Bird issues on NYC buildings are overwhelmingly a pigeon problem — roosting and nesting on ledges, cornices, window AC units, and rooftop equipment, where droppings accumulate and cause both a sanitation issue and, over time, damage to masonry and building surfaces. Pigeons are a non-native species, which is why exclusion work on them is straightforward from a regulatory standpoint.
Most native wild bird species are protected federally under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which means lethal control isn't the appropriate or legal approach for those species — deterrent and exclusion methods are used instead, and identifying what's actually present matters before any work begins. For pigeons specifically, the standard approach is physical exclusion: netting, spikes, or gel deterrents on the ledges and cornices where they roost.
Licence #15739 covers this kind of exclusion-based bird work on residential brownstones, co-ops, and commercial buildings, with the method matched to the building's architecture and the specific roosting points causing the problem.
Signs you have a bird control problem
- Pigeon droppings accumulating on ledges, window sills, or cornices
- Visible nesting material on rooftop equipment, AC units, or building setbacks
- Staining or early masonry damage beneath a regular roosting spot
- Persistent pigeon roosting on the same ledge or cornice over time
- Odor or sanitation concerns from droppings buildup on lower-level ledges or awnings
Why NYC sees this
Pre-war and commercial buildings with decorative cornices and wide ledges — common across Midtown, the Financial District, and brownstone blocks in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill — are classic pigeon roosting architecture, and Expert Exterminating has installed exclusion work on exactly these building types since 2006 under licence #15739.
In denser commercial corridors like Downtown Brooklyn and parts of Chelsea, rooftop AC units and setback ledges are the more common roosting point than traditional cornices, which changes the exclusion method we recommend — the building's specific architecture always drives the approach, not a one-size-fits-all install.