How it works

Bird Free ® does not kill or trap birds, or harm them in any way. The Health & Safety Executive has identified the active ingredients of Bird Free as foods consumed by humans.

Bird Free is formulated so that birds won’t go near it: birds see ultraviolet light and so Bird Free appears to them as fire. Visual deterrence is further reinforced by the selected natural oils contained in Bird Free, which are abhorrent to a bird’s senses of smell, taste and touch.

The visual effect, whereby birds see Bird Free as fire, was immediately evident following an installation of Bird Free at Covent Garden Market in central London above an outdoor restaurant. Prior to installation of Bird Free, pigeons would congregate on the building above the restaurant and swoop down to pick up food left on the tables below.

Installation was carried out early in the morning of 3 August 2011. That same afternoon, pigeons were observed attempting to fly onto the roof above the restaurant only to veer off and land elsewhere when they saw the dishes of Bird Free in place.

Some sites, particularly nesting sites and night roosts, are so attractive to birds that a few dominant birds may still attempt to return for a day or two after Bird Free has been installed. However, all birds will completely desert the site after a few days once they come into close contact with Bird Free and experience its effects on their senses of smell, taste and touch. This effect is demonstrated by the results of the field study shown to the right by the decline in the number of homing birds to zero in the few days following the installation of Bird Free at a nesting site