The number of birds may be larger than summer roosts and cover a larger area. If necessary to disperse a winter roost, the same methods and materials with more manpower than for summer roosts would be needed. Additional equipment could include automatic exploders and 12-gauge shotguns with shellcrackers which have greater range than those needed in urban roost dispersal. Removal of part of conifer roosts by thinning may open stands sufficiently to make them unattractive to birds. Harvest of conifer stands should be considered when winter roosts cannot be managed by dispersal of birds.
Winter roosts on structures.
Starlings that remain in urban areas during the winter may roost overnight on building ledges, window sills and other parts of structures where their noise may be objectionable and their droppings deface buildings. They forage on streets, vacant lots, around trash receptacles and other places where waste food is carelessly scattered. Starlings also feed at urban and suburban bird feeders. Sanitation to remove waste food and avoidance of structural designs that encourage roosting are basic community matters to consider. Toxic controls in urban locations are inappropriate.