We have a bird’s nest on top of our window air conditioning unit that I would like to remove. I think it’s a sparrow’s nest. I know that some birds are protected and you can’t remove their nests. Is this one of those situations.

Whether or not you can remove that nest depends on what the nesting bird is, and maybe on whether or not the nest has been abandoned. Fortunately house sparrows are nonmigratory birds and are one of only three birds that are not protected by federal law. House sparrows are considered to be pest birds and you are allowed to remove them or their nests and eggs even during breeding season. If the bird is not a house sparrow (or starling or pigeon), you cannot remove the nest during breeding season. If the baby birds have left the nest and it is now abandoned, you may remove it regardless of which bird it belongs to. See Can You Legally Remove That Bird’s Nest? for more details. House sparrows choose one mate for the season and can raise as many as four different clutches during the summer. By September, house sparrows in most areas have stopped breeding and are beginning to congregate together in small flocks.

Let a Bird Control Expert Make the Call

If the birds are still using the nest, and you are not sure whether or not they are house sparrows, have a pest control company that does bird work identify them. Contacting an expert is also a good idea because sometimes counties or communities have their own regulations. A local bird control expert will have that information. At Colonial Pest, bird work is one of our specialties. We also have bird exclusion experts on staff who can modify your air conditioning unit so that birds (of any species) cannot nest on it in the future. See Keeping Nesting Birds Off of Your House and give us a call today. Photo credit: Paul / Foter / CC BY-SA