Ford uses trained hawk to cut pigeons at Mexican assembly plant
Ford has enlisted a trained hawk to tackle a long-running pigeon problem at its major assembly plant in Hermosillo, northern Mexico. The birds had disrupted equipment and light beams, soiled newly painted cars and posed a potential health risk to workers; the hawk’s patrols have substantially reduced their presence.
Named El Charro, the Harris’s hawk has worked more than 1,170 hours across over 300 flights since starting in July 2025. Its afternoon shifts usually last two to three hours, covering about half the factory’s exterior and helping staff locate nests for removal. Ford says pigeon activity has fallen by around 80 per cent. The approach followed unsuccessful attempts with predator images and recorded calls, and is also used at places such as airports to deter nuisance birds.
- A trained hawk is guarding Ford’s Hermosillo factory from pigeons.
- El Charro has reduced pigeon activity by about 80 per cent.
- Falconry is used as a deterrent and is considered more humane than poison.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Ford faced a genuine operational and occupational health crisis created by pigeons disrupting equipment, contaminating products, and posing hygiene risks to workers. After conventional deterrents failed, the company adopted a solution that is professionally managed, widely accepted at airports and comparable facilities, and arguably more humane than poison or systematic culling. Natural predation represents an ecologically sound management technique with proven effectiveness, and the hawk itself is properly cared for as a working animal.
The case against
Whilst pragmatic, the approach raises legitimate ethical concerns about deliberately using predation to kill sentient beings for operational convenience. Even if initial alternatives failed, the question remains whether more creative or persistent non-lethal options deserved further exploration before resorting to systematic lethal control. The welfare of both the pigeons and the hawk warrants scrutiny beyond viewing the bird merely as an operational tool, particularly given that pigeons are simply attempting to survive in human-altered environments.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “One of Ford’s most important car factories is being protected by a two-foot-tall HAWK with a very appropriate name”.