# Do big plastic owls work? (woodpecker repellent) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974 "2005-08-14T15:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/1 "2005-08-14T15:53:16Z")
We have woodpeckers who have decided that our house is full of tasty tidbits, and wake us up early every morning. What works? What doesn’t? So far, pounding on the wall scares them off for a little while, but doesn’t keep the cat from running around meowing at the sound. We live in a townhouse (rent) so nothing permanent. Help? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/2 "2005-08-14T16:04:09Z")
Plastic owls work, for a little while. “Scare-eyes,” big plastic balloons painted to look like eyes, work for a little while. Strips of mylar work for a little while. A BB gun works forever, but is illegal in most places. Ultrasonic devices do not work. Building birdhouses for them does not work. Filling in their holes does not work. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/3 "2005-08-14T16:53:50Z")
There are target/hunting slingshots. Fairly cheap, & broadly speaking, cops don’t take em seriously. Use glass marbles for ammo, & the spent ammo shatters on impact, or is mistaken for a toy. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/4 "2005-08-14T17:06:54Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > There are target/hunting slingshots. > > Fairly cheap, & broadly speaking, cops don’t take em seriously. > > Use glass marbles for ammo, & the spent ammo shatters on impact, or is mistaken for a toy. [Moderator hat on] I take them seriously. Quit giving advice that is probably something illegal in most cities. Quit trying to circumvent the law. [Mod hat off/] ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/5 "2005-08-14T19:48:12Z")
How about distracting them with tasty food on a nearby tree? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/6 "2005-08-14T20:21:17Z")
If it were my house, I’d check for wood rot. I’m no expert, but the woodpeckers I have observed peck for food and to build nests. They seem to prefer good wood for nests and bad wood for food. Sometimes I have seen them peck on the metal flashing on houses to run bugs out from behind the flashing (that’s very loud!). In any case, if they peck there regularly, they may be telling you you have wood rot and/or insects in the wood. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/7 "2005-08-14T20:23:27Z")
Sorry, I forgot you said you are renting. Would the landlord be interested in checking for rotton wood? Since yoiu have a cat, perhaps some (a small amount, please) used cat litter would help? ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/8 "2005-08-14T20:31:11Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > [Moderator hat on] > I take them seriously. Quit giving advice that is probably something illegal in most cities. Quit trying to circumvent the law. > [Mod hat off/] TWEET! This board is about fighting ignorance. Thus I challenge you to expose my ignorance. I’d have assumed that in most places woodpeckers could be killed as a nuisance the same as rats. Please prove killing woodpeckers is illegal in most jurisdictions in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Glassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Glassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glassy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/9 "2005-08-14T20:39:29Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > If it were my house, I’d check for wood rot. > > I’m no expert, but the woodpeckers I have observed peck for food and to build nests. They seem to prefer good wood for nests and bad wood for food. Sometimes I have seen them peck on the metal flashing on houses to run bugs out from behind the flashing (that’s very loud!). > > In any case, if they peck there regularly, they may be telling you you have wood rot and/or insects in the wood. They also peck specifically in order to make noise: to signal their territories, attract females, etc. As songbirds sing, some woodpeckers peck. Flickers will make an ungodly sunrise clanging on metal gutters and outdoor lights. So Filmgeek’s problem may have nothing to do with rotting wood or grubs living in the siding. If you do use decoys to scare off birds, they work best if you shift them around a bit. Birds are smart enough not to be afraid of an owl that never moves. But an owl that’s on the ledge, but yesterday he was on the balcony, and the day before that he was in the tree – will probably be more effective. I use rubber snakes to keep the birds out of my strawberry patch, and they work best when I move them at least once a day. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/10 "2005-08-14T20:48:04Z")
From [here.](http://www.bellmuseum.org/wildlife_infoservices.html) > [@](#): > > Why is that woodpecker hammering on my house? > Woodpeckers go after houses as an alternative to increasingly rare dead trees. Sometimes woodpeckers are looking for a place to make a roosting or nesting hole identified by the woodpecker digging a hole several inches across and pulling out insulation. A second reason for woodpeckers to repeatedly bang on the side of the house is to declare territory, this is called drumming and woodpeckers even do it to aluminum siding. The most common reason is the woodpeckers are looking for food, identified by several small holes often near the eves. Cedar siding provides great places for solitary bees and beetles to nest and can be attractive carpenter ants making it a smorgasbord for the woodpeckers. Even if there are no insects the sound of electric current running through the walls can deceive the woodpecker into thinking baby wasps are buried beneath the surface. > > So what can you do to protect your house and discourage woodpeckers? > > 1. You may not kill the woodpecker - it is illegal. > 2. Woodpeckers are skittish birds and can often be discouraged from areas by hanging strips of shiny metallic party streamers so that they blow in the wind. > 3. Repair or fill with wood putty any existing holes to prevent visual clues. > 4. Bird netting or screen tacked at least one inch from the wood surface can be hung in areas where woodpeckers are persistent. > 5. Hanging a nest box may discourage woodpeckers from making large roosting holes but may increase feeding holes. As an aside, I can say confidently that _seagulls_ are not scared in the least by a big plastic owl. In fact, they seem to enjoy hanging out with it. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/11 "2005-08-14T21:01:15Z")
Also,here’s a [FAQ](http://critterguy.museum.msu.edu/FAQ/Woodpeckers.html) on woodpeckers that target your home. It says what **Glassy** just said - if you use decoys, move them around. It also states that killing them isn’t an option as the birds are protected by state and federal law. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/12 "2005-08-14T21:57:21Z")
The applicable federal law is the [Migratory Bird Treaty Act](http://laws.fws.gov/lawsdigest/migtrea.html). The complimentary Canadian law is the [Migratory Birds Convention Act](http://www.nearctica.com/conserve/canlaw/migbird.htm). Both laws apply to all varieties of woodpeckers. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/13 "2005-08-14T22:20:33Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > TWEET! This board is about fighting ignorance. Thus I challenge you to expose my ignorance. I’d have assumed that in most places woodpeckers could be killed as a nuisance the same as rats. Please prove killing woodpeckers is illegal in most jurisdictions in the US. > [@](#): > > All wild birds (except pigeons, English sparrows and starlings) are protected by federal and state laws. You may not trap, kill or possess protected species without federal and state permits. from [http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:oDaGd9VdNmYJ:library.fws.gov/Bird\_Publications/prob.html+"protected+species"+woodpecker+federal+-cockaded&hl=en](http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:oDaGd9VdNmYJ:library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/prob.html+%22protected+species%22+woodpecker+federal+-cockaded&hl=en) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/14 "2005-08-15T01:10:54Z")
Big Plastic Owls and Scare-Eyes balloons have been found to be extremely effectice at scaring away birds that go after fruits. Starlings, blackbirds, and various others of that sort. As far as I’ve been abl to find, no one ever tested them against woodpeckers, or claimed that they would work on them. You can check out the Bird-X site. Bird-X is probably the largest bird-deterrent company around. f anyone had anything on woodpeckers, it’d be them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/15 "2005-08-15T02:26:42Z")
I suggest checking out [whatbadgerseat.com](http://whatbadgerseat.com) ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/16 "2005-08-15T02:37:45Z")
I once had a problem with birds of differing types lighting on a branch above my car and crappin it severely on a daily basis. An older neighbor told me to wrap an old section of garden hose aroung the branch above the car. The birds mistake it for a large snake and don’t come around. I have lately used it on our son’s swing-set where they sit and mess up the swings (the birds, not the kids). Seems to be much less, if not completely, resolved. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![EarthStone777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@EarthStone777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarthStone777)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/17 "2005-08-15T16:11:13Z")
Something I found to work… Instead of going to the trouble of moving the plastic owl every day or two, I hung it from a line just a fraction of an inch above a wood board that it appeared to be ‘perched’ on. It would move in the breeze and made it more ‘lifelike’ than a nonmoving sculpture. It kept the pigeons away from the garages at my warehouse for many months at a time, until they finally got used to it. Then I moved it to another spot and it worked again for many months… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/18 "2005-08-15T18:38:02Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > [Moderator hat on] > I take them seriously. Quit giving advice that is probably something illegal in most cities. Quit trying to circumvent the law. > [Mod hat off/] My apologies. When I was a boy, it wasn’t illegal to hunt birds that were a nuisance, & I thought it was the BB gun thing that was the difficulty. I was unaware that shooting a slingshot at a woodpecker was illegal. Using a slingshot on garden pests **is** legal in Tennessee, I have been told, & I assumed that extended to birds. I was wrong. Again, my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/19 "2005-08-15T18:46:14Z")
Bird-X sells this item to repel woodpeckers: [http://www.bird-x.com/products/bxpelwp.html](http://www.bird-x.com/products/bxpelwp.html) ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-big-plastic-owls-work-woodpecker-repellent/316974/20 "2005-08-15T19:03:36Z")
Two asides about the slingshot, for circumstances when it **is** legal. First, there’s no need to hit the birds, much less kill them. Persistently disturbing them usually causes them to move along. Second, I’d recommend using popcorn rather than marbles. Not very effective as ammunition (though not harmless), but makes a nice racket and has the advantage of being biodegradable. As for your problem, FilmGeek, have you tried an animal control specialist? Will be listed in the Yellow Pages.