This article was co-authored by Elmer Bensinger and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Elmer Bensinger is a Pest Control Specialist with Eden Advanced Pest Technologies in Spokane, Washington. With over 20 years of experience, Elmer specializes in integrated pest management and products such as insecticides and rodenticides. He studied business at South Puget Sound Community College.
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Loud, aggressive, and with a seemingly endless appetite—there's no question blackbirds can be a nuisance. But how can you get rid of them without scaring off all the other birds too? You certainly don't want the tranquility of tiny songbirds fluttering around your bird feeder to be disrupted by a flock of grackles, starlings, cowbirds, or other common blackbirds. Read on to learn the best ways to make your home, yard, and feeders less attractive to these feathered menaces so they fly right past you.
Things You Should Know
- Make your feeders less attractive to blackbirds by including only food that they don't like, such as safflower.
- Play recordings of blackbird alarm calls to disturb flocks roosting in your trees.
- Use bird spikes or netting to keep blackbirds from roosting on your home.
- Prune wild fruits and berries to remove natural food sources attractive to blackbirds.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
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Rest assured that blackbirds tend to be more of a temporary problem. They usually only hang out for a short time, then move on somewhere else.[16]Thanks
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For additional assistance and government advice on controlling nuisance birds in the US, contact USDA APHIS—Wildlife Services.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pest control, check out our in-depth interview with Elmer Bensinger.
References
- ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/my-feeders-are-being-overrun-with-starlings-and-blackbirds-that-eat-all-the-food-and-keep-smaller-birds-away-what-can-i-do/
- ↑ https://wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/blackbirds/
- ↑ https://blog.cwf-fcf.org/index.php/en/bully-birds-how-can-you-keep-bully-birds-at-bay/
- ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/my-feeders-are-being-overrun-with-starlings-and-blackbirds-that-eat-all-the-food-and-keep-smaller-birds-away-what-can-i-do/
- ↑ https://blog.cwf-fcf.org/index.php/en/bully-birds-how-can-you-keep-bully-birds-at-bay/
- ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/my-feeders-are-being-overrun-with-starlings-and-blackbirds-that-eat-all-the-food-and-keep-smaller-birds-away-what-can-i-do/
- ↑ https://blog.cwf-fcf.org/index.php/en/bully-birds-how-can-you-keep-bully-birds-at-bay/
- ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9447
- ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9447
- ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9447
- ↑ https://wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/blackbirds/
- ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/my-feeders-are-being-overrun-with-starlings-and-blackbirds-that-eat-all-the-food-and-keep-smaller-birds-away-what-can-i-do/
- ↑ https://wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/blackbirds/
- ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9447
- ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9447
- ↑ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/my-feeders-are-being-overrun-with-starlings-and-blackbirds-that-eat-all-the-food-and-keep-smaller-birds-away-what-can-i-do/