Garlic and garlic oil were recently exempted from pesticide registration requirements, increasing the
attractiveness of these substances as candidate vertebrate repellents. Because anecdotal evidence
suggests that garlic may repel birds, the present experiment was designed to evaluate the aversiveness of
garlic to European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Samples of feed were mixed with garlic oil to produce
concentrations ranging from 1.04.1% (vol./mass). All garlic concentrations reduced consumption
relative to consumption of untreated feed in two-cup choice tests (P < 0.05). These results are consistent
with the possibility that garlic oil may be used to repel these birds. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd