Species Info

PIGEONS (ROCK DOVES)

Did you know that Pigeons are not considered ‘Wildlife” but are classified as Domestic. The grey pigeons we see out at our parks and in our cities are also known as a ‘Rock Doves”. Long ago, they used to inhabit high rocks near the sea-coast, in the cavities where they lived the greater part of the year. Eventually Pigeons were even bred and used during the war! They were dropped via plane under the cover of night, throughout Nazi occupied territories, in small cages with a parachute and a tiny tube tied to one leg. Stationary was provided in the cage so that the people who found the little agents could write and attach coded messages and with their homing instincts, these pigeons would fly those messages back to their handlers. Many pigeons were lost and injured during these missions and formed small flocks in urban centers where food was readily available. Now that they are urbanized they construct their nests in whatever out-of-the-way, covered spots they can find, such as church towers, abandoned buildings, building ledges or beneath bridges.

It’s a rare thing to see a baby pigeon ( which is why most people don’t recognize them when they do!) This is largely due to the fact that squabs (baby pigeons) stay in the nest for a very long time: the nestling period from hatching to fledging typically lasts more than 40 days, roughly twice that of most garden birds. During this time, the parents feed their chicks with a regurgitated “crop milk” rich in protein and fat. So when squabs finally leave the nest they are fully grown and almost indistinguishable from adults. ** Which is why if you find a baby pigeon, you should not try to feed it insects or seeds, but instead get it to a rehabber who has the correct formula to feed it and knows how to do this without risking aspiration **

One way you can identify a juvenile pigeon who is young but ready to leave the nest is by its cere* – that little growth that sits on top of the beak – in a juvenile it will be a pinky grey rather than bright white as it is in adults and juveniles do not yet have the green and purple iridescent plumage on their necks.

IF you see a hatchling, nestling or fledgling pigeon on the ground and you can’t locate the nest – that pigeon needs help! They are not like other birds where fledglings leave the nest early and pop around before flighted. They stay put! Unlike most other species, parents will not find or continue to care for it if you place it in a tree or bush nearby. If its not in the nest – parents rarely will feed it.

Other times to rescue a pigeon:

If the bird has been caught by a cat
Any bird which has been bitten by a cat, regardless of its age, will need rescue and treatment. There is bacteria in cat's saliva which will pass into the bird’s bloodstream when it is bitten. Without antibiotics within a few hours of the attack the bird may develop fatal septicaemia. Urgent action is required with cat bites.

If the bird is obviously injured
If you can see an open wound, or a wing or leg is obviously damaged then the bird needs help. Survival in the wild is unlikely with an injury that grounds a pigeon. The only defence a pigeon has is its flock - Safety in numbers! Although they can give a mighty wing-slap if you get too close and they want you gone.

FACT: Pigeons do not make humans sick. There has not been a single documented case where a human has gotten sick from contact with a pigeon. **An area where pigeon feces collects and grows moldy is what can make you sick but that’s true for most birds and some mammals.**

FACT: Pigeons may or may not have feather mites. These mites pose no threat to humans, dogs or cats! They are specific to birds so there is no danger of infestation of other animals.

FACT:A pigeons drive to fly ‘home’ is so strong that many will fly to exhaustion to achieve this. Racing pigeons have been known to fly hundreds of miles to get home.

FACT: Pigeons can fly at altitudes up to and beyond 6000 feet, and at an average speed of 77.6 mph. The fastest recorded speed is 92.5 mph.

FACT: Pigeons are super smart birds! After the second world war - When testing pigeons they found many interesting things which indicate that pigeons are actually surprisingly intelligent; they can multi-task, they can learn things and make choices, they can recognize other pigeons and are capable of discrimination, they can tell the time and remember things!

FACT: Pigeons mate for life and both parents raise the babies and produce Crop Milk to feed them.

HERO PIGEONS

During the First World War a pigeon named Cher Ami (dear friend) saved the lives of many French soldiers by carrying a message across enemy lines in the heat of battle. Cher Ami was shot in the chest and the leg, losing most of the leg to which the message was attached, but continued the 25-minute flight avoiding shrapnel and poison gas to get the message home. Cher Ami was awarded the French ‘Croix de Guerre’ medal for heroic service.

Another heroic pigeon named G.I. Joe saved the lives of a thousand soldiers in World War 2 after British troops had established a position within an Italian town that was due to be bombed by allied planes. Communication equipment was down and the only means of stopping the raid was to attach a hastily written message to G.I. Joe and send him to the allied HQ. G.I. Joe flew 20 miles in 20 minutes arriving at the air base whilst the planes were taxiing on the runway. Disaster was averted with 5 minutes to spare. G.I. Joe received the ‘Dickin’ medal for his bravery.