How do they get in there? Do they live in there? What do they eat? How do they get out?

I had one come right up on the chair beside me last week, and I'm always wondering how they live in there.

They've been there for as long as I've been here. They fly in through the doors at some point, I guess they were being held open for an extended period of time. They eat a lot of scraps like bread, people feed them a lot because they'll sit on the back of the chair or on the table with you.

MUSC staff keep saying they're going to trap them and set them free but I don't ever see it happening, they don't really bother anyone.

I worry that they won't get enough food. All they can eat is get what people give them and what they find in the garbage.

Someone should be bird feeders up with bird seed - then they're less likely to fly low near the food.

The school wouldn't put bird feeders up because that would cause more mess than they already do with their poop.

Think about all the people that pass through the student center with food, a good chunk of those people feed the birds if they have anything to give them. If they've survived for the 3 years that I've been here I'm sure they're doing well.

I've always known about the birds, but, I never thought about the poop. I wonder where it goes.

And as for the MSU, its very difficult to capture those birds. I dont blame them for not trying. Plus, they'll just get back in

I've never seen anyone feed them. I wonder what they eat during the Christmas break when no one is in there. I've also never seen any bird poop.

I've seen'em poop while standing on the back of a chair. The MUSC cleaners are very good

I don't know what they'll eat over the Christmas break, perhaps the cleaners feed them too?

the student centre gets disgusting... maybe they eat that stuff...

its cute when they fly by

i love the little buggers, i mean when they fly past ur head it gets kinda annoying but it brings a different feel to the student centre.

I thought they got in through holes in the roof...they're small enough, depending on how big the holes are, but that just means the school is wasting energy because the heating would be leaking.

They definitely live off crumbs and people feeding them. They could have enough fat stored in their bodies to last the winter break (it's only 2 weeks anyway). Also, they drink sometimes from the water fountains.

Originally Posted by nh999

Also, they drink sometimes from the water fountains.

How do they manage to do that?

Also, I'm almost sure it hasn't been the same birds for the past three years. They probably come and go - I don't think its like they're trapped in there forever. It's just a building - with many exits.

I'm not sure birds are smart enough to coordinate when they need to fly through the doors... or if they even know that the doors lead to the outside. I mean... they are birds. Unless there ARE some holes in the roof somewhere

Originally Posted by stevennn

How do they manage to do that?

Usually if someone has just finished using the fountain, there is still some water dripping afterward and they just peck at it. I've seen it happen multiple times now. I didn't mean that they physically press the button and drink from the fountain...

There should be peacocks on campus also.