DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Title

Wildlife Services: Managing Bird Damage to America’s Resources

Authors

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

August 2003

More than 700 bird species make their home in the United States. The diversity and range of these species help to shape our Nation’s landscape, but these same birds can also cause damage, destroying agricultural and natural resources and sometimes even threatening public health and safety.

Wildlife Services (WS), a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, provides Federal leadership and expertise to resolve problems and damage caused by birds. Whether the damage is occurring in agricultural or urban areas, WS responds in a way that balances the needs of both people and wildlife.

Using an integrated approach that combines a variety of science-based methods, WS assists dairy, livestock, crop, and aquaculture producers in resolving bird predation and contamination problems from droppings. In urban areas, WS works to prevent bird strikes at airports and protect public health and safety at parks and other open areas frequented by ducks and Canada geese. The program also works to resolve property damage caused by certain bird species that are thriving in urban and suburban environments across the country.