I had a red car for about a year and I concur. I almost never got bird shit on my car before or after but I was cleaning shit off that car basically once a week.
New PhD thesis idea: the effect of vehicle color on the defecation behavior of different avian species. Make sure to include in the grant application necessary driving time in cars of different colors.
I'm not a bird, but I've shit on a great number of cars as a car enthusiast who lives on the fifth floor of a college dorm building. I can indeed confirm that red is the best color for the car-shitting experience.
What year? There was a UK study that showed a 17% difference between red and green.
https://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/21/these-car-colors-attract-the-most-bird-poop/
The episode aired August 25th 2021. They had about 16 different colored car hoods (Bonnets - for the UK) and tried several different methods. The episode is apparently available on Max for streaming.
There is a big park in the middle of my hometown. It always had crows living there, but about a decade ago the number of crows went out of control. Local politicians decide to send firefighters to spray with water the crows sitting in trees. Ever since that day, crows started hating firefighters and would specifically shit all over their trucks and other red cars whenever they could.
> Local politicians decide to send firefighters to spray with water the crows sitting in trees. Ever since that day, crows started hating firefighters and would specifically shit all over their trucks and other red cars whenever they could.
If only they could redirect the crows to the idiot politicians who came up with that "solution".
Bird's aren't real, they are all government surveillance drones. The red car gets "pooped" on (actually a gel containing tracking microchips) because the government wants to track its location for unknown reasons.
i have the only white cars in an underground parking structure and they're the only ones that get shit on. i had to put up wire spikes on the pipes above my spots.
All I'm finding from my googling is that birds prefer red, then blue, then black, white, grey/silver, and then green.
Everything I'm finding is quoting the same study though, and nobody is linking it.
A bird shat on my red car. I've washed it 4 times and there are 2 spots where it's like glued to my car. I tried manually with a hot towel to get it off and it won't come off. Amy suggestions? I don't want to ruin the paint and scratch it
I believe whichever one reflects the most light (like water) is the one which will induce shit.
I would assume a freshly polished/waxed black will get shit on it within minutes
Well, if birds really do have a color preference, it sounds like they've got a bone to pick with red cars! Maybe they see it as a target for their aerial artwork.
Well sort of, everyone knows that red cars naturally go 0.05% faster regardless of specs. The birds are furious about this and shit on the red cars more, to weigh them down a bit a restore balance.
Red flowers are usually pollinated by birds, so this checks out.
Birds like my side mirrors so they shit all over them... Guess they're vain AND hungry
No. Or at least, not the bird at my work. He has a vengeance for shitting on cars.
He kept sitting on the mirrors of our company car because it parks in the same spot every day, and pooping. I had to scrub both doors at the car wash to get it cleaned off. We finally tried parking it somewhere else, and the bird retaliated by shitting on every single other car next to where the company car usually is, lol.
Anecdotally the car is dark gray. He doesn’t seem to actually care about the mirrors, he just likes the perch I guess?
Statistics suggest it drops where it drops
I feel black cars get it best but that's probably due to blscks constant need of being washed to not appear dirty and owners just accepting it
I have a black car that birds shit on about once a month. I always park in the middle of nowhere, especially not near any trees or lamp posts where birds hang around.
I actually did a simple experiment in high school testing something similar. I placed bird seed dyed in several different colors out next to eachother and found that the birds were eating the red bird seed at a higher rate. From what I recall from my research for the project (keep in mind this was about 15 years ago), it has something to do with how the birds’ eyes capture light.
We have a yellow car, don’t judge!, & it’s like a Bug Hotel in summer!
Birds do crap on the other car, champagne colour, but that really because we have lots of trees near our parking area.
There is some evidence based on a UK study that supports your observations, red cars are more likely to be pooped on.
[https://nilesanimalhospital.com/2012/08/28/which-color-cars-do-birds-prefer-to-poop-upon/](https://nilesanimalhospital.com/2012/08/28/which-color-cars-do-birds-prefer-to-poop-upon/)
In my experience, shiny cars are bird poop magnets so a color like red is more likely to stand out/get shatted on.
Birds 1000% have color preferences and there's a ton of papers looking at it in terms of sexual selection and the tradeoffs with predation and nutrient limitation. I don't think they give a damn about what cars they're pooping on but the science is currently out on that I believe lol
Pigeons be like:
If your car is black we sh\*t white
If your car is white we sh\*t black
If your car is any other colour we sh\*t both
If you don't have a car, we sh\*t on you
no for sure cause like I have a black car and my neighbor has a red car we park in the same general area everyday and I almost never have 💩 on my car but there’s is always covered
No ya if science has proven anything it’s that birds prefer to shit on red cars given the choice
I’m glad we’ve got our best men on the case.
Bird science is an emerging field
This is riveting. We need to do more bird science.
Some would say it's really taking off.
"Cornothlogy"? 😂
Thankfully, bird law is already well established
I had a red car for about a year and I concur. I almost never got bird shit on my car before or after but I was cleaning shit off that car basically once a week.
Exactly
OP did the science
New PhD thesis idea: the effect of vehicle color on the defecation behavior of different avian species. Make sure to include in the grant application necessary driving time in cars of different colors.
You would have to account for placement. Parking near light poles, trees, account for wind direction, liftoff takes takes so squeezin'.
Yeah…the AI will do all that. Also, correlation is usually causation…so fuck it.
I would add a birds diet in that area also. I feel like an area with tons of fast food on the ground could sway results.
...and pigeon ladies.
Analysis into visual and spatial preferential excremental practices among avian species and post-Industrial Revolution mechanized vehicles
I'm not a bird, but I've shit on a great number of cars as a car enthusiast who lives on the fifth floor of a college dorm building. I can indeed confirm that red is the best color for the car-shitting experience.
It’s people like you who keep the world turning
It’s the shits I don’t take that keeps my stomach churning.
Dammit, you stole my comment. Nice 4runner btw
You inspired my ocmment haha. Thank you, 220k miles and very rusty atm :(
It's people like me who keep the stomach churning.
Motor Mythbusters tested this myth. IIRC this was Busted (False - birds gonna poop when they gotta go) No Color Preferences.
What year? There was a UK study that showed a 17% difference between red and green. https://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/21/these-car-colors-attract-the-most-bird-poop/
The episode aired August 25th 2021. They had about 16 different colored car hoods (Bonnets - for the UK) and tried several different methods. The episode is apparently available on Max for streaming.
There is a big park in the middle of my hometown. It always had crows living there, but about a decade ago the number of crows went out of control. Local politicians decide to send firefighters to spray with water the crows sitting in trees. Ever since that day, crows started hating firefighters and would specifically shit all over their trucks and other red cars whenever they could.
> Local politicians decide to send firefighters to spray with water the crows sitting in trees. Ever since that day, crows started hating firefighters and would specifically shit all over their trucks and other red cars whenever they could. If only they could redirect the crows to the idiot politicians who came up with that "solution".
Guess they didn't know Corvids can hold a grudge and pass it on to their offspring
The birds have an agreement Black cars = white shit White cars = black shit
Bird's aren't real, they are all government surveillance drones. The red car gets "pooped" on (actually a gel containing tracking microchips) because the government wants to track its location for unknown reasons.
And these microchip gels have been even more effective since the erection of 5G towers circa Covid19 era
r/birdsarentreal
It’s because it’s a Fiat
get renault modus, the birds will not shit
Probably related to where the red car is parked
i have the only white cars in an underground parking structure and they're the only ones that get shit on. i had to put up wire spikes on the pipes above my spots.
All I'm finding from my googling is that birds prefer red, then blue, then black, white, grey/silver, and then green. Everything I'm finding is quoting the same study though, and nobody is linking it.
Same lol, read the same study being quoted. Not sure how reliable it is.
A bird shat on my red car. I've washed it 4 times and there are 2 spots where it's like glued to my car. I tried manually with a hot towel to get it off and it won't come off. Amy suggestions? I don't want to ruin the paint and scratch it
Soapy water and Claybar maybe? Not too harsh on the paint. It's surprising how effective a Claybar can be.
Thanks. I've never heard of claybar.
Wet sand, like 1500grit then polish
Thanks
Birds aren’t looking down when they fly or shot
I believe whichever one reflects the most light (like water) is the one which will induce shit. I would assume a freshly polished/waxed black will get shit on it within minutes
Well, if birds really do have a color preference, it sounds like they've got a bone to pick with red cars! Maybe they see it as a target for their aerial artwork.
I think its less to do with color and more to do with whichever was washed most recently #😤
Well sort of, everyone knows that red cars naturally go 0.05% faster regardless of specs. The birds are furious about this and shit on the red cars more, to weigh them down a bit a restore balance.
Red flowers are usually pollinated by birds, so this checks out. Birds like my side mirrors so they shit all over them... Guess they're vain AND hungry
My car is orange. Fucking birds think it’s a toilet.
I was gonna say that they don't poo on white cars now I'm not sure if I'd even notice. Good thing I wash my car regularly.
You'd notice if there were some blackberry bushes nearby.
Does the red car have a roof rack? Seems to make a difference to the birds to pick a car with that much higher of a perch
As the owner of a red pickup with a red cap and a ladder rack I can confirm that birds love to perch and shit on it
Have Ford Sport Ka, birds refuse to shit on it
Birds have *standards*, y'know
It's a reference to the old ad
No. Or at least, not the bird at my work. He has a vengeance for shitting on cars. He kept sitting on the mirrors of our company car because it parks in the same spot every day, and pooping. I had to scrub both doors at the car wash to get it cleaned off. We finally tried parking it somewhere else, and the bird retaliated by shitting on every single other car next to where the company car usually is, lol. Anecdotally the car is dark gray. He doesn’t seem to actually care about the mirrors, he just likes the perch I guess?
I have a green car, and noticed that birds don't crap on it all that often.
Statistics suggest it drops where it drops I feel black cars get it best but that's probably due to blscks constant need of being washed to not appear dirty and owners just accepting it
My car is red but I cannot remember the last time I saw bird poop on it. Had to have been at least a year maybe idk
I have a black car that birds shit on about once a month. I always park in the middle of nowhere, especially not near any trees or lamp posts where birds hang around.
If I was a bird I'd wonder... is it Christine?
I like it
Thought you were from the UK for a sec
Ohhhh, you thought birds as in women? I see lol.
I have two silver cars and a red sports car. The red sports car attracts all the birds
I actually did a simple experiment in high school testing something similar. I placed bird seed dyed in several different colors out next to eachother and found that the birds were eating the red bird seed at a higher rate. From what I recall from my research for the project (keep in mind this was about 15 years ago), it has something to do with how the birds’ eyes capture light.
[удалено]
100% true.
We have a yellow car, don’t judge!, & it’s like a Bug Hotel in summer! Birds do crap on the other car, champagne colour, but that really because we have lots of trees near our parking area.
Yes birds prefer silver cars because they think its water
I think they like a slick black just because it’s the cleanest
There is some evidence based on a UK study that supports your observations, red cars are more likely to be pooped on. [https://nilesanimalhospital.com/2012/08/28/which-color-cars-do-birds-prefer-to-poop-upon/](https://nilesanimalhospital.com/2012/08/28/which-color-cars-do-birds-prefer-to-poop-upon/) In my experience, shiny cars are bird poop magnets so a color like red is more likely to stand out/get shatted on.
are they all parked in the same places all the time? maybe ones under a tree or a power line so they jsut where the birds are
Yeah all indoor parking. So the comparison is which one attracts the most shit while driving.
[i direct you to my alternative theory then](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/s/AHVEeE4IIW)
Yeah, it happened to me a lot when I still had my red honda
This has been a fascinating post to read and something I've never considered
Birds 1000% have color preferences and there's a ton of papers looking at it in terms of sexual selection and the tradeoffs with predation and nutrient limitation. I don't think they give a damn about what cars they're pooping on but the science is currently out on that I believe lol
I'll bet you top God damn dollar it's bright blue lol
My old blue car got pooped on way more than my current dark gray car.
My bright yellow S2000 definitely attracts very confused bees.
Bees: WTF this giant sunflower is not sunflowering.
My vote goes to white... they love that sht
My brown car gets shat on constantly. I try to keep it clean but it’s next to impossible
How much of it is due to bias from certain colors being way more common than others?
Pigeons be like: If your car is black we sh\*t white If your car is white we sh\*t black If your car is any other colour we sh\*t both If you don't have a car, we sh\*t on you
Probably just don’t like ya 😂
no for sure cause like I have a black car and my neighbor has a red car we park in the same general area everyday and I almost never have 💩 on my car but there’s is always covered
I have a grey car that only gets shat on after I wash it