Do birds pee?
Is bird poop actually pee?
Learn far more than you’ve ever needed to know about whether birds pee below!
Do Birds Pee?
No. Birds, unlike mammals, don’t product urine. They don’t pee in the way mammals do. However, they do have kidneys to filter nitrogen waste out of their bodies. Once they have filtered the nitrogen through the kidneys the result is uric acid, which is then expelled through the bird’s poop.
There is one bird that is the exception – the Ostrich. Ostriches have the ability to pee separately from their poop, but they do not have a bladder. They have a pouch that acts similar to a mammal’s bladder.
Ostrich’s pee also changes consistency depending on the amount of water that they have access to.
If there is plenty of water the pee is liquidy, but if the water is scarce their pee becomes viscous.
So again, the answer to your question is both yes and no. Birds excrete their pee through their poop, with the exception of the Ostrich.
Effectively, if you have seen bird poop then you have seen bird pee, too.
How Often Does a Bird Poop?
To answer this question, you almost need to ask about one specific bird, because the truth is that the frequency a bird poops at changes from bird to bird.
Larger birds do not need to poop as often as smaller birds do. In fact, some small birds, like lovebirds, poop every fifteen minutes, or four times per hour.
Parakeets may poop as much as fifty times per day, or twice an hour. A larger bird, like a Macaw, may only need to poop twenty times per day, or about once an hour.
See Also: Facts About Parrots: 16 Fun And Fascinating Parrot Facts!
Do Birds Pee and Poop at the Same Time?
Yes, birds do not have bladders or the ability to pee separately from their poop. Their pee is mixed together with their poop in the intestines.
How do Birds Pee and Poop?
A bird pees by filtering out nitrogen through its kidneys. The uric acid is then mixed in the intestines and excreted along with the bird’s poop.
A bird does not, however, have the body parts to pee separately from its poop like how a human uses the toilet.
What does bird pee look like and what color is bird pee?
It is easy to recognize bird poop, especially when it’s on your freshly washed car. Almost all birds poop, pee included, is white in color and somewhat liquidy inconsistency.
Although, sometimes you can see purple bird poop.
What Makes Bird Poop White?
Bird poop is white thanks to the uric acid that is created in the bird’s kidneys when it filters nitrogen out of its body. When the uric acid mixes with the poop in the intestines it turns the solid waste white.
Do Birds Poop Purple?
Birds that eat a lot of berries may excrete what looks like purple poop.
The color from the berries tints the bird’s poop because the bird has digested the berries so quickly that they do not absorb all of its color.
See Also: What do Birds Eat: Attract More Birds With the Best Food
Is Bird Poop Bad for You?
There are sometimes that bird poop can be good.
Bird poop has been used in facials for hundreds of years to repair skin damage and create healthy glowing skin.
Chicken poop has been used on farms as fertilizer.
It is important to note that bird poop can also be bad for you. Bird poop has the potential to carry and spread diseases.
What Can You Catch From Bird Poop?
Since bird poop can carry and spread disease you should know the potential dangers.
Histoplasmosis
Histoplasmosis, sometimes called cave disease, is an infection that can be found in the feces of both birds and bats. The infection is caused by Histoplasma, a fungus.
You can contract histoplasmosis by breathing in airborne fungal spores. Symptoms include: fever, cough, and lethargy. The infection typically goes away on its own, but sometimes medical attention is necessary.
To avoid getting infected with histoplasmosis, you should avoid areas that contain high amounts of bird or bat poop, such as chicken coops or caves.
Bird flu
The bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a virus that is found in birds throughout the world and occurs naturally.
The likelihood of humans getting bird flu is low, but it does happen.
Transmission of the bird flu from an infected bird to a human happens three different ways.
Direct contact of the affected bird, touching contaminated surfaces, or breathing in contaminated particles in the air are the three ways bird flu is spread.
To avoid bird flu, avoid contact with birds that look sick or that are dead.
Cryptococcosis
Cryptococcosis is another fungus that is found in bird poop and can cause infection. The fungus can become airborne and when inhaled a person can become infected.
Medical treatment is necessary for infected persons. To avoid Cryptococcosis people, especially those with weak immune systems, should avoid areas that are known to have large amounts of bird feces.
Candidiasis
Candidiasis is an infection caused by a yeast, which is also fungal. The infection can potentially harm the lungs, intestines, genitals, and skin.
Medical treatment is required in order to prevent the spread of Candidiasis.
To avoid becoming infected with Candidiasis bird feces, especially from pigeons, should be avoided.
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis, or salmonella, is a bacterial infection. The infection is spread through both birds and raw poultry meat. The bacterial infection affects the intestines.
Medical treatment is usually unnecessary because the infection will go away on its own.
To avoid salmonellosis you should wash your hands if you touch bird poop or raw poultry.
St. Louis Encephalitis
St. Louis Encephalitis, or SLE for short, is transferred from infected bird poop through mosquito bites. If a mosquito eats the infected bird poop it becomes infected, too.
Medical attention is necessary because SLE affects the nervous system and can cause paralyzation or death.
The best way to avoid SLE is to make sure that there is no standing water near your home for mosquitoes to use for breeding.
Wear clothing that covers your body and wear insect repellent if you are going to an area known for lots of mosquitos.
FAQs About Bird Pee and Poop:
What color is bird pee?
A bird’s poop, and essentially its pee, is usually white, but can be purple if the bird has digested a diet of berries too quickly.
Do birds pee and poop at the same time?
Yes, birds pee and poop at the same time.
Do ducks pee?
Ducks pee the same way most other birds pee. It is excreted alongside their poop.
What animals do not pee?
Other animals that do not pee in a style similar to mammals include: amphibians, reptiles, monotremes, and marsupials.
