Facts about pigeons

  1. Pigeons are our most common urban bird.
  2. They are amazingly resourceful creatures, able to survive in the midst of predatory humanity.
  3. Even so, up to 35% of a local population may perish annually from natural causes and predators.
  4. Pigeons flock together in large numbers to protect themselves against, cats, rats and foxes.
  5. Even when times are tough and the weather is freezing and stormy, they co-operate with each other and readily accept outsiders into their flock.
  6. They have easy temperaments and are adaptable and hardy, which no doubt accounts for their ability to maintain numbers.
  7. The most widespread misconception about urban pigeons is that they are carriers of disease.
  8. The truth is that the vast majority of people are at little or no health risk and probably have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than contracting disease from a pigeon.
  9. Pigeons pair for life.
  10. Both parents take an equal role in caring for their young.
  11. The chicks are helpless when first hatched and are fed for the first few days on ‘pigeon milk’ regurgitated from both parents’ throats.
  12. The phenomenal navigational abilities of pigeons largely depend on their keen vision and memory for landmarks. Over the centuries these qualities have become legendary.