Feeding pigeons birdseed in the park can be fun, but having these birds settle into your yard may be less appealing. For starters, their droppings contain uric acid, which can damage cars, roofs, and other surfaces over time. And because pigeons are non-migratory and tend to stay in one area year-round, they may repeatedly feed on garden seeds and seedlings. For bird lovers, the cooing and pretty color may be a boon. But if you prefer to keep these birds out of your garden and yard, we have expert-backed strategies to help.

Gardening and bird watching often go hand-in-hand with the feathered visitors bringing joy to many a British home, but experts say there are six things to avoid if you want to attract more avians.

Since mid-November, bird enthusiast Skye Marsh of Las Vegas had been hoping to get the call she received Wednesday afternoon. The lost toucan, appropriately named Sam, had been found.

Birding experts say your outdoor space could be missing several key elements.

Las Vegas is not a good environment for a toucan to be in the wild with its too-hot summers and cold winters, said Donald Price, a professor and biologist at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas who studies how winged animal species adapt to different environments.

Every day, thousands of tourists flock to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip to see the “Fountains of Bellagio,” a choreographed show involving light, music and more than 1,000 fountains shooting water up to 460 feet into the air. This week, a rare bird decided to join them.

Tourists circled the Las Vegas Strip’s impressive Fountains of Bellagio on Tuesday, taking selfies against the lush background of the resort. What they didn’t know was that they may have gotten an exclusive photo with Las Vegas’ hottest new celebrity — the yellow-billed loon, a migratory bird that has taken up residence in the property’s crystal blue waters.