Measuring the efficacy of repellent on house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Abstract

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are vectors for diseases transmittable to humans and animals, therefore effort is made to deter sparrows from roosting and feeding in urban areas such as cafes and private buildings. In this experiment, four methods of measuring sparrow avoidance of a commercially available avian repellent were trialed in aviaries and in the field. The methods were designed to detect repellency at differing levels of sensitivity. Experiments attempted to measure changes in the use of an aviary in relation to the presence of the repellent and the effect of proximity of the repellent on feeding in both an aviary setting and in the field where alternative food was available. We were consistently unable to detect any repellent effect of this commercially available product, indicating birds were insensitive to any intended aversive properties of its odour or visual appearance. The formulation of effective repellents based on visual and olfactory signals alone is likely to be very challenging.