Overhead Wires Reduce Roof-Nesting By Ring-Billed Gulls And Herring Gulls

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of overhead wires in reducing roof-nesting by ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) and herring gulls (L. argentatus) at a 7.2 ha food warehouse in Bedford Heights, Ohio during 1994-1995. In 1994, stainless steel wires (0.8 mm diameter) were attached generally in spoke-like configurations between 2.4 m upright metal poles spaced at 33.7 m intervals over the main portion of roof. The 6 to 14 wires radiating from each pole created a mean maximum spacing between wires of about 16 m. Nesting by ring-billed and herring gulls was reduced by 76% and 100% in 1994 and by 99% and 100% in 1995, respectively, compared to 1993 pretreatment levels (1,011 ring-billed gull nests and 98 herring gull nests). Ring-billed gulls that constructed nests after wire installation gained access to the roof where wires were not installed along the roof edge, where wires were broken, by hovering over wires and landing between them, or from structures such as air conditioners that were at or above the level of surrounding wires. Initial placement of overhead wires above roof structures and regular maintenance of broken wires is recommended to increase effectiveness. Mean maximum spacing of 16 m between wires was effective in excluding nesting by herring gulls; however, narrower spacing is necessary to exclude nesting by ring-billed gulls. Also, many of the ring-billed gulls displaced by wires from the warehouse in 1994 relocated to nest on an adjacent building without overhead wires. Thus, although overhead wires can be effective in reducing nesting by gulls on roofs and in other urban situations, management should be considered at a scale broader than specific problem sites as displacement of nesting gulls may cause relocation of the colonies to surrounding areas