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It has nothing to do with humans catching a disease.
They compete and win the fight ageist the NATURAL species
There are others like crows.
No license is required to hunt crows. They may be taken by legal firearms (shotgun not larger than 10 gauge, rifle, or handgun), bow and arrow or by falconry. There are no daily or possession limits, and shooting hours are 1/2 hr before sunrise to sunset. Odd as it may sound, crow recipes can be found by simply undergoing an internet search.
Crows are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act but can be taken out of season, without a permit, when caught in the act of committing, or about to commit, damage to ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock or wildlife. Living with wildlife - crows: Minnesota DNR
And this is for all states in the USA? That's not what I was told when I held a permit from the Dept. of the Interior to do wild bird rehab work a few years back. To legally have wild birds in my possession.
That is certainly a compassionate perspective, but how long starlings have been here doesn't really change their status as an anthropogenic ecologic disaster.
Starlings are not Crows. And the OP mentioned random birds, not one particular bird type.
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-Do not touch those dead birds. All birds carry disease, mites, bed bugs, fungus etc.
Wrong! Birds may or may not carry bird lice. These lice are host pacific and do not seek human hosts. They do not carry bedbugs or mites that would seek human hosts. As for fungus diseases see: WordWeb Online Lookup To avoid all contact with the spores you would have to move to a bird free, bat free, poultry free desert island.
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- There could be an environmental issue causing these deaths. It could be a sign of pollution, poison, disease or other birds killing them.
Then dead birds would be all over the neighborhood, not just by this one person's house.
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Ever see a crow gobble up a baby bird and kill the parent and rip that apart too? I have. Its graphic and disgusting. I wouldn't believe it happened like that unless I saw it with my own two eyes.
How did the crow catch the parents? Eggs and baby birds they may eat, but catching the parents is a mother matter.
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- another thought is those birds tend to roost in buildings. Their poo can carry a deadly fungus that will infect your entire system just being in your house. They may just be clearing out infestations. If you don't believe me you can ask your local health department about it.
Read the OPs post again. They're not just killing "roosting" birds such as starlings.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Originally Posted by =^..^=
Unless I am mistaken, crows are native to the USA.
No mistaking it... Native. Also, protected under MBTA 1918 albeit with exceptions: "Yellow-headed, red-winged, rusty, or Brewer's blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds (does not include cattle egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance." A guy who shoots crows for no good reason when he sees them in his backyard isn't likely to be doing so legally, but they generally do not have a closed season (crows, I mean). I don't think you're necessarily allowed to transport, possess or eat their carcasses, however.
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Originally Posted by =^..^=
Starlings are not Crows. And the OP mentioned random birds, not one particular bird type.
I can certainly appreciate the nuances of crow versus starling, but the post I was responding to dealt specifically with starlings. As far as the OP is concerned, if I had reason to believe that a neighbor was killing cardinals, mockingbirds, hawks, swallows, etc. etc. I sure as hell wouldn't sit around and watch for two years. I'm not sure how much can be taken as valid when the description of the crime scene is "random red bird, some brown birds."
Question. How to you know that the people there are the ones killing the birds? Have you witnessed them doing it or putting out poison? If not, then you are jumping to conclusions based on circumstantial evidence. Any number of things could be happening.
They may be using some kind of pesticide or fertilizer on their garden that they are unaware is poisoning the birds. Maybe they have an outdoor cat that likes to bring back little "presents" to the family.
In my house, every spring we get dead baby birds right in front of our doorstep (Birds nest in a hole in our roof every year and all their babies fall out throughout the season. If someone walked by our house day after day, they might think were were sadists killing poor defenseless baby birds, when we do nothing of the sort.
First thing is first. Make sure you have concrete evidence of criminal activity before you call the authorities. If you see another dead bird, see if you can get it (wear gloves and a mask just in case) and bring it to a wildlife expert to perform an autopsy. They can tell you if it was killed by poison (in which case, it can still be unintentional depending on the source), killed by an animal or shot. Only if there is reasonable evidence to suspect intentional killing of birds can you then alert the proper authorities.
Corn seed commonly has a fungicide, just suggesting that as an accident possibility. Another might be over application of insecticides, which is both foolish and dangerous. It does seem unusual that the dead birds are near one place. Frankly, I'd be concerned about eating food that came out of that garden. I'd be asking questions about that situation of a county AG agent, and let chips and droppings fall where they may without being personally accusatory.
As Atticus said "It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird." We enjoy the Cardinals, Mockingbirds, and many other species around here. On the very coldest days of winter, we might put out a little food for them, but try to keep them wild and non-dependent. I don't mind crows so much either, as they are a legal way that hawks are kept in check (albeit brutally - MUCH more brutally than man).
Starlings are packs of flying mice, pigeons, flying rats. You have to have had personal experience with them to realize just how bad for everything they are. Having mucked out a couple feet of pigeon waste with dead and dying baby pigeons mixed in, being eaten alive by maggots, where the parents had nested in an air conditioning intake, I can't help but seeing those Goya-like images on top of the sweet "Bird Lady" song in Mary Poppins.
And this is for all states in the USA? That's not what I was told when I held a permit from the Dept. of the Interior to do wild bird rehab work a few years back. To legally have wild birds in my possession.
One may not shoot crows over baited areas, but may shoot them over harvested grain fields, planted ag fields and so on. You may use decoys and recorded (electronic) calls when hunting crows.
Crows may be taken outside the open season during hunting hours, in compliance with federal regulations, if these birds are causing a nuisance or creating a health hazard.
No license is required to hunt crows. They may be taken by legal firearms (shotgun not larger than 10 gauge, rifle, or handgun), bow and arrow or by falconry. There are no daily or possession limits, and shooting hours are 1/2 hr before sunrise to sunset. Odd as it may sound, crow recipes can be found by simply undergoing an internet search. Crows are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act but can be taken out of season, without a permit, when caught in the act of committing, or about to commit, damage to ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock or wildlife. Lethal means of control can also be undertaken when they are concentrated in large numbers, such as communal roosts, and subsequently constitute a nuisance (e.g. noise) or pose a threat to human health, as would be the case when accumulations of fecal materials pose a sanitation risk. Legal methods of take are the same as during hunting seasons. Crows cannot be taken outside of the damage area. Living with wildlife - crows: Minnesota DNR
I don't know anyone who transports them or even goes to pick them up, they just leave them where they fell.
Doubt starlings are proted by the treaty. In fact the US accidentally agreed to protect corvidae, a mistake they corrected as corvidae family includes crows. Oops!
NY says starlings and house sparrows are unprotected as did NJ. Not sure what NJ regs are now but starlings and house sparrows always were unprotected along with red squirrels. Groundhogs are a game animal in NJ and have seasons. Used to be until the 70s, black bear were vermin in Maine.
NY couldn't disregard federal regs so it seems the fed regs don't protect starlings and house sparrows which may be SOS. So if any prtoection exists in your state is is a state reg not fed
"Protected Wildlife
In New York State, nearly all species of wildlife are protected. Most species, including endangered species, songbirds, hawks and owls are fully protected and may not be taken. The few unprotected species include porcupine, red squirrel, woodchuck, English sparrow, starling, rock pigeon, and monk parakeet. Unprotected species may be taken at any time without limit. A hunting license is required to hunt unprotected wildlife with a bow or firearm."
If your focus is indeed to stop the 'killing'........
Might be best to just ask the neighbors if they noticed the dead birds so word gets back if someone is indeed responsible for shooting them.
Discovery is the best bet to shortcircuit the problem without getting authorities involved.
As the health dept says to report dead birds because of west nile virus, a call to the health dept would clarify what might be killing the birds and thus the authorities would discover 'the problem' themselves.
Then if the dead birds are concentrated and not scattered across the neighborhood, there is a definite problem that might be a health problem and not just someone shooting birds. Bears investigation.
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