12 Simple Ways To Stop Birds From Flying Into Your House

Having birds around your home can be truly exciting, but sometimes birds end up flying into your window, or even worse—end up inside your house! However, today, we’re talking about some simple ways to keep birds from flying into your house and your windows, and hopefully, prevent it from happening in the first place.

Birds fly into your house by seeing their reflection through your window or simply by accident. By using certain colors, reflective tape, window screens, tall plants, wind chimes, window decals, and keeping window shades down, you can help give birds signals to stay away from your home.

Today we’re going to break down some simple ways on how to stop birds from flying into your house, why they are flying into your house in the first place, and more – so, keep on reading to find out!

Why Are There Birds Flying Into My House?

If you even have one bird in your house, it’s one too many! Birds getting into your house can cause havoc, especially if they end up getting into an attic or other enclosed area.

One of the main reasons that birds are attracted to your house is for one of the following: food, water and shelter.

Moreover, if your house is providing any of these three bird-necessities, you can be attracting them to your home without even realizing!

Another reason that birds are flying into your house or windows can be just by complete accident as birds often see reflections in windows that make them think there are trees to land on, or they are attracted to the light source inside your home.

Birds love to eat insects. If you happen to live in a wooded area, your home is not only within the realm of a ton of insects, but you most likely have trees, which provide shelter. Further, if you have a water source like a pond, lake, or even a pool nearby, your home is the perfect space for a bird to reside.

Since birds like the ability to scan the ground for prey, and because of this, birds are likely to nest higher up (AKA your gutter!)

With this in mind, can you guess what actually becomes an ideal spot for a bird to nest? Your roof or gutters, since it’s a higher point off the ground and sometimes higher than nearby trees! 

If any of this sounds familiar to you and your bird problem, keep on reading, because without further ado—here are the 12 simple ways to stop birds from flying into your house!

Use Color That Distract Birds To Stop Them From Flying Into Your House

Believe it or not, you can easily use a color that will distract birds to keep them away from your house—specifically, the color white!

The color white signifies danger, or alarm for a bird, and according to the World Animal Foundation, birds don’t like bright light.

Now, how does bright light relate to the color white? Well, imagine flying up in the sky on a nice sunny day, and the surfaces below are bright white! Not only does the color white reflect the sun, but, it creates this extremely bright barrier that will make it hard for a bird to see.

Using white by either adding white shades to your windows, adding full, white flowers to the outdoor space, or by hanging white flags, or other outside yard decor like this Tall Outdoor White Wood Welcome Sign, can be a great way to add white to keep birds from coming too close to your house!

If you constantly have birds in your garage, painting your garage door white is a great way to keep birds out of your garage as well.

Add Reflective Tape To Your Window To Keep Birds Away

With the same idea behind using the color white, adding reflective tape to your windows will help keep birds away because rather than looking at a window and only being able to what it reflects back at them (like a tree, bush, the sky or anything else reflecting in it), the reflective tape will add some dimension to the window to show birds it’s actually a window!

Using tape like this De-Bird Scare Tape is an extremely easy way to add some reflection to keep birds away from your windows and doors.

By cutting strips of the tape and hanging it off the window, on the inside the window, off branches, or from gutters, you can simply set a tone that this place is unsafe, which will in turn keep the birds away from your windows and out of your house!

Another way to use reflection to keep birds away is by adding these Double Sided Reflective Discs to nearby tree branches, or by hanging them near your home.

These can serve as some yard decor that will look nice while reflecting back the sun and other sources of light, but also will keep birds away.

Add A Window Screen To Keep Birds Away

Speaking of adding things to your window, another easy way to keep birds from colliding into your windows is to add a window screen.

Not only will the window screen serve as a function for you, so that you can open your windows and get some fresh air without having to worry about birds flying in, but, since the screen goes on the outside of the window, birds will see it and hopefully not collide with it.

A screen can be an effective way in keeping birds at bay, plus, screens are super easy to install!

Plant Trees Or Tall Plants In Front Of Areas Birds Are Flying Into

If you keep having birds fly into your home or window, it may be time to attract the birds elsewhere. If you don’t have any shrubbery or trees in front of those areas, you should start by adding some to the space!

According to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, every night birds settle into dense shrubs or coniferous trees to sleep.

Knowing this, adding trees in front of your window or home may distract a bird from getting into your house, as they will be attracted to the tree or bush instead.

If you have the space for it, adding a conifer evergreen, like pine, spruce, fir, or juniper to your front or backyard space will keep birds away, as these are all great trees that will attract birds.

Having full greenery all year long, as the name “evergreen” suggests, is attractive to a bird because they can nestle inside, stay for a while, and build a nest that will keep them safe from predators, while also keeping warm!

Add Wind Chimes In Front of Windows or Doors To Keep Birds Away

Another great way to deter birds from your front windows or doors is to add wind chimes to the glass areas.

Hanging wind chimes in front of these glass surfaces will give birds a barrier between them and the glass. This will keep the birds from accidentally flying into what they thought was more flying space or a tree. Further, the wind chimes also produce noise, and if the noise is unfamiliar and new to the bird—they most likely will stay away.

If you’re using the sound of the wind chime to deter birds, it may be more useful to add the wind chime to the space once you notice that the birds are already nearby.

Introducing something new into a space that birds have already settled into will frighten them and cause them to leave. However, if the wind chime has been there for a while and you just now are starting to notice birds, the wind chime won’t be effective.

If you’d like, check out our article on using wind chimes to deter birds effectively.

Use Window Decals That Scare Birds To Stop Them From Flying Into Your House

Another great way to stop birds from flying into your house is by using window decals, as the decals will provide birds with a reflective surface that only they can see!

These really cool WindowAlert Maple Decals are the perfect addition to your window. Not only do they look like maple leaves (although there’s a ton of different shaped options to choose from), but they can be used as décor!

These decals are also highly effective in keeping birds away in a safe manner. The way the decals work is that they soak in UV light, and then create a glowing warning sign to a bird!

Another spot to add these decals would be to your glass storm doors, as the easiest place for a bird to enter your home is through your front door.

Adding these to your door will give the birds a warning sign, and rather than knowing not to get close to the windows, it’s going to make your whole house seem unsafe.  

Add Shades Inside Your Window To Keep Birds Away

Another way to keep birds away from your windows is to add shades and keep them closed when birds are active.

Ever hear the idiom, the early bird gets the worm?

If you’re having birds fly into your windows often, it’s best to keep your shades closed in the earlier mornings as according to the National Park Service, most birds are most active during the day, but there are other types of birds that come out at night.

Shades work to keep birds away because it will flush out any lights that you may have on in your house, and especially when the sun is going down, the shades will keep the birds from seeing the light inside.

Adding white shades to your window is also a bonus, as the shades will become one bright surface that birds will surely avoid.

Maintain Your Property To Deter Birds From Your Indoor Space

Maintaining your property is one of the most fool-proof, long-term solutions we can offer you to keep birds from flying into your house, as keeping tidy will lay a solid foundation.

Keeping up with the mowing of your lawn, cutting overgrown brush, keeping log piles away from your house, pruning branches, picking up any food scraps from vegetable and fruit-bearing plants, and picking up acorns will keep birds from getting into your home.

Keeping up with your surroundings will keep birds away because without overgrown shrubbery and food sources, birds are not going to stay around. Birds like to hide in the spot that they choose to nest in—which is usually overgrown plants and fuller trees.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, birds like to live within cavities and fullness, so removing these aspects from your outdoor space will keep them away!

Having a routine to keep up with your outdoor landscaping is important to help keep birds away. Plus, it will only make your outdoor space more attractive to you!

Place Bird Feeders Far Away From Your House To Attract Birds Elsewhere

Placing bird feeders far away from your windows or doors is another way to keep birds from getting indoors.

Basically, by adding bird feeders, you’re taking something that a bird is attracted to and using it to direct them away from whatever you don’t want a bird to come near.

Strategically placing bird feeders at the tops of trees, or in trees that are far enough away from your window or door, is a great place to start when trying to deter birds.

Birds will stay close to the food source, and if the food source is far enough away from your home, there’s a good chance that they’ll stay closer to the food, and away from your window and door!

Use Windsocks To Keep Birds Away

Another more creative way to keep birds away from your windows and doors is to add windsocks and other hanging yard decor around the area!

Windsocks will act almost as a predator decoy, as they’re unfamiliar to a bird. Since they move in the wind, they will be even scarier to a bird!

Hanging windsocks from trees and off shepherds’ hooks can keep birds away. Adding these windsocks to the front of your windows and doors will help keep birds from colluding with your window, plus coming in your front door!

A really fun and cute way to use windsocks to keep birds away is to purchase a pack that you can add to your outdoor space all year. This pack of Trademark Innovations Seasonal Theme Garden Windsocks comes in a pack of 12 and stands 60 inches tall!

If your property is a bit too formal for a wind sock, you can try the less conspicuous bird spikes for small birds. Here’s how to use them.

Add Automatic Sprinklers Close To Your Home To Keep Birds Away

One other way to keep birds away from your home is to add automatic sprinklers that go off during the day. Especially in the warmer months, sprinklers will scare birds, as the sprinkler is unfamiliar to them. Plus, they don’t like being sprayed with water!

Adding a sprinkler that is close to your home and windows will keep birds away. Although sprinklers are water and birds are attracted to water, birds don’t like the randomness that comes with a sprinkler. It will make them feel unsafe and want to leave.

Predator Decoys Will Keep Birds Away From Your Windows and Doors

Another fool-proof way to keep birds out of your indoor spaces is to add predator decoys close to your windows, doors, and even on your roof!

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, some bird predators consist of coyotes, foxes, cats, raccoons, and owls. Because of this, adding predator decoys around your outdoor space can help with your bird problem.

By adding decoys like this Hausse 2 pack of Fake Horned Owls, to your outdoor space, or this Lone Howler Coyote Decoy, are two great options to keep birds far away from invading your indoor space.

That’s A Wrap!

If you’re having a bird problem and are noticing birds colliding with your windows or getting inside your house, it’s time to act fast and put an end to it!

We do however, recommend that if you’re having a problem with birds, to get professional help before fixing the problem yourself!

All in all, there’s a few things to remember to stop birds from flying into your house:

• Birds are attracted to three things: food, water and shelter, and if your outdoor space is providing that, you’re going to have birds nearby.
• By maintaining your property, you will set the foundations to keep birds away from your home.
• By adding wind chimes, shades, screens, sprinklers, scent, decoys, windsocks, reflective tape, or decals, you can effectively deter birds from your yard.
• Using bird feeders to attract birds away from your home, will keep them away.
• Using the color white will deter birds.

References

Lerman, S. B., Warren, P. S., Gan, H., & Shochat, E. (2012). Linking foraging decisions to residential yard bird composition

Belaire, J. A., Whelan, C. J., & Minor, E. S. (2014). Having our yards and sharing them too: the collective effects of yards on native bird species in an urban landscape. Ecological Applications, 24(8), 2132-2143.

Kress, S. W. (1998). Bird gardens: welcoming wild birds to your yard (Vol. 156). Brooklyn Botanic Garden.