Why Birds Poop on Cars + How to Remove their Droppings

Pooping is part of a bird’s physical expression especially when they see others that are similar to them. Clean cars with sharp images of any bird above them have high chances of getting droppings.

While birds are flying around, a moving vehicle can sometimes scare them and they will poop on it as a result. From a bird’s view, their image reflection on a clean car may mean a territorial threat. This happens if the vehicle is detailed and this why birds often poop on clean cars.

Parked cars under birds’ roosting areas will get covered with droppings. Bird’s poop is naturally acidic and when left on a car for some time, it will dry and damage the coating.

Why do birds poop on clean cars?

Birds poop on clean cars because when they are excited or stressed, they poop in large quantities as a result. A clean car reflecting birds’ image and environment will excite and cause them to poop on it. Birds are likely to poop on a polished car with clear mirrored images.  

Birds don’t urinate or sweat as most animals do. Constant pooping is the only way they use to excrete. Their droppings are therefore concentrated and they also use them to mark their territory and map their way around. This is why dried droppings on your car or anywhere can be difficult to remove.

Their droppings are designed to dry and last for a while so that they can use it to track any place they have been. When they are stressed, they will also poop and this is why if they are roosting in an area and you suddenly turn on the engine, they will spread and leave your car covered in droppings.

Car colors that get the most bird poop

A red, blue, or black car that is well polished on a bright day will attract bird’s attention very fast and they will poop on it. Dull cars have unclear images and fewer reflections in the evening thus attracting fewer droppings.

However, white cars receive more poop from birds in the evening because they still have visible reflections on them. At night, there are almost zero droppings because of little image reflection on cars from bird’s view.

If a black car is well cleaned and the finishing is like a big mirror that reflects the surrounding, birds are likely to poop on it. The idea here is that birds will always reward anything that takes their attention in a special with their droppings.

Red and navy blue cars are the most vulnerable to bird droppings because they associate them with dangerous predators.

An observation on birds’ reaction to red clean cars is that they tend to poop on them more often as they fly away in fear. Red is a rare color among birds and anything in that color range will scare them.

When a navy blue color is well washed and polished, it will have perfect mirror images of birds on their surface. Birds are more aggressive especially when they are protecting their territories. THose cleare images on the car’s surface will make them cover it in poop.

How to remove bird poop on a car

Birds drooping can damage your car’s paintwork and should be wiped immediately or as soon as possible while it is still fresh.

The poop contains uric acid and when it dries on your car, it forms a had solid paste that can destroy the coating. Here is the best way to clean bird poop off a car:

1. Get a bucket with warm water (not hot)
2. Deep a clean soft towel in it
3. Use this to gently wipe of the poop
4. To get dried bird poop off a car, soak the towel in water and place it over the poop for 8-12 minutes
5. After the droppings are soaked, gently wipe them off

The acidic state of a bird’s poop is not strong enough to cause instant corrosion on a car’s paintwork. However, leaving it for some time will do the damage.

Do not let the droppings settle on the car’s body for long. The more droppings settle, the higher the damage it causes on the cars’ coating.

Get the best car wax that will help protect your car from bird poop. A good extra layer will protect the corrosive droppings from soaking on your car’s paintwork. It also protects the outer layer from dried droppings. The removal process will also be extra easy especially if the droppings are in large quantities.

You can only use soapy water for pests like fleas in your car or even an ant infestation but never use a strong detergent on the car’s body. This will cause more damage than the bird poop that you are trying to remove. Get the proper recommended cleaners if you have to use a detergent.

How to Keep birds from pooping on your car

Birds will poop when they feel like and you cannot stop them from that. Sometimes it can be as easy as watching where you park. Avoid parking under trees with roosting birds. They will not avoid your car when they want to poop.

Build a shade for your car park to keep the birds away from it. If that is not possible depending on where you live, get a car cover. There are modern car covers that are extremely easy to use and those will help in keeping birds from pooping on your car.

Living in areas with a high number of birds may require a scarecrow. Identify the type of birds in your area and get scarecrows that look like their predators. Birds are protective and any sign of a dangerous predator will keep them away from your area.

Some people use bird deterrents like essential oils on their cars to avoid bird poop. This is not a really effective and efficient way and it will be only a waste of the oils. Smells that birds hate will only be effective in a closed area but using them on your car will not really help.