With a life span of 10 or more years. The street pigeon, unlike any other species, will soil its own nest. Their droppings cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to property. Feathered Pests in Society Bird lovers abound in every city. Realistically, these aptly named air rats, through their droppings, are carriers of several serious diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis and salmonella.
Pigeons are also the hosts for various parasites such as fleas and ticks.
Not all of the blame is due to pigeons. Starlings, numbering in the thousands, are not an uncommon sight at power plants, city parks and office buildings. More alarming are the instances of bird strikes to aircraft. In a futile attempt to prevent bird strikes at JFK Airport, the USDA killed 28,000 gulls. Even the seemingly innocent house sparrow causes enormous problems for the food industry.