guano and the bridge collapse
 

"Inspectors began documenting the buildup of pigeon dung on the span near downtown Minneapolis two decades ago. Experts say the corrosive guano deposited all over the span's framework helped the steel beams rust faster.

Although investigators have yet to identify the cause of the bridge's Aug. 1 collapse, which killed at least 13 people and injured about 100, the pigeon problem is one of many factors that dogged the structure.

"There is a coating of pigeon dung on steel with nest and heavy buildup on the inside hollow box sections," inspectors wrote in a 1987-1989 report.

In 1996, screens were installed over openings in the bridge's beams to keep pigeons from nesting there, but that didn't prevent the building of droppings elsewhere.

Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and acids, said chemist Neal Langerman, an officer with the health and safety division of the American Chemical Society. If the dung isn't washed away, it dries out and turns into a concentrated salt. When water gets in and combines with the salt and ammonia, it creates small electrochemical reactions that rust the steel underneath."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...3D81.DTL&tsp=1

revenge for the passenger pigeons extinction.

How does that compare to the tons of salt they spread on the roads in the winter there?

Given that the pigeons are reportedly judgement proof, it compares very favorably from the city and the state's point of view.

Good question. I imagine a difference may be that the dung is there 24x7x365 and caked on, whereas the winter salt is seasonal.

but the amount of salt in salt is about 1 billion times more than in guano.

I'm sure there is a little of that too.

I'm not the guardian of guano or the defender of dung. I report, you decide.

I don't believe pigeon shit is considered guano. According to dictionary.com guano comes from bats and sea birds:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/guano

"Don't we have a deal with the pigeons?"
"Of course we have a deal. They get out of the way of our cars, we look the other way on the statue defecation."