KEY POINTS:
An Australian town which has tried everything from water cannons to subsonic sounds to rid itself of swarms of starlings has come up with a new idea: fake snakes.
Tamworth has been plagued for years by thousands of the birds roosting in trees in its main shopping area.
The birds' acidic droppings corrode car paint, spatter on the heads of long-suffering locals and deter shoppers.
The town council has tried high-powered water cannons, subjecting the birds to subsonic sounds, capturing them in nets and confusing them with strobe lighting - all to no avail.
Last year the council spent A$75,000 (NZ$87,000) on a variety of deterrents, as well as on clean ups.
Yesterday a new tactic was unveiled. Workers placed 50 rubber snakes in the upper branches of trees along the main street, with another 50 to be deployed today.
It is hoped the 60cm-long snakes will scare the birds into seeking alternative nightly roosts.
"If it works, fantastic, but if not then at least it won't have cost us much," waste services manager John Davis said yesterday.
