Opinion: Your car — a bird poop target?

A new report by a Virginia-based company suggests that bird droppings on your car may not be as random as you might believe. The report is based on survey results and ornithological research. Writing for the Gizmodo Newsletter, Gayoung Lee states that the report’s conclusions “reveal a mix of expected yet surprising insights into the relationship between avian bowel activity and vehicle appearance.” 

The “Bird Dropping Report” was published by Alan’s Factory Outlet and it contains responses by drivers regarding such factors as the make and model of the car that is driven, its color, and the type of area where it is usually parked. But I hasten to point out that the conclusions are not based on a national sample. As far as I can determine, findings are probably specific to Virginia birds and may not be representative of NYC pigeons, Dallas-Fort Worth cardinals, Des Moines goldfinches, or Madera crows. The birds most likely to be found in Virginia, where the study was conducted, include the American robin, Carolina wren, blue jay, and tufted titmouse.

Perhaps bird anatomy is pretty much the same among all variations of flying birds, but even slight differences could produce variant results. However, the Virginia study is helpful in that it suggests that our car-buying habits and automobile usage may be contributing factors to the prospect of our vehicles getting bombed by whatever birds are in our vicinity.