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Four products: three sets of spikes and one tray of gel dishes. All four are exclusion products — they are sold to stop a bird landing or roosting on a surface, not to do anything to the bird. In this country that distinction is the law, and it comes before the specifications.
Start with your situation
- There is a nest, or one being built. Stop and read this first — every wild bird is protected.
- You do not want spikes on the front of the house. The gel dishes are the one non-spike product here.
- You need to know the ledge depth. Only one listing states one, and it states two different figures — the Defender pack.
- It is seagulls, not pigeons. One listing rules itself out for gulls — where a deterrent does not work.
- You want metal rather than plastic. The stainless steel set covers 3 metres in twelve sections.
Warning
GOV.UK states that all wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law, and that you must always try to avoid harming birds or use measures which do not kill or injure them before considering harmful action. Fitting anything to a ledge that is in use as a nest site is not a product decision.
What You Are Trying to Stop
A bird landing on a ledge, a bird roosting there overnight, and a bird nesting there are three different situations, and only the first two are addressed by anything on this page. The third is governed by the law set out below and by timing, not by a purchase.
The products themselves are narrow. One listing states the ledge depth it is for and the bird it is for — pigeons, not seagulls. The others state a length of coverage and leave the depth unstated, which the comparison table records as “not stated” rather than filling in.
The Legal Position: Every Wild Bird Is Protected
The government’s guidance opens with the general rule: “All wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law.” and sets out the order of operations: “You must always try to avoid harming birds or to use measures which do not kill or injure them before considering taking harmful action.” (GOV.UK). Exclusion — which is what everything here is — sits on the do-not-harm side of that line, provided it is fitted where a bird is not already nesting.
On nests specifically, the same guidance lists among the things that break the law to “intentionally take, damage or destroy a wild bird’s nest while it’s being used or built”. The RSPB’s summary of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 puts the same two offences as “Intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird.” and “Intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.” (RSPB). This page reports those; it does not advise on any particular situation.
Where a Deterrent Does Not Work
On a species the listing excludes. The Defender pack’s own detail rows mark it suitable for pigeons and not suitable for seagulls. A gull problem is not a smaller version of a pigeon problem, and the listing is the one saying so.
On a ledge deeper than the strip. Only one listing gives a ledge figure at all, and it gives two — up to 20 cm in its feature text, 100 mm in its detail row. A ledge deeper than the run of spikes leaves a landing strip behind them, and three of the four listings say nothing about depth.
Where a nest is already in use. Nothing on this page addresses that, and the guidance above is why. Exclusion is fitted before a site is in use, or after it has been vacated.
What Decides the Choice
1. The run of ledge you need to cover
5 metres in 15 strips, 3 metres in 12 sections, or 6 metres of coverage. Those are the three spike listings’ own figures, and they are the first thing to measure against.
2. Spike or gel, and what the surface will take
The spikes are glued, screwed or cable-tied — the Defender listing notes that fixings are not included. The gel dishes are described by their maker as installing without tools, which is a different proposition on a listed frontage or a rented flat.
3. Material, where the weather gets at it
Polycarbonate on one, stainless steel on another, unstated on the third. The stainless listing is the one that makes a corrosion claim, and it is its maker’s.
Wide plastic spikes, 5m — Defender Wide Plastic Bird Spikes
Spikes
Defender Wide Plastic Bird Spikes — 5 Metre Pack
Wide plastic spikes, 5m
- 15 strips of 33.4 cm, as listed, covering a 5 metre run
- Ledge depth stated two ways on the listing: up to 20 cm in the feature text, 100 mm in the detail row
- Polycarbonate plastic; pin height listed as 112 mm
- The detail rows state suitable for pigeons and not suitable for seagulls
- Listed as snappable into smaller sections; fixings are not included
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Fifteen polycarbonate strips of 33.4 cm covering five metres, with a pin height of 112 mm and a listing that marks it suitable for pigeons and not for seagulls. It is the only product here that states a ledge depth, and it states two: up to 20 cm in the text and 100 mm in the rows. Fixings are not included.
Gel dishes, 24 pack — Bird Barrier Optical Gel
Gel bait
Bird Barrier Optical Gel (24 Pack)
Gel dishes, 24 pack
- Pack size stated two ways on the listing: 24 pack in the title, number of pieces 1 in the detail row
- Each dish listed at 6.4 x 6.4 x 0.6 cm
- Ingredients listed as citronella, mint oil, agar and beeswax
- The maker describes it as a humane alternative to bird spikes, installed without tools
- Target species listed as Birds; the maker names roofs, balconies and railings among the surfaces
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The one product here that is not a spike: dishes of gel listed at 6.4 x 6.4 x 0.6 cm, with citronella, mint oil, agar and beeswax as the ingredients, which the maker describes as a humane alternative to spikes needing no tools to fit. Its title says 24 pack while its detail row says one piece, and the card carries both.
Stainless steel spikes, 12 pieces — Stainless Steel Bird Spikes, 3 Metre
Spikes
Stainless Steel Bird Spikes — 3 Metre Pack
Stainless steel spikes, 12 pieces
- 12 sections of 25 cm, as listed, covering 3 metres
- Stainless steel; listed at 660 grams
- The maker describes it as corrosion and weather resistant
- Listed as made in Europe; the maker states installation in 2 to 3 minutes
- The colour row reads "20 Ft", which does not match the 3 metre unit count
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Twelve stainless steel sections of 25 cm covering three metres at 660 grams, listed as made in Europe with a corrosion and weather resistance claim from its maker. Its colour row reads "20 Ft", which does not match the three-metre unit count on the same listing.
Plastic spikes, 6m coverage — Fly-Bye Anti Bird Spikes
Spikes
Fly-Bye Anti Bird Spikes — 6 Metre Coverage
Plastic spikes, 6m coverage
- 6 metres of coverage, as listed
- Pack size stated two ways on the listing: a 15-pack in the feature text, 16 pieces in the detail row
- The maker states 2,500 spikes and an irregular pattern
- Listed as fixable with screws, cable ties, glue or double-sided tape
- The listing also names cats, foxes and squirrels among what it is sold against
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Six metres of coverage from what the text calls a 15-pack and the rows call 16 pieces, with 2,500 spikes in an irregular pattern and a choice of screws, cable ties, glue or tape for fixing. Its listing also names cats, foxes and squirrels among what it is sold against.
If a Product Is Not the Answer
Remove what they are landing for. Food and standing water on a flat roof or a balcony are the reason a ledge is worth returning to.
Look at proofing rather than a strip. Our commercial bird proofing page covers netting and wire systems for larger structures, and our pigeon spikes page covers that category on its own.
Get a licence question answered properly. Where a situation cannot be resolved without affecting a bird, a nest or an egg, the guidance above points to Natural England rather than to a shop.
Fitting Them
- Check the site is not in use first. That is the legal step, and it comes before the drill.
- Measure the ledge, both ways. Length decides how many packs; depth decides whether spikes leave a gap behind them.
- Buy the fixings. The Defender listing states plainly that glue, screws and cable ties are not included.
- Clean the surface for gel. The dishes are described as securing to the surface, which a soiled ledge will not do well.
- Check it after weather. Only one of these listings makes a corrosion claim, and it is the maker’s.
The Four Compared
Every column below is what the Amazon listing itself states. Where a listing states two different figures, both are shown; where it states nothing, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Product | Type | Coverage and pack, as listed | Ledge depth, as listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defender Wide Plastic Spikes | Plastic spikes | 5 m; 15 x 33.4 cm strips | 20 cm (text) / 100 mm (row) |
| Bird Barrier Optical Gel | Gel dishes | 24 (title) / 1 piece (row) | 6.4 x 6.4 x 0.6 cm per dish |
| Stainless Steel Bird Spikes | Stainless steel spikes | 3 m; 12 x 25 cm sections | Not stated |
| Fly-Bye Anti Bird Spikes | Plastic spikes | 6 m; 15 (text) / 16 (row) pieces | Not stated |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bird spikes legal in the UK?
Nothing on this page is unlawful to buy, but the frame around it matters. GOV.UK states that all wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law, and that you must always try to avoid harming birds or to use measures which do not kill or injure them before considering taking harmful action. A deterrent that excludes a bird from a ledge is one thing; anything that injures one is another.
Can I put spikes up where birds are nesting?
The RSPB's summary of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is that it is generally illegal to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, and GOV.UK words the same offence as taking, damaging or destroying a nest while it is being used or built. Work that would do that is not a product question.
Which product is not a spike?
The optical gel. Its maker describes it as a humane alternative to bird spikes, installed without tools on roofs, balconies and railings, with citronella, mint oil, agar and beeswax listed as its ingredients. Whether it suits a given ledge is a question of the surface; whether it works is a claim this page attributes to its maker rather than making itself.
How much ledge will one pack cover?
5 metres in 15 strips, 3 metres in 12 sections, or 6 metres of coverage, on the three spike listings' own figures. The Defender listing is the only one that states a ledge depth, and it states two different ones — up to 20 cm in its feature text and 100 mm in its detail row — so both are on its card.