Bird Species

Pigeons

While pigeons are often derided as “rats of the sky” for their association with dirty, unsanitary conditions and ability to transmit diseases, they are a remarkably intelligent species. Pigeons are capable of homing, or navigating back to their home from unfamiliar locations, using the Earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves, as well as by following familiar visual landmark cues. Pigeons can also learn and categorize visual images based on commonalities. However, given their large flocks and attraction to rubbish and waste, pigeons can also cause issues for people and property.

  

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Understand the Problem

Issues Caused By Pigeons

  • Uric acid in pigeon feces is highly corrosive and causes damage to metals and other substrates it sits on for long periods
  • Pigeon nesting debris can build up and cause gutters to block and flood and damage roofs.
  • Droppings are full of bacteria and fungal diseases. Pigeons can carry bacterial infections like salmonella, listeriosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis, as well as fungal infections such as histoplasmosis and aspergillosis.

Solutions

How to Manage Issues
with Pigeons

When dealing with pigeons, it’s important to start with their food source, and to stop feeding them, intentionally or otherwise. Before any exclusion deterrents are deployed, it’s important to clean all affected areas of pigeon droppings, using proper equipment to prevent disease transmission. Pigeons can be deterred via exclusion tactics such as:

  • Bird wire
  • Netting
  • Metal exclusions like bird slides
  • Trapping
  • In some cases, Wild Goose Chase recommends using pigeon population control methods, such as OvoControl®.
Diverse Range of Species

Learn More About the Species

Appearance

Most pigeons have dark, blue-grey heads, necks, and chests with glossy yellow, green, and reddish purple iridescence along neck and wing feathers. They can also have plumage in shades of brown, piebald, and even solid white. Their eyes are orange and red with a pale inner ring and blue-grey skin around it. Bill is usually grey-black with off-white area at base and feet are purple-red.

Behavior

Pigeons feeds in flocks and are fairly social.

Diet

Pigeons forage on the ground. They sometimes forage in trees and shrubs. In cities they will eat breadcrumbs, popcorn and rubbish etc. Outside of cities, they will eat waste grain, grass seed, berries, acorns, worms, insects etc.

Habitat

Most common in cities, but can be anywhere (farms, cliffs, bridges etc.).

Nesting

Pigeons may mate for life. In cities, nests are often built on window ledges, rain gutters, etc. Pairs may return to the same site repeatedly. Broods are usually 1-2 eggs, and a pair may have 5+ broods/year.

Migration

While pigeons are not migratory, they have homing ability if displaced.

Protected Status

No, pigeons are not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the US. However, some states and local jurisdictions may have regulations regarding their control.

Sources: The Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird guide, Humane Society of the United States, Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, Birdbusters.com

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