Outdoor Ontario

Discussion => Behaviour => Topic started by: Anonymous on February 27, 2008, 01:53:49 PM

Title: Cardinal and woodpeckers breaking mirrors
Post by: Anonymous on February 27, 2008, 01:53:49 PM

I have had a couple of people ask me about this behaviour,,one person said that a pileated woodpecker is breaking the mirrors on cars and another asked me a similar question about a male cardinal attacking mirrors on cars and house windows. I thought it may be attributed to mating season and they are being territorial. Has anyone heard of this and is there a solution to this problem?
Thanks
Art

Title: Birds breaking mirrors
Post by: Leslie Kinrys on February 28, 2008, 04:42:28 PM

You are correct. The male birds thinks they are seeing rivals in the mirrors/glass and are attacking them. People could cover the car mirrors with a piece of cloth. For a windows, it is a little trickier. Since people can't always cover a window, maybe adding some decals to break up the reflections could help.

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Post by: silverfoxx on February 28, 2008, 10:04:24 PM

Several times last year I watched a cardinal that perched on the side mirror of my neighbors car and attempted to peck at the mirror. It was however a female cardinal - so I guess both sexes can ward off competitors. I also suspect that the car was very close to the birds nest.

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Post by: Anonymous on February 28, 2008, 11:34:06 PM

Thanks very much for your replies.
Art