How To Prevent Birds From Nesting In Your Spanish-Tile Roof

by Grace Motley

Roosting birds in a Spanish tile roof can cause damage to the flashing and underlayment, causing deterioration and leaks. Nesting birds also deposit large piles of droppings in the yard below their nests, which can pose a health risk to the home's inhabitants. The best way to prevent this problem is to keep the birds from nesting on the roof in the first place. There are many homemade ways to do this:

Make Bird "Predator Eye" Balloons

These balloons are meant to look like predator eyes to nearby birds. Predator eye balloons are commercially available, but making your own is relatively easy. 

For this project, you'll need:

  • white or yellow kick ball
  • paintbrush
  • acrylic paint (red and black)

Start with a white or yellow kick ball, then use acrylic paint to paint a red circle in the middle of the of the ball. Next, paint a smaller black circle inside the black circle. Tie rope around the balloon, then hang the predator eye balloon from a nearby tree, in a location where birds are or have been in the recent past a problem.

Metal Strip Deterrents

The glare of metal is enough to scare many birds. To capitalize on this, attach shiny metal all the way around your house.

For this project, you'll need: 

  • scissors or tin cutter
  • aluminum can
  • hammer
  • nails

Cut the metal into many small strips, using the scissors or tin cutter. Hammer nails into the eaves beneath the tile, particularly in the areas beneath where birds are or have been nesting. Next, twist the strips of aluminum foil around the nails and allow them to dangle where they can catch the glare of the afternoon sun. 

Christmas Tinsel

This solution is similar to the metal strip deterrent solution in that this method takes advantage of the bird's natural fear of bright, glaring light. However, this solution has a festiveness that may appeal to some homeowners.

For this project, you'll need: 

  • Christmas garland
  • hammer
  • nails

Hammer nails into the eaves beneath the tile, particularly in the areas beneath where birds are or have been nesting. Hang the Christmas garland from the nails. Silver and gold are the best garland colors for this project, because these colors will have the best light projection.

No matter which method you decide to use to keep birds from nesting in your Spanish-tile roof, remember safety comes first. Never work on your roof alone; always work with a partner. Ask your partner to stabilize your ladder, if you're using one. If these solutions don't work, consult with a roofing contractor or pest control company for more advice. To learn more, navigate to this website and ask questions to see what else is possible to fix with your roof.

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