Why Are Pigeons Eating My Lilac Tree?

Pigeons like to live on trees, and sometimes, you will notice them eating leaves and flowers.

Why Are Pigeons Eating My Lilac Tree? Pigeons like to eat Lilac trees because the purple color of the lilac flowers and their pleasant fragrance attract them. They also eat it because their leaves are soft, and they can easily swallow them. It also provides them with specific vitamins essential for their growth, and they also use them to feed their young ones.

People grow lilacs in their small gardens because of their beautiful scents and unique flowers, which bloom after planting the tree. 

What is a Lilac Tree, and Why Do You Have it in Your Garden? 

The fragrance of lilacs is charming and intoxicating, especially when it combines with the scent of other flowers in your garden.

The seeds of lilac trees are available at local flower shops, and if you do not know how to put those seeds in the ground, you can contact a professional person.

You should water them after certain days, and it will take them four to five years to gain the maximum height.

Light green is the color of its leaves, while the flowers have a light purple color and a pleasing odor.

Many people have these trees in their gardens because they increase the beauty of their lawn and attract beautiful birds to their garden.

What Are the Signs That Pigeons Are Eating Lilac Tree?

Pigeons eat the soft part of leaves as they cannot chew the hard part that is the vein of the leaf, which is in the center of the leaf.

Whenever you see that the top portion of leaves or the side part of leaves is not there while the vein is present, you will understand that pigeons are eating it.

They only eat the stems of the leaf, leaving the vein portion intact; in the case of flowers, they swallow the whole flower.

Why Pigeons Eat Lilac Tree?

Pigeons are common birds that one can easily find in their neighborhood, and you can see them wandering around in search of food.

As most people do not want to adopt birds as their pets, they are also cruel enough not to give them any food to eat.

They suffer a lot in search of proper food, and to fulfill their need for nutrients and vitamins; they eat everything that is in their reach.

For example, if you have a garden with various trees and plants, then the chances of pigeons making a nest in those trees are maximum.

They will find a nice safe place to quickly find something to eat and stay there to feed their young ones.

Their eating habits are pretty different from those of other birds, and they can eat almost anything.

They have preferences, as they can primarily eat grains and seeds, but they also eat fruits, leaves, and berries.

Their diet primarily depends on the flock’s location; a flock that lives in cities or towns eats grain, bread, popcorn, and seeds in parks, gardens, and other open spaces. 

Those who live on farms primarily eat seeds from plants such as corn, sunflowers, and oats or leaves from various nearby trees.

These are opportunists, and they look for the perfect moment to steal food from anywhere they can and try to fulfill their vitamin needs.

The simplest way of eating plant matter by pigeons is to swallow the whole thing; you must note that it will destroy the end of the seedling and the root. 

They may also eat a small part of the seedling, but after they chew it up, they will regurgitate it and swallow it again.

Gradually they will eat more and more of the seedling until finally, only a bare stem remains; in some cases, they damage plants from top to bottom, in others from bottom to top. 

It depends on the plant height, from where they are eating; the color of the lilac tree flowers attracts them the most. They need all sorts of vitamins to stay active and healthy, including calcium, iron, and zinc.

Purple is an attractive color to many bird species as this color attracts birds.

They have an unusual taste in color; they are relatively indifferent to red and green but prefer purple over any other color. 

As leaves are soft and pigeons can swallow them easily without chewing, it also does not have any side effects on their health.

Flowers of lilac trees offer different nutrients that are beneficial for the health, but they are also good for the eyes, and you can eat them as well.

Similarly, they have to feed their young ones as well, and for that purpose, they cut the leaves and flowers of lilac and give them to their babies.

Pigeons like to make their nests on tall trees to avoid the attacks of predators and protect their babies. However, pigeons make bad nests.

It fulfills two basic needs of pigeons; first, they have an approximate height of about 13 to 16 feet, and such a high tree is safe.

Secondly, they do not need to fly over other gardens and cities to find food as lilac is their best food source.

The fragrance of these flowers is so good that many other birds come looking for them. 

How To Stop Pigeons from Eating Lilac Tree?

Pigeon pecking away at your plant can be disheartening as pecking can cause severe damage to your precious plants and sometimes even kill them. In addition, it disturbs the tree’s beauty and affects your garden’s natural appearance.

If the tree is small and you want to grow it to its maximum height, then you can use steel nets and put it around your small tree. You can also install scarecrows in your garden or place them near that tree.

I usually use the scarecrow method and put them at different locations; sometimes, I allow my dog to play in the garden, which also stops pigeons from eating the trees.

If you have pets like cats or dogs, you can allow them to roam freely in your garden, and birds will not come near the tree.

You can buy a bird repellant spray from the bird shop and spray on the leaves and flowers of the tree.

You need to be careful about the side effect of the spray, and you should carefully read the ingredients of the spray before spraying it on the tree.

If the spray contains toxic material, it can affect the leaves and flowers and adversely affect the bird’s health.

You do not want to put the lives of pigeons in danger by spraying toxic spray on your tree, as your primary purpose is to keep them away from the tree.

Putting reflecting CDs on your tree can also scare the birds, and they will avoid eating and coming to that particular tree.

You can install security cameras in your garden, and whenever you see them wandering around it, you can quickly go into your garden and scare them away.

Using decoys to keep pigeons away is also a beneficial and time-effective method; for this purpose, you can take a long stick around the same height as the tree.

Now using particular glue, attach an owl-shaped picture to the top of the stick and put it near the flowers of the lilac tree.

As pigeons do not like the presence of other birds near them, they will avoid coming to the lilac flowers and stop eating them.

You will have to change its location daily as pigeons are intelligent birds, and if you do not change its location, they can easily understand that it is not a bird.

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