The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is looking into employing trained falcons to manage the local pigeon population in Boston. The authority issued a “request for information” (RFI) to falconry experts concerning the use of birds of prey to control urban birds.
Bird droppings present risks, as the authority stated, because they can carry diseases, corrode vital infrastructure, and create unsanitary conditions for both the public and MBTA staff. Currently, the MBTA employs netting and spikes at its stations and facilities, and it is also piloting pigeon trapping at maintenance sites.
The RFI seeks to gauge current capacities and assess the viability of proceeding with a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a pilot programme. Incidents of pigeon droppings causing issues have been reported, including a complaint from a Boston 311 complainant regarding health hazards at North Station in March.
Furthermore, a T rider reported being struck by pigeon droppings while exiting the commuter rail in January. For comparison, Northern California’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) commenced using highly-trained hawks in May 2022 to tackle its pigeon issue.
Bart’s board of directors approved an expansion of the falconry-based nuisance bird control initiative in 2024. Hawks and their skilled handlers operate at twelve stations for Bart on a rotating schedule.
