Will a plastic owl scare a pigeon?

A plastic owl makes sense to most people. Pigeons are scared of owls, so a realistic owl statue would keep them away, right? Well, in theory, this type of deterrent might work, but there are some major flaws to such logic. First, an owl statue doesn't smell like an owl. Believe it or not, pigeons do have a good sense of smell, and if there is no smell of a predator, a visual may not be enough to stop them from doing a fly-by. Second, the statue doesn't move. Birds are smart, even pigeons, and after a while, they are going to realize there is no predator smell, and there is no predator movement. They may as well be looking at a painting of an owl on the wall. Once the pigeons realize the owl isn't alive, they will be just as likely to perch on top of the statue as next to it.



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