If birds start to invade your favorite space and cause trouble, it becomes necessary to deter them. The same goes for some animals. It is not pleasant to have animals and birds invade your property and create discomfort.
Among a lot of ways, many suggest wind chimes as a good and affordable way to keep birds away. Wind chimes come in different shapes and sizes. The sound that they make mostly depends on their build, size, and materials.
It is a matter of conflict to many whether wind chimes deter birds or not.
Do wind chimes keep birds away?
Wind chimes can keep birds away as the sound can be too loud and scare them. However, in most cases, birds get habituated to the sound and start coming back. But if the area that you’re trying to scare birds from is not a prime area of food or crops that birds can feed on, they might not come back.
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Some wind chimes can deter birds, but not all of them do. Some wind chimes make a sweet and pleasant twinkling sound that attracts birds instead.
Just how our ears get used to a loud noise that we have to hear every day, birds get used to the sound of wind chimes as well. They might get startled at first and fly away, but soon they get accustomed to the sound and don’t get scared anymore.
Their coming back to the place depends on a few other things as well. If the place that you are trying to secure is a good food source for birds, they are more likely to come back even after you install a wind chime.
On the other hand, if the place is not a food source and the birds get startled the first time they hear the sound of the wind chime, they might not come back or try to avoid that particular area.
Hummingbirds:
Wind chimes can scare hummingbirds and keep them away from the feeder. Hummingbirds are very small birds that get scared easily. They try to avoid areas with loud and annoying noises.
A dog’s bark or loud sounds of children are all it takes to scare them away. So if you have a wind chime that makes heavy and deep noises, it will deter hummingbirds.
Pigeons:
Wind chimes scare pigeons and keep them away from your property. Pigeons don’t like loud noises. If you don’t want pigeons to get scared and move away from the feeder, get rid of wind chimes or other things that make louder noises.
While it’s interesting to watch pigeons, too many of them invading your favorite space can be bothersome because of droppings. In that case, you can install a metal wind chime. The reflective lights and sound of the chime will keep them away.
Woodpeckers:
Wind chimes may not work to scare woodpeckers away. Woodpeckers are less likely to be found in low points of tress. They choose the higher points to peck where you can’t install wind chimes or the sounds may not be loud enough to deter them.
Hawks:
Wind chimes may be able to scare hawks away, but not always. Hawks are not that easily scared by loud noises. And most of the time, wind chimes fail to produce the amount of loud noise that will scare hawks.
However, you may be able to make it work by using a large wind chime that produces a heavy sound. Also, you can combine the wind chime with hanging objects that emit flashy lights or reflect sun lights.
This will irritate their eyes and loud noises will make them avoid the area.
Owls:
Wind chimes can keep owls away as owls don’t like noises. But wind chimes that are not loud enough or make twinkling sounds may not be able to deter owls for a long time. They might get startled at first but will soon return.
Do wind chimes keep these other animals away?
Along with birds, the loud noises coming from wind chimes can annoy some other animals as well. Many animals don’t like the sounds coming from wind chimes and avoid areas where they are installed.
Deer:
Loud wind chimes can keep deers away. Deers are fond of quietness and prefer to stay in places that are quiet and serene. Hence the sound coming from a wind chime may startle and scare them away.
But as soon as they get accustomed to the sound and realize that it is harmless, they may come back again. You may have to change the sounds by trying out different types of wind chimes.
Squirrels, Skunks & Raccoons:
Wind chimes can help to scare squirrels, skunks, and raccoons, but it might be temporarily. These animals are scared of loud noises but they get accustomed easily.
If you keep using the same wind chime for a long time, they will not get scared and come back eventually. You can try changing the wind chimes with different noises to deter them.
Bats:
Wind chimes can not scare bats. Bats are not scared of loud noises and the sounds of wind chimes will not do anything to keep them away from a place.
Bats use echolocation to detect objects in their ways while moving from one place to another. The only way to deter bats by using noises is to use an ultrasonic bat repeller.
Rabbits:
Wind chimes can keep rabbits away. Rabbits are comparatively small animals that are sensitive to sound. As much as you may like watching rabbits playing and having fun, you might not like them to invade your house.
You can deter rabbits simply by installing a wind chime. As the wind chime makes noises, it will startle the rabbits and they will run away immediately. If the noises are loud enough, they may never try to come near the place again.
Snakes:
Wind chimes can not deter snakes as snakes are deaf. They don’t even have ears, to begin with. They can’t listen to sounds but they feel and understand vibrations.
Even if you use loud and large wind chimes, they won’t be able to hear it to get scared in the first place. In order to scare snakes away, you will need something that produces vibration.
Bears:
Wind chimes can not scare bears away. Bears are indeed sensitive to sound, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they get scared easily.
The sound of wind chimes is not something that bears get scared of. Even though there are no studies done regarding this, some think that metal wind chimes can attract bears instead.
Wasps, Carpenter bees, Pests:
While wind chimes are not able to keep wasps away, they can help to deter carpenter bees and some pests if used in the right way.
Coyotes & Foxes:
Wind chimes may scare coyotes and foxes and keep them from coming close. But wind chimes that make very loud noises are needed to scare these animals.
Iguanas:
Wind chimes may be able to scare iguanas away but there are no studies done on this. It is said that things that make intermittent noises may help deter iguanas.
Can you use reflective wind chimes to keep birds away?
Reflective wind chimes can be a great way to keep birds away. Most of the birds don’t like reflective lights as they irritate their eyes and discourage them to stay near the place.
If you combine a wind chime and a shiny element, it will work better to keep birds away. Another great way would be using a shiny wind chime that reflects light.
Do birds get used to wind chimes? Can wind chimes attract birds?
Birds can often get used to wind chimes. Loud noises coming from a wind chime can startle birds the first few times. But as birds get used to the sound they no longer find it scary and stop avoiding it.
Some wind chimes can attract birds. Especially the ones that make subtle twinkling sounds don’t scare birds and attract them instead.
Final thoughts
Wind chimes can deter birds but they often get accustomed to the sound and start coming back. Confusion often occurs whether wind chimes repel or attract birds. Truth be told, some wind chimes can attract birds with their sweet twinkling sounds while others with loud noises can work as deterrents.