Feral Pigeons
Generally considered not much more than a nuisance, feral pigeons can cause noise and odour issues, damage to buildings and roofs, and potentially pose a health risk. Pigeon-proofing your home and buildings, and monitoring your rainwater tank if you drink from it, is the best way to protect your health.
Feral pigeons were introduced to Australia as domestic homing pigeons. There is a high population size because there are a lot of great nesting spaces (buildings) and easy access to food and water.
Feral pigeons can accumulate wherever there is food and shelter – often around houses and other buildings. Solar panels in particular, are an ideal place for pigeons to roost and nest when they have not been proofed to prevent access.
On this page: Identifying feral pigeons / Potential health risks / Control methods / What can Council do? / Other resources
Identifying feral pigeons
Feral pigeons are usually grey, white or brown, with two black bars on their wings and iridescent feathers on their neck. Domestic pigeons might look similar, but they will normally have a tag around one of their legs.
Native pigeons have a pointed crest on their head.
Potential health risks
While uncommon, feral pigeons can transmit disease. This is usually seen in people who have regular close contact with large numbers of birds, or who are directly exposed to large amounts of pigeon faeces and inhale bacteria or fungal spores.
The best way to protect your health is by pigeon-proofing your home and buildings, and monitoring the quality of your drinking rainwater.
For most people, drinking rainwater from well-maintained roof catchments and tanks comes with a low risk of illness. Rainwater is not a common source of pathogens that cause gastrointestinal illness. Ways to improve the quality of your rainwater include:
- Regular tank and gutter cleaning and desludging
- Sealing around solar panels with mesh to prevent pigeons and other birds from nesting
- Installing filtration devices, first flush diverters and leaf filters
- Preventing mosquito breeding
- Preventing chemical contamination from on-site sources
- Pruning overhanging tree branches
- Protecting all inlets, overflows and other openings
- Avoiding pipework that holds stagnant water
Rainwater should be disinfected prior to drinking for people who are immuno-compromised, by boiling it or installing a UV light.
In general, the regular microbial testing of domestic rainwater tanks is not needed. Because of the complexity of testing, anyone concerned with the safety of their rainwater should first consider implementing quality improvement measures.
First flush diverters direct the first water captured from a rain event away from your rainwater tank, ensuring the capture of only the cleaner rainwater.
Installing a water filter can also assist in cleaning your rainwater, removing impurities and making it safer to drink. They are available in various forms, including free-standing containers, tap-mounted devices, and whole-house systems.
Control methods
The most important first step is pigeon-proofing your buildings, otherwise pigeons will keep moving back in. It is important that Council and the community work together to eradicate pigeons, as successful measures on one property may increase issues for others, as pigeons relocate to other suitable locations.
Pigeon-proof your home
- Remove food sources
- Seal gaps in buildings: solar panels, rooves, eaves, window ledges
- Remove nests
- Install scare devices
Don’t feed pigeons, and remove any potential food source like pet food or compost to encourage pigeons to move elsewhere.
Stop pigeons nesting in your home and other buildings by sealing any gaps, eaves, roofs, window ledges and around solar panels with mesh or other material.
Pigeons especially like solar panels because they provide good protection. If you are going to make any changes to your home, installing mesh around solar panels is a great first step.
A licensed pest control operator can install mesh, wires, spikes and gel to prevent pigeons from roosting and nesting.
Regular removal of nests will, in the long term, help to discourage persistent pigeons from nesting in a particular area.
When pigeon-proofing your home or cleaning up pigeon excrement, wear proper PPE, including:
- respirator (face mask)
- gloves
- goggles
- protecting clothing
Licensed pest controllers can provide advice on lethal control methods such as shooting, trapping and sedation. However without combining these with other non-lethal options to pigeon-proof your home or building, other pigeons can quickly move in. With any lethal control method, animal welfare issues also need to be considered and addressed.
Contact a licensed pest contractor for more advice.
What can Council do?
Feral pigeon populations can only be reduced by Council and the community working together.
While total eradication may not be possible, a combined approach will greatly help prevent pigeons causing a local nuisance, under the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016.
Other resources
Information sheet - Feral pigeons (PDF File, 387.6 KB)
Feral pigeons - management and control, SA Health
Guidance on use of rainwater tanks, Environmental Health Committee 2010
Last updated 28 July 2026