Evaluating the effectiveness of wild bird deterrents in Poultry Operations for Avian Influenza Control: A literature review

Avian Influenza poses a significant threat to poultry health, public health, and the global agricultural economy. The growing concern over Avian Influenza (AI) in commercial poultry operations, particularly free-range systems, has underscored the importance of effective bird deterrents. Wild birds, especially migratory species, act as natural reservoirs and vectors for both low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. The transmission pathways, which include direct contact, contaminated water sources, and environmental vectors such as bird droppings and feathers, make it necessary to mitigate wild bird interactions with poultry.

This literature review explores various bird deterrent strategies including visual, auditory, tactile, habitat modification, exclusion, chemical, reproductive, and lethal methods and assesses their short- and long-term effectiveness. It evaluates the implications of these deterrents in reducing AI risks within the free-range poultry sector, where wild bird contact is most challenging to control.

You can read the factsheet booklet on Wild Bird Deterrents here.