Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

The ability of birds to thermoregulate under a variety of environmental conditions is necessary for their survival. The ability of European starlings to thermoregulate was investigated, finding that this species has a pronounced regular daily cycle of deep body temperature with a range of about 4.5°C. This cycle is likely the result of reduced metabolism and muscular activity during nighttime. A number of experiments of thermoregulation were conducted to better understand the possibility of using wetting agents or other techniques to prevent the birds’ feather insulation from protecting their ability to survive cold weather. We became increasingly impressed with the possibilities of using wetting agents as a possible tool to control birds by application to bird roosts, even under relatively mild climatic conditions that prevail in California.