The Great Bird Poop Disaster

    Rome, Italy, was a disaster. Cars skidded off roads. Scooters crashed. People were hurt.

    What was the problem? Was it a storm? Was it a volcano? Was it an earthquake?

    No. It was bird poop!

    Each winter, starlings fly south to warmer places. Starlings are small birds. They pass through Rome on their way south. In October 2015, the first birds arrived. But this time, they didn’t leave. And more kept coming. 

    Rome, Italy, was a disaster. Cars skidded off roads. Scooters crashed. Dozens of people were injured. The government advised people to stay inside. 

    What was the cause of these problems? Was it a terrible storm, a volcano, or maybe an earthquake?

    Incredibly, the cause was bird poop—a lot of bird poop!

    Each winter, starlings fly south to warmer places. These small birds pass through Rome along the way. In October 2015, the first birds arrived as usual—but they didn’t leave, and more kept coming. 

    Bird poop is different from most other poop. Unlike most animals, birds pee and poop at the same time. It is one dropping. A black substance is in the center. That is the poop. The gooey white stuff is the pee. The pee is mostly made of uric acid. 

    Uric acid is corrosive. That means it can eat away at the surfaces of buildings. Bird poop can also damage a T-shirt. It can damage the paint on a car.

    In the U.S., pigeon poop causes about $1.1 billion in damage every year. In 2011, the roof of a gas station fell in. Why? It had nearly 12 inches of pigeon poop on it! Luckily, no one was hurt. 

    Bird poop is different from the poop of many other animals. Unlike most animals, birds pee and poop at the same time—in one dropping. The poop is the black center of the dropping, and the gooey white stuff surrounding it is the pee, which is mostly made of something called uric acid.  

    Uric acid is so corrosive that it can eat away at the surfaces of buildings and bridges. So, of course, bird poop can also ruin your favorite T-shirt or the paint on your mom’s car.

    Pigeons alone cause about $1.1 billion in damage in the U.S. every year. In 2011, the roof of a California gas station fell in because nearly 12 inches of pigeon poop had built up on it! Fortunately, no one was injured—but someone could have been.

    A little bird poop here and there is not a problem. But we’re not talking about a little bird poop. We’re talking about a huge amount. It falls on our streets, our parks, and our offices. Sometimes it even falls on our heads.

    Why is there so much bird poop? It’s because our cities have been taken over by birds. In New York City, there may be as many as 7 million pigeons. Each pigeon drops about 25 pounds of poop per year. 

    Do the math and you will be shocked. As much as 175 million pounds of pigeon poop gets dropped on New York every year!

    A little bird poop is not a problem. But we’re talking about a huge amount. It falls on our streets. It falls on our parks. It falls on our offices. Sometimes it falls on our heads!

    Why is there so much bird poop? The answer is that birds have taken over our cities. There might be 7 million pigeons in New York City. Each one drops about 25 pounds of poop a year. 

    Do the math. You will be shocked. About 175 million pounds of pigeon poop might be dropped on New York every year!

    A little bird poop here and there is no big deal—but we’re not talking about a little bird poop. We’re talking about a massive amount. It falls on our streets, our parks, our offices, and even our heads.

    Why is there so much bird poop? Cities around the world have been taken over by birds. In New York City, there may be as many as 7 million pigeons, with each pigeon dropping about 25 pounds of poop per year. 

    Do the math and get ready to be shocked: As much as 175 million pounds of pigeon poop gets dropped on New York every year!

    Pigeons, seagulls, starlings, and many other types of birds live in cities. There are several reasons for this. Cities have almost no wild animals that hunt birds. The birds can nest on window ledges and on rooftops. They eat from our garbage. Plus, people feed them.

    In other words, humans have created a great home for the birds. As a result, cities are facing bird overpopulation. 

    Too many birds isn’t good for humans. It isn’t good for birds either. When a bird population gets too large, the birds end up living in crowded nests. That isn’t healthy. Crowded together like that, the birds can easily pass diseases to each other.

    Pigeons, seagulls, starlings, and many other types of birds thrive in cities because there are few other wild animals that hunt them. In addition, they can nest in buildings, on window ledges, and on rooftops. Also, they get plenty to eat from our garbage—and when they don’t, people feed them.

    In other words, humans have created a wonderful home for the birds. The result is bird overpopulation. 

    But bird overpopulation isn’t good for humans—and it’s not great for birds either. When a bird population becomes too large, the birds are forced to live in crowded nests. This makes it easy for them to pass diseases to each other.

    The good news is, there are ways to prevent bird poop disasters. Removing droppings right away helps. That way they won’t eat away at surfaces. It also stops the poop from piling up to dangerous weights.

    What if you get a gross surprise from above? Use warm, soapy water to wash the poop off your clothes or skin.

    And if you find yourself in Rome when the starlings come to town, be sure to wear a hat. 

    But here’s the good news. We can prevent bird poop disasters. The poop needs to be quickly cleaned up. That way, it won’t eat away at surfaces. Also, the poop won’t pile up to a dangerous weight.

    What should you do if bird poop drops on you? Use warm, soapy water to wash it off your clothes or skin.

    And if you are in Rome when the starlings come to town, be sure to wear a hat. 

    Fortunately, there are ways to prevent bird poop disasters. Removing droppings right away helps. It keeps the poop from eating away at surfaces, and it also prevents the droppings from piling up to dangerous weights.

    What if a disgusting surprise drops down on you? Use warm, soapy water to wash the poop off your clothes or skin.

    And if you find yourself visiting Rome when the starlings arrive in town, be sure to wear a hat.