What environmental strategy is considered effective for managing bird problems around buildings?

Depriving birds of food, water, and shelter is a highly effective environmental strategy for managing bird problems around buildings. By removing these essential resources, birds are discouraged from frequenting an area. This approach focuses on altering the environment to make it less hospitable to birds, which can help mitigate issues such as nesting, droppings, and noise.

Using bird feed to attract them would directly counteract the aim of reducing bird presence, as it would encourage birds to come to the area rather than deterring them. Installing decorative birdhouses might create additional shelter, potentially increasing the chances of birds nesting nearby. Utilizing decoys to scare birds away can be a temporary fix; however, if food, water, and shelter remain available, birds may learn to ignore the decoys over time and return. Thus, the most sustainable and effective long-term strategy is to address the environmental factors that attract birds in the first place.