nuisance birds like pigeons, crows or seagulls, you can install bird spikes along the edges of the house where they congregate. Plastic varieties are more affordable but not as long-lasting as stainless steel varieties.

Prices start from around $20 for 10 feet of spiking. Expect to pay upward of $35 per 10 feet of stainless steel spiking. The height of the spikes also affects the cost, with taller spikes being more expensive.

Nets

You can use netting just during nesting season or as a permanent fixture, and it’s relatively easy to install. However, you need to get the right netting size for the type of birds you’re trying to prevent from accessing your property. For a 25-by-25 foot piece of netting, you could pay around $100, but this varies depending on the quality and size of the mesh grids.

However, netting is not considered a humane option like spikes are. Birds, especially smaller birds, can get tangled in the netting and damage their extremities. It can also do the same to other wildlife like squirrels and more. Spikes are considered a humane and environmentally friendly bird deterrent you can use in place of nets.

DIY vs. Hire a Bird and Nest Removal Pro

Trapping and relocating birds and installing deterrents is complicated, and sometimes there are legal restrictions to consider. It also often involves working on ladders and in hard-to-access parts of the home. This is why hiring a licensed and knowledgeable pro is best.

If you don’t install preventative equipment properly or don’t remove all nesting or roosting birds, you may come up against more costly repairs in the future. Using a pro also means that a minimal amount of stress occurs for the birds. When you don’t know what you’re doing, you can cause unnecessary suffering or injuries to the birds.

FAQs

What areas in my home am I likely to find nesting birds?

External areas such as gutters, eaves, porches and chimneys are popular nesting areas. Some birds also nest in less obvious spots, like attics or even in ventilation systems if they gain access. Reputable pros will conduct an inspection before starting any work to check for evidence of where birds may have set up roosting or nesting sites.

What problems can occur if I leave the birds to roost or nest on or in my home?

Apart from unsightly droppings, aggressive swooping behavior and bothersome noise, more serious issues can occur as a result of roosting or nesting birds. Their pecking can cause damage to siding, leading to moisture ingress, droppings can stain exterior finishing and some species spread diseases and parasites.

I don’t want any harm to come to the birds. Is humane removal possible?

Most bird control experts employ humane methods to remove birds and their nests effectively. Pros will capture birds and move them and their nests to a more suitable and safe environment.

In terms of preventative measures, spikes are a common humane option to deter birds, as well as laser beams. Birds view the approaching laser beam as a threat and will fly away.

Always ask a pro before hiring them what methods they’ll use and avoid any that recommend using things like poisons or glue traps. As well as being inhumane, these can violate animal protection laws.

Are there any legal considerations when removing birds and nests?

Another thing to be mindful of when removing birds from your home is local or statewide regulations and restrictions. Many areas prohibit the removal of certain native species during nesting season.

Plus, the removal of some protected species, and their nests and eggs, requires special authorization from the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.