How to Keep Owls Away

Co-authored by Scott McCombe

Last Updated: February 14, 2024

Owls can be a concern for homeowners with pets or small livestock such as chickens or rabbits, because occasionally they hunt small animals at night. Fortunately, you can keep owls away with certain frightening techniques or by changing the habitat to make hunting more difficult for them. Great horned owls and barn owls are most likely to hunt at night in a quiet, open field area where they can see from atop a high perch.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Noise to Scare an Owl

Download Article

1
Yell or clap your hands near the owl if you see it. Owls typically try to avoid human contact and noises. If you see an owl lurking around your property, be as loud as you can to chase it off. Sometimes simply increasing human activity in an area, like setting up and using a fire pit and chairs in your yard, can deter an owl from trying to hunt near your home.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- The only type of owl known to attack people is the great horned owl, and it only does this if its nest and young are threatened. Great horned owl nests are typically only found high in trees of a forest habitat.
- Avoid going near a great horned owl nest, or take precautions like wearing a helmet or using an umbrella if you must walk near one.
2
Create a noise device with aluminum cans or wood. Owls generally don’t like loud noises while they are hunting. Try tying up aluminum cans close together on a string and hanging them from your chicken coop or porch to keep an owl away. Or construct a wooden clapper by hinging together 2 pieces of wood about 2 ft (0.61 m) in length that will make a loud noise when clapped together.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Use the wooden clapper manually to make a loud banging noise if you see an owl in your yard.
- Owls may become used to some noises, so always using the same noise can be less effective over time. Try to use various noise methods for the best results.
EXPERT TIP

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist
Scott McCombe is the CEO of Summit Environmental Solutions (SES), a family-owned local pest solutions, animal control, and home insulation company based in Northern Virginia. Founded in 1991, SES has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded “Top Rated Professional,” and “Elite Service Award" by HomeAdvisor.

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist

Startling the owls may be the only legal recourse for removing them. Birds of prey are federally protected in the US, and they therefore cannot be touched or harmed without serious fines and legal repercussions. The only strategy that can be legally implemented is harassment using noise, lights, effigies, and pyrotechnics. Sometimes permits will be required, depending on the circumstances.

Advertisement
3
Fire off a firecracker or gun with blanks near, not at, the owl. A very loud noise that’s sure to scare off an owl is a firecracker or gun. It is illegal to kill an owl in the U.S., so be sure to keep the pyrotechnic device or gunshot a safe distance of 50–100 yd (46–91 m) away from the owl.
- Check with local government authorities about pyrotechnic and gun use regulations in your area before using these devices to frighten an owl.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Creating Barriers

Download Article

1
Remove perching areas from the vicinity when possible. Owls like to scout their potential prey from the tops of trees and other high structures. When possible, remove trees and other potential perches that are within 100 yd (91 m) of your animals’ enclosures or your home.
- Be sure that the trees or other perches in your area are on your property, and not a neighbor’s, before having them removed. If they are on a neighbor’s property, discuss your concerns regarding owls in the area and find out if removing perching locations is an option.
2
Place roosting spikes on perching areas. If you’re unable to remove a tree or other perching area, try placing large roosting spikes where you have seen owls or other predatory birds hanging out. Roosting spikes can be purchased online and at home improvement stores, and are often called “pigeon spikes” because they are also used to deter pigeons from perching.
- These spikes can be especially helpful to place near your gutters, as owls will also sometimes use a roof ledge as their place to spy on smaller animals.
- Because the spikes don’t harm birds, and simply prevent them from gathering in a favorite location, they are a favorite legal means of getting wild birds to move to a different location.
3
Call professional wildlife authorities if your barriers do not work. Barriers may not work if an owl has a nest nearby; it will find other places in the vicinity to perch and hunt. If a nearby owl nest is causing you problems, do not attempt to relocate the owls or nest on your own. Owls can become defensive of their nests and attack intruders, causing injuries with their beaks and talons.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Professional authorities will provide you with guidance on how to handle problems arising from a nearby owl nest. They will be able to use professional methods to trap and relocate the owl and its nest.
EXPERT TIP

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist
Scott McCombe is the CEO of Summit Environmental Solutions (SES), a family-owned local pest solutions, animal control, and home insulation company based in Northern Virginia. Founded in 1991, SES has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded “Top Rated Professional,” and “Elite Service Award" by HomeAdvisor.

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist

You may need to clear prey animals out of the area. Trapping or hunting squirrels, rabbits, and other rodents to manage their populations may encourage the birds of prey to move on to another area. Also, clear out any areas the prey animals might find attractive, like windfalls, woodpiles, overgrowth, groundcover, standing water, and storage or clutter.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Confusing or Frightening an Owl

Download Article

1
Install night lights with strobes near your home or livestock area. Owls are most comfortable hunting in the dark and will try to stay away from well-lit areas. They especially dislike strobe lights; there are owl-specific night lights on the market that emit a red strobe that can be particularly effective.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Find bird-deterrent lights online or at a home-improvement store in your area.
- Install the light near the area you want the owl to avoid, such as a chicken coop or backyard, according to the product instructions.
- Keep chickens enclosed at night so they cannot see the light; having lights on at night can disrupt their sleep cycles.
2
Use a round mirror to trick the owl into thinking it has competition. Sometimes referred to as a “hawk globe,” there is a round, globe-like mirror available on the market used to deter predatory birds. Place the mirror in the owl’s flight path in the areas you want the owl kept away from.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Once the owl has seen its reflection in the mirror, it may not return to the area because it thinks it has predatory competition there.
- You can find globe shaped mirrors online or at home improvement stores in the garden and patio section.
3
Try an owl or hawk decoy. Similar to the idea of the mirror, using a predatory bird decoy may effectively keep owls away. Owls are lone hunters, so they tend to avoid areas that another bird has made into its territory.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- With this option, you will need to move the decoy around once or twice a week to prevent the owl from figuring out it’s not a real bird.
4
Rotate a scarecrow around your yard. Another option is to set up a scarecrow in your yard or livestock area. You will need to move the scarecrow’s location and position 2-3 times a week to prevent the owl from realizing it’s not a real person.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you don’t want to put in the effort of moving a scarecrow around, consider an “electric scarecrow.” This is actually just a high-powered water hose with a movement sensor that blasts water toward an animal. Check to be sure that the water pressure is not lethal to an owl if it gets hit before using this option.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Keeping Your Pets Safe

Download Article

1
Bring pets inside at night. The most effective way to ensure that your dog or cat will not be attacked by a great horned owl is to keep it inside at night. While it’s rare that these owls attack household pets, cases of extreme hunger will drive them to do so.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Puppies and kittens are at a greater risk because of their size and their lack of experience with predators. Keep young litters inside an enclosed structure at night.
2
Keep chickens or rabbits in an enclosed coop or pen. Chickens and rabbits are often kept in pens to prevent escape and provide protection from weather, but be sure that your enclosure has no gaps larger than 1 in (2.5 cm) that an owl can break into. The most effective pen or coop has a small wooden building structure, with an outdoor area for eating and lounging during the day that’s enclosed in 1 in (2.5 cm) poultry wire.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Try to bring your animals into their wooden structure each night to prevent them from even being seen by predatory birds.
EXPERT TIP

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist
Scott McCombe is the CEO of Summit Environmental Solutions (SES), a family-owned local pest solutions, animal control, and home insulation company based in Northern Virginia. Founded in 1991, SES has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded “Top Rated Professional,” and “Elite Service Award" by HomeAdvisor.

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist

Our Expert Agrees: The most effective way to protect live stock like chickens from an owl or hawk is to keep them in a covered forage area using tight mesh fencing and bird exclusion netting.
3
Keep a rooster to protect chickens. If you have chickens, a great way to protect them is by having a rooster nearby. A rooster will defend hens from predators, sometimes putting its own life on the line in the process. An attack from an aggressive rooster will alert an owl that hunting in this chicken coop will not be easy.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Roosters are not allowed in some urban areas; check with your city or county animal control office about local regulations regarding roosters.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

It is illegal to kill any type of owl in the U.S. Do not attempt to trap an owl without professional animal control or wildlife authority guidance. Do not use toxins to get rid of owls, or shoot them.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Great horned owls are the only type of owl that may attack people who wander too close to their nests. Stay away from owl nests, and contact local animal control or wildlife authorities if you discover a nest on your property.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0