06/17/2026
🐦 Margate homeowners — late spring and early summer is peak pigeon nesting season in Broward County, and the cooing on the roof at sunrise is the warning sign most people miss.
Pigeons (rock doves) are non-migratory residents of South Florida, and a single mated pair can produce three to six broods per year. Each clutch is two eggs, incubation takes only 17 to 19 days in our warm climate, and they reuse the same nest site repeatedly — meaning a few birds spotted on your roof in May can turn into a colony of 20 or more by August.
Where we find them on Margate properties:
✅ Gaps between barrel tile roofing where tiles meet the eave
✅ Air-conditioning condenser platforms and the ledges above them
✅ Soffit returns with damaged screens or missing vent covers
✅ Solar panel arrays — the warm shaded space underneath is one of the fastest-growing pigeon habitats in Broward
✅ Screen enclosures with torn mesh near the top
✅ Parapet walls on commercial flat roofs along Margate Boulevard, State Road 7, and Sample Road
The droppings cause more damage than the birds themselves. Uric acid dissolves the binders in asphalt shingles, eats through painted finishes, and corrodes the aluminum coils on AC condensers. The CDC also notes that the Histoplasma fungus that causes histoplasmosis can grow in soil mixed with bird droppings and become airborne when dried droppings are disturbed by sweeping or pressure-washing — exactly what most homeowners try first.
What actually works in our humid climate is physical exclusion — UV-stabilized netting tensioned against stainless cable, properly spaced stainless ledge spikes installed with marine-grade adhesive, and 45-degree ledge-modification sheeting — combined with habitat changes that remove the food and shelter cues. Plastic owls, reflective tape, and sticky gel all fail within days here.
We just published the full Margate guide — summer nesting biology, the roosting spots specific to South Florida homes and businesses, health and property risks of droppings, how to tell pigeons from mourning doves and starlings, why DIY deterrents fail in our humidity, and the humane exclusion methods we use for lasting results.
Link in bio for the full breakdown.
https://www.floridapestcontrolcenter.com/blog/summer-pigeon-control-margate-fl