Pigeon Population Decline with OvoControl P

Pigeon population problems pooping out?
June 9, 2008

In today's This Week Ahead column, we catch up on what's happening in Hollywood--not with celebrities but with pigeons:

How have the efforts to shrink the pigeon population in Hollywood using birth control gone since announcing it last July?

Since August, some of the area's estimated 5,000 pigeons have been eating pill-shaped kibble known as OvoControl P from feeders on rooftops, making Hollywood the first area to try the contraceptive since it was given state approval in late July.

About 300 pigeons flock every morning at daybreak to eat up the contraceptive kibble, which contains nicarbazin, an ingredient that stops an egg from developing. OvoControl P has been registered with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is approved by PETA and the Humane Society.

Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Assn., a neighborhood group leading the effort called Citizen Pigeon, said that they raised enough money from local businesses and residents -- over $50,000 -- to install five rooftop automatic feeders. They’ve also installed cameras to monitor the birds eating online.

After four months, the 438 pigeon regulars in one spot dropped to just below 40. Some through attrition, but pigeons are "just having less babies now," Dodson said.

The original date to reduce the pigeon population by 50% was 2012, but Dodson said that pest control and wildlife officials think it could happen within the next two years.

The pigeons are disliked in the area, currently under millions of dollars in renovation efforts, because of the messy droppings.

Italy, though, is taking a different approach on cracking down on the birds.

--Francisco Vara-Orta

The Efficacy of OvoControl P

One of the most common OvoControl® questions is, "how well does it work?" The answer to this question actually has two parts, 1) how well does OvoControl interfere with egg hatchability? and, 2) how quickly will OvoControl reduce the population of birds?

Egg Hatchability
The active ingredient in OvoControl, nicarbazin, interferes with egg development and acts as a contraceptive in birds. The egg hatchability effects of nicarbazin are well documented and characterized in the scientific literature and the data is indisputable - if a bird eats the bait daily and in an adequate quantity, the eggs will simply not hatch. As occurs frequently in nature, birds will abandon a failed nest and try again.

Population Effects
The rate at which a pigeon population declines depends on a range of variables, primarily related to site-specific characteristics. Controlling variables in a free ranging population of birds is obviously challenging. Nevertheless, the data reported in the US (Linda Vista) is consistent with what has been reported in Italy. The absence of successful reproduction, in combination with natural attrition, reduces the population of birds at a rate of approximately 50%, annually.

OvoControl reduces the population of birds - gradually and predictably - all without the risks of a toxicant or need to remove dead or dying birds.

For more details, see the new 2-page white paper for OvoControl Efficacy on the company website at www.OvoControl.com.

OvoControl® is a registered trademark of Innolytics, LLC, Rancho Santa Fe, CA.