MYTH: Resident Canada geese defecate up to 92 times a day, for an average total of 1/3 cup of dry feces and one pound of wet feces. The feces contain many harmful bacterium, including: Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter, Giardia and Salmonella.

FACT: No research supports these notions. "Geese feces are no more dangerous than other feces and probably a lot less so than human feces," says David E. Stalknecht of the University of Georgia, who co-authored a study on bird droppings for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Geese present no more of a health risk than any other species, including cats and dogs, says Dr. Julia Murphy, public health veterinarian for the Virginia State Department of Health. “Certainly there’s a possibility of pathogens (disease-causing bacteria) in fecal material but as a particular risk factor in and of itself, there simply is no direct link,” says Murphy. You would have to ingest droppings to experience discomfort (such as mild gastrointestinal cramps or upset stomach), she adds.

Nationally recognized waterfowl specialist Tim Ford, a former Harvard University researcher, also says he knows of no studies linking Canada geese to human health problems. “The science just isn’t there to support that reasoning,” he says. "Numbers of Cryptosporidium associated with Canada geese and waterfowl in general are likely to be unimportant ...in my mind there is no possibility that the Canada goose will ever be a     major route of infection." Ford, now vice president of The University of New England, also points out that Canada geese are exceptionally clean. "They don't frequent garbage sites or hang out near waste plants," he says. "The public should be more concerned about the bacteria associated with surface water used on golf courses than the presence of geese.