If your home has been targeted by vultures, you could be looking at thousands of dollars in roof repairs. Vultures are destructive, and if they choose your house to roost or rest on, they can damage your shingles in a variety of ways before you can drive the birds away. Here's a look at how vultures damage your roof and the repairs your roof might need.
How Vultures Damage Roofs
Vultures have strong talons they use to lift shingles, and they also use their strong beaks to peck at the shingles until they crack or are torn off. Vultures have acidic feces and vomit that can damage your roof and leave foul odors and stains behind. A single vulture can damage your roof, but these birds tend to congregate in groups.
It's common to see dozens or hundreds of birds together flying to a stand of trees to roost for the evening. If the trees are close to your house or if your house is the highest spot around, the birds might roost on your roof at night or rest on the roof during the day and cause destruction.
The Roof Repairs You May Need After A Vulture Invasion
If the vultures don't stay long and have enough time to damage the deck, the roofer might be able to make repairs by replacing the shingles. Even if the vultures stay on the ridge of the roof, their feces and vomit can damage shingles lower on the slope.
If several vultures gathered to play on your roof, there would be widespread damage. Your roofer may even need to put on a new roof and roof deck. It may be necessary to replace roofing parts to get rid of the odor associated with the birds and their vomit.
How To Keep Vultures Away
It's hard to predict when vultures will take a liking to your roof. They may bother your property while staying away from your neighbors' homes. However, when you first see vultures, you want to scare them away so they don't get comfortable on your roof. It's good to chase them away even if they roost in your trees because they could move to your roof for sunning or for entertainment.
Vultures are protected birds, so you should check with your local wildlife office before shooting or killing them. Because they're protected, their numbers are growing, and they occasionally become problems in neighborhoods and on residential roofs. You may be able to scare the birds away with pie plates hung on string, noisemakers, or roof spikes, or you might deter them by spraying them with a garden hose. You might need to call in a wildlife expert for help.
When you have roof repairs done, ask the roofer for things that can be added to your roof to deter birds. After spending money to repair their damage once, you don't want the vultures to come back and wreck your roof again.
To learn more, contact a roofing contractor.
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