Birds purposely banging on windows of a house?

Question

We have some very annoying Pee Wees, those small magpie birds, that in the morning, persistantly bang on our windows: sometimes they will start at 6.00am, and go for hours.
Does anybody know a serious way of getting rid of them aside from (killing them ).
Tried the hose, and things that dingle dangle; the only thing that seems to frighten them, is when we refer to them as having the brains of George W Bush, they take off screaming.

Answer 1

They are either seeing their reflection in the glass and think it is another bird and are trying to attack it or they just see the reflection of the outside and are trying to fly into it. You need to put something on the windows so that they know there is some sort of barrier there. You can buy hawk silhouettes or other decals to put on the windows so you do not have this problem. There are laws in most countries protecting wildlife, especially birds...so I am sure it would be against the law for you to kill them.

Answer 2

Try putting something in the window. A picture or something. If that doesn't work, maybe tape up something on the outside of the window so his reflection won't appear anymore. It should only have to be for a little while. He will either forget about his reflection or his season there will end, depending on the bird. (I hope this was a serious question, because I answered it as such. But it could have easily been humor. 50/50 shot with you Sir.)

Answer 3

LOL Maybe you could have a recording that plays "you have the brains of GWB" every time the glass is hit, like a car alarm.

But, seriously, we used to have that problem. The reflection on the glass is what interests them. Our bird finally got tired of it.

The site below talks about the Australian problem and offers ideas. Good luck!

http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/april2004/

The most promising method I found is a helium balloon. Its motion tends to scare off birds. But there are several other options available that wouldn't hurt the birds. There are even cages available for catching quail and pigeons..maybe they have something similar for your Pee Wees.

http://idilium.com/Australian_Wildlife/feathers.html

Magpie-lark (Pee Wee). Grallina cyanoleuca.

A glossy black and white feathered bird that lives all around Australia. Commonly known as Pee Wees after their call or Mud Larks because of their mud nests.

Magpie-larks grow to 250mm long and are very agile. They can catch grass hoppers and insects in flight.

Pee Wees usually travel in pairs and sound an alarm if a cat or snake ventures into their territory. They are frequently seen attacking their own reflection in glass windows and motor car windscreens.

Policies for dealing with the birds are on the site below.

Answer 4

We had a similar problem with Mud Larks (what you'd call Pee Wees).

We thought that they were after a reflection on the glass, so all I can suggest is putting a sheet up on the window.

Answer 5

If they are attacking their reflection in the window, put pictures of George W. Bush (or something else) on the OUTSIDE of the window, so there won't be a reflection.

Answer 6

Paint the outline, in black, of an owl on the window.

Or put something on the outside of the window, like a cloth so they do not see their reflection.

Seriously - this is not brain surgery. You can beat them without shooting them, or yourself!

GWB belongs behind bars - a bumper sticker I saw today.

Answer 7

PUT a sticker/picture of something on the window. they do it because they see their reflection! they think its other/another bird(s).