MISS Lee Kay Yan has rightly pointed out that the mynah and pigeon populations here have increased drastically and are now aggressively invading our coffee shops and hawker centres ("Bring in predators to solve bird problem"; Forum Online, yesterday).
In our urban setting, certain species of birds have become a public nuisance. The normal activities of the birds will conflict in some way with human activity.
Some birds feed on grain and fruit crops. The common mynahs eat insects and human food scraps. They are aggressive and often attack native birds. They also spread mites and have the potential to spread disease to people and domestic animals.
They are adept at stealing food off people's plates. They can be discouraged by depriving them of food sources, chasing them from yards and disturbing them when they try to nest.
Rock pigeons are quite common in Waterloo Street and they feed on seeds and fruits. In urban areas, however, they have adapted to roosting on high-rise buildings and feeding on human food like bread and rice.
Their droppings soil public amenities and private properties. Roosting pigeons damage buildings and the roofing of houses.
They can transmit illnesses such as encephalitis and salmonella poisoning. They harbour the causal agent of histoplasmosis, a fungal disease that affects the human respiratory tract.
Pigeons can be a threat to human safety, particularly around airports where pigeon flocks have collided with aircraft, causing human fatalities.
It is important to understand how human activities in urbanised areas affect ecosystems, with urban habitats becoming relevant to biodiversity research.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) can collaborate to reduce the bird population and bring about a cleaner city environment by using ultrasonic and sonic audio systems like the BirdXPeller Pro.
This product produces electronic sounds to scare birds with distress calls and predator sounds.
The AVA and NEA can also release trained raptors in the evenings to frighten and deter mynahs and pigeons from building communal nests in dense urban areas.
Heng Cho Choon
In our urban setting, certain species of birds have become a public nuisance. The normal activities of the birds will conflict in some way with human activity.
Some birds feed on grain and fruit crops. The common mynahs eat insects and human food scraps. They are aggressive and often attack native birds. They also spread mites and have the potential to spread disease to people and domestic animals.
They are adept at stealing food off people's plates. They can be discouraged by depriving them of food sources, chasing them from yards and disturbing them when they try to nest.
Rock pigeons are quite common in Waterloo Street and they feed on seeds and fruits. In urban areas, however, they have adapted to roosting on high-rise buildings and feeding on human food like bread and rice.
Their droppings soil public amenities and private properties. Roosting pigeons damage buildings and the roofing of houses.
They can transmit illnesses such as encephalitis and salmonella poisoning. They harbour the causal agent of histoplasmosis, a fungal disease that affects the human respiratory tract.
Pigeons can be a threat to human safety, particularly around airports where pigeon flocks have collided with aircraft, causing human fatalities.
It is important to understand how human activities in urbanised areas affect ecosystems, with urban habitats becoming relevant to biodiversity research.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) can collaborate to reduce the bird population and bring about a cleaner city environment by using ultrasonic and sonic audio systems like the BirdXPeller Pro.
This product produces electronic sounds to scare birds with distress calls and predator sounds.
The AVA and NEA can also release trained raptors in the evenings to frighten and deter mynahs and pigeons from building communal nests in dense urban areas.
Heng Cho Choon
