Why fake owls

Animals, including pests, can observe and learn, so they may discern that your owl not the real thing as time passes. Owls prey on many different small mammals and other birds and have few natural predators of their own. Owls are nocturnal, hunting and feeding at night.

They prey on small rodents such as mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels. They also prey on other birds, including crows and hawks. Owls even hunt other predators, such as weasels and bats.

In a sense, fake owls work similarly to a scarecrow in a field, keeping small rodents, weasels, bats and other animals away from the area. Mice are common household pests all over the world. They can spread disease and contaminate food and water. They also cause damage with their chewing and nesting habits. Displaying a fake owl can help keep them away.

Call pest control can help exterminate them. Like mice, rats can spread certain diseases, including plague, and will cause damage, chewing through drywall and insulation, and building nests. Rats are cautious and shy, meaning a fake owl could have them avoiding the area.

As well as potentially spreading disease, squirrels can cause property damage. Place fake owls up off the ground where squirrels are likely to be active. If they do get inside, they can cause structural damage to wood beams and rafters and their burrowing can cause damage to lawns outside.

Place fake owls in your lawn and even indoors to discourage chipmunks from staying. Anyone committed to deterring birds with a plastic owl can try a few tricks to make the owl more effective:. In the case of pigeons, some kind of physical barrier, such as pigeon spikes, are necessary to prevent pigeons from roosting and doing their dirty work. Chris Deziel holds a Bachelor's degree in physics and a Master's degree in Humanities, He has taught science, math and English at the university level, both in his native Canada and in Japan.

He began writing online in , offering information in scientific, cultural and practical topics. His writing covers science, math and home improvement and design, as well as religion and the oriental healing arts. Place the owl in a tree or some other natural setting. Owls don't like to be seen, so the sight of one perched on a ledge or rooftop is a dead giveaway. Change the owl's position every few days. An owl that stays in the same place for weeks on end is another dead giveaway.

Hang old CDs or ribbons from tree branches or eaves to add to the birds' confusion. Deploy an inexpensive sound device that makes a loud sound at random intervals to further confuse the birds. It is fact that fake owls are not going to work on pigeons because they are in a perfect position of telling that these are toys not real predators.

The principle of using a plastic owl decoy as a bird scarer is to use the pest birds instinctive fear of predators and predation to scare the bird away from its desired roosting, perching or breeding areas. Can an owl pick up a 20 pound dog? Great horned owls, northern goshawks, and red-tailed hawks are three of the most common birds-of-prey to lash at small dogs and cats, typically those under 20 pounds.

It's trying to protect its babies from what it views as a threat to its offspring. Where do fake owls scare birds? Anyone committed to deterring birds with a plastic owl can try a few tricks to make the owl more effective: Place the owl in a tree or some other natural setting. Change the owl's position every few days. Hang old CDs or ribbons from tree branches or eaves to add to the birds' confusion. Will a fake owl keep rats away? Fake them out Owls are natural predators for rats, and rats keep their distance where owls hang out.

If you place owl's feathers near their nests or holes, they'll make a run for it. Where do plastic owls go? Perch your fake owl where a real owl might perch — on a ledge, under an eave, or ladder-length high on a tree branch. Make sure your owl can be seen from most angles. Keep your fake owl away from night lighting such as in trees , as that would be unrealistic.

Are hummingbirds afraid of fake owls? As long as there's no motion involved with the decoy, it shouldn't scare away the hummers. If it moves or if it's shiny and appears to move, it might scare them. Hummers can be really shy in that way. If you have hummingbird feeders, why not move them to another place in the garden?