by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
If you’re an ornithologist, you call them Columbidae. Some people call them rodents with wings. Most people just call them pigeons.
No matter what you call them, feral (wild) pigeons are part of the urban streetscape in every Downtown in America and they’re here to stay.
Imported to America by the earliest European settlers who raised them as a food source like other barnyard animals, pigeons soon began escaping their confinement. It didn’t take the fugitives long to establish themselves in the wild and today feral pigeons can be found from coast to coast and north to south.
You might wonder why you see so many pigeons Downtown but don’t often spot them in the suburbs. One reason pigeons prefer living Downtown is the environment mimics their natural habitat. In the wild the birds nest on craggy cliff faces, so the urban core’s tall buildings with nooks and crannies like window sills and cornices feels just like home to pigeons. They also often roost underneath bridges.
Some other things you might not know about pigeons:
• Their eyesight is excellent. Like us, they can see colors, but they also can see ultraviolet light, part of the spectrum that is denied to humans.
• Pigeons can hear sounds at much lower frequency than humans. They may explain why they suddenly fly away for no apparent reason. Maybe they heard something we can’t.
• Pigeons mate year-round. Females usually lay two eggs to a nest which are incubated by both the female and male. About 30 days after the birds hatch they are ready to fly.
• When they’re on the ground, pigeons don’t hop like most birds do, they walk or run with their heads moving back and forth. Some pigeons can fly at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and cover a distance of 600 miles in a day, but urban-dwelling examples travel slower and stay close to their food source.
Contrary to popular belief, pigeons don’t carry or transmit diseases any more than other domesticated animals, including common house pets, according to the Association of Pigeon Veterinarians.
• The biggest “problem” associated with feral pigeons is their droppings. If people come in contact with them, illness can result. Also, the droppings are acidic and can stain metal (as in statues) and dissolve limestone (the material used in most Downtown buildings that aren’t constructed of steel and glass).
From a scientific standpoint the biggest issue concerning feral pigeons is that being a nonnative species, they can displace native species like mourning doves, said Donna Bear-Hull, curator of birds at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. She also has insight into another reason there are so many pigeons Downtown.
“That’s where it’s easy to get humans’ leftovers,” said Bear-Hull. A pigeon’s preferred diet is seeds and grains, she added, but they’ll eat just about anything people can. That’s why they are sometimes called, “rats with wings.”
Insects can also be on the menu including bees, wasps, dragonflies and even roaches, something even people who don’t care for feral pigeons might appreciate.
One question that’s often asked is if it’s illegal to feed the pigeons. It’s not prohibited like it is for raccoons, foxes, black bears and panthers, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The State of Florida views feeding feral pigeons the same way it views keeping a bird feeder in your backyard.
There are also no regulations prohibiting keeping domestic pigeons as pets and many people raise racing pigeons and homing pigeons. Feral pigeons should not be trapped and turned into pets, however. Like any other “wild animal” feral pigeons don’t have very good survival chances in captivity.
Love them or hate them, pigeons are part of the Downtown environment and that’s not likely to change.
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