I am looking for experimental data/papers on the salinity and pH of the faeces of a number of commensal bird species in urban environments. In particular I am looking for studies on pigeons, Common/Indian Mynahs, Silver Gulls, Starlings and Sparrows.
I am also keen to hear if people have carried out dietary experiments on these species to see what differences (if any) diet makes on the salinity and pH of the faeces.
Dear Dr Dirk H.R Spennemann,
I have not analyzed pH and salinity in birds faeces. However, I have analyzed pH in urine and vaginal fluid of cow across different reproductive stages.
Thanks Shanmugam. I need bird data as I am looking at the impact they have (via uric acid etc) on buildings...
I would imagine that car manufacturers or at least automobile paint and finish companies would have this data from testing the efficacy of their products. Likewise, some building finish companies and perhaps even guidelines for protecting statues. 2 I found on Google Scholar with "avian feces paint" Environmental, health and safety concerns of decorative mouldings made of expanded polystyrene in buildings
S Doroudiani, H Omidian - Building and Environment, 2010 - Elsevier
... roof. As a result, the surface of the mouldings was covered partly by pigeons' feces. Bird ...
insulation materials. Most bird droppings, especially pigeons', fade paint finishes by
degrading the protective coating and the paint. Remaining longer ...
Cited by 37 Related articles All 3 versions Cite Save
Automotive paint performance
A Jurgetz - Metal Finishing, 1995 - Elsevier
... Bird droppings, as well as the impact of the flora, result in paint defects- especially on new ... Let
us hope that further necessary quality improvements of the paint sys- tems and automotive ... a better
under- standing of the complexity of the clearcoat system in the painting pro- cess is ...
Cited by 10 Related articles All 4 versions Cite Save
Kevin,
thanks for that. Yes I have chased up the automobile paint industry research before. The papers in that area either use a mixture of excreta from roost sites (presumed to be pigeons) or use proxy chemicals (pancreatin).
The same goes for all other papers I have seen. All use mixture of excreta from roost sites,
What I am looking for are experimental data on specific species, hopefully obtained from single bird samples.
Dirk,
Perhaps you will find something useful in the linked article. I found this today while searching for information on the pH of pigeon droppings in the context of a project I am working on. I found your query first, and so came back to share.
Perhaps the information is not as species-specific as you would like, but I think an urban context (where the effects of deposited wastes are likely to be most severe) does not readily lend itself to obtaining the type of "pure" wastes you are trying to find evaluations for. This study also does not seem to take into consideration other possible sources of the salts and acidity in the droppings that were sampled.
Hope this helps in some way-
Kind regards,
Lorraine
Sorry--didn't realize I had to add the link before posting.
https://www.academia.edu/1209643/Soluble_Salt_Minerals_From_Pigeon_Droppings_As_Potential_Contributors_to_the_Decay_of_Stone_Based_Cultural_Heritage
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