One day I was in a nearby city and saw that the trees in the parking lot were topped and heavily thinned. I found out that the trees were topped and heavily thinned to get rid of the birds. You may notice in the picture that they even topped a Magnolia tree. Now, I know that this place has a terrible bird problem and with the drought the bird droppings are unbearable (p.s. the rain washes away the droppings).

Thinning and topping your trees will not get rid of the birds. The birds will return once the tree leafs out and grows new branches. What the tree trimmer did was create weak branches that will easily fall off in a wind.

The only reliable way to rid your trees of birds is to remove the tree. Someone sold this business waterfront property in Arizona!

Please do not top your trees for any reason. It is an unreliable way of pruning trees. If your tree trimmer wants to do this then you should find another tree trimmer.

Proper thinning of the tree's canopy increases light and air circulation, and reduces wind resistance and the occurrence of some diseases. A properly pruned tree is safer with strongly attached branches, more beautiful in form and its size is better controlled.