In principle, you may not mind birds nesting on your roof too much to start with. You may actually be happy to give some local birds a home. However, if you have a metal roof, your new feathered friends could quickly give you a headache by damaging your roof.

Why don't birds and metal roofs mix? What can you do to bird-proof your roof?

How Birds Damage Metal Roofs

Birds themselves won't do much harm to your metal roof, but their droppings can be a big problem. If your roof becomes a home or a regular hang-out spot for local birds, then they'll leave their droppings all over it.

Bird droppings contain a relatively high amount of acid. Over time, these droppings can eat into the paint on metal roofs. Left alone, these droppings can even start to make the roof rust and corrode. Once this happens, your roof won't be weatherproof; it won't cover your home adequately.

Plus, if you have a lot of bird activity on your roof, the birds can mess with your guttering. Their droppings will end up in there too, and they may pick stuff off the roof which ends up in your gutters. If you get enough of a build-up, your gutters could get damaged and even blocked.

How to Keep Birds Off Your Roof

Without bird-proofing, a metal roof is an easy place for birds to hang out and even nest. This may be more of a problem for you if your roof has oddly-shaped nooks and crannies on it. These areas look like great nesting sites for many birds.

To encourage birds to stay off your roof, you can install some devices that make it harder for them to be up there. For example, birds can't perch or nest on roof spikes. Or, if you have odd areas where birds like to nest, then covering these areas with mesh or netting covers may keep the birds away.

It also helps to put guards on your gutters. These guards close gutters off so birds can't get in them or interfere with their smooth running. This also takes away a water source which may have attracted some birds to your roof in the first place.

If you aren't sure how to bird-proof your roof, talk to local roofing companies. They can take a look at your roof and recommend ways to keep birds off it. If you already have some damage from bird droppings, ask about roofing repair to fix the damage before it turns into a real problem.