When crows are flocking, thousands of these very noisy pest birds overwhelm trees or buildings, creating tremendous amounts of noise and harassing both people and animals. Other crow problems occur when there is a buildup of their feces which can lead to structural damage because the uric acid in the droppings can corrode stone, metal and masonry. The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites found in crow droppings pose a serious health risk. Crows are most often the source of agricultural bird problems due to their fondness for corn and other crops, especially when newly planted. Crows are scavengers and will eat a wide variety of things including: insects, frogs, small snakes, eggs, mice, dead animal carcasses and newly planted crops such as corn. These highly intelligent birds are very social and the flock is in constant communication with each other, making hunting or capturing crows very difficult. Crows will gather in massive feeding flocks at certain times of the year, joining with other flocks to form enormous roosts numbering in the thousands of pest birds.
After the Northridge earthquake in California, several hundred people came down with flu-like respiratory symptoms. The ailment was called "Valley Fever" and was caused by people breathing in dust and airborne debris filled with histoplasmosis spores and related fungal agents. These agents are found in bird droppings. The bird droppings promote their growth. Several thousand people a year become infected, with the vast majority of them displaying flu-like symptoms. Some however, display serious symptoms causing death or long hospitalization.
Nuisance birds harbor ticks, fleas, mites and other ectoparasites, which live on these birds, in their nests and in places they roost. These parasites are responsible for the transmission of several hundred viral and bacterial agents. These diseases include: the plague, encephalitis, pox and meningitis. Control of these parasites is a crucial phase of containing health hazards to humans.
The last, and most rare, mode of transmitting any of these diseases is through direct contact with feces. This situation occurs when people get fecal dust or droppings in an open wound or open cut when cleaning or repairing a site. Infection can occur at the location of the wound or, in serious cases, blood and internal infection can also occur. Proper attire and care must always be taken when cleaning a bird site or installing bird control products.
