To the ears of the city pigeon, the roaring traffic in our busy
streets may sound rather like the thunder of the sea. These adaptable
and intelligent birds (along with fancy doves and racing pigeons) have
one common ancestor, the Rock Dove (Columba Livia) which once lived on
British coastlines. Several centuries of domestication have produced
variations in plumage, and now hundreds of the dove's descendants live
on man-made cliffs to the delight or annoyance of their flightless
neighbours.
THE PIGEON'S FAMILY LIFE
Pigeons lay two white eggs on any available ledge. In just under
three weeks the babies hatch and are fed on special pigeon's milk which
is a curd-like substance produced in the crops of both parents.
Gradually the familiar grey feathers replace the yellow down which
covered the newborn pigeon (or squab). Because pigeons favour high,
sheltered nest-sites, squabs are seldom seen. They become independent at
about 2 months old. Any baby pigeon found on the ground who appears
small, still has yellow tufts visible or who squeaks for food or in
fear, is in great danger from cats or traffic etc. PLEASE PICK IT UP as
it is rarely possible to return it to it's nest.
Also you may find pigeons breeding on your balcony, workplace or
roof space. If possible, allow the parents to rear the squabs until they
leave the nest before netting off the area, if their return is
undesirable. Otherwise please persuade those in authority not to ring
the pest control until all juveniles are safely accounted for.
REARING BABY PIGEONS
Most importantly, keep any orphaned babies you may find warm, using
artificial heat if necessary. If the squab is completely without
feathers (only has yellow down), a ventilated box containing a red light
bulb is needed (hot water bottles do not last through the night).
| An alternative: Use a heating pad on the lowest setting. Place
a folded towel on top of the heating pad to further attenuate the
heat, then place the baby's box on top of that, in such a way that
one end of the box is warmed, the other is not. Feel inside; the
warmth should be gentle (cooked baby is not the goal). By
having some of the box less heated, all but the very youngest
infants can crawl away if things get too intense. We usually "tent"
a wash cloth over one end of the box, leaving the other end open. |
Ring a bird rescue centre as
soon as possible. If the baby is fledged, then a cardboard box lined
with kitchen paper in an airing cupboard is adequate.
If you want to rear the bird yourself it is best to feed it 3-4
times a day. Acceptable foods include a mixture fed through a syringe,
wholemeal bread soaked in warm water or milk, canary rearing mix from
pet shops or a mash of warm porridge or digestive biscuit with a little
scrambled or boiled free-range egg (about a third of an egg at first,
increasing to half an egg per day).
| Very young birds, as in that picture above, will need
to be carefully fed. This is not for the faint-hearted, and is best
done only if you have been shown how. Seek guidance fast, in that
case, since the infant needs to be fed. If the bird is a bit older,
options exist. A commonly available bird baby food is Kaytee Exact —
found in most pet stores; mix it according to instructions, on the
thin side. One feeding strategy from Wild Bird Fund: Get a tube (ask
the local doctor or vet for the tube in which a 20ml syringe is
supplied) and an latex exam glove; put the food in the tube, cover
the end with a square cut from the latex glove (held in place with a
rubber band) and cut a slit in the middle. Baby can usually be
convinced this a reasonable mommy substitute, will insert its beak
through the slit and gobble down food. Another option, if the bird
is at least tea-cup size: Puppy Chow or the equivalent (you are
looking for quality protein). Soak the pieces in warm water until
soft — baby may eat up to 20 pieces. You feed baby by gently
prying open the beak (resistance varies among birds...) and popping
a piece well down toward the base of the beak (lest baby be
difficult and spit it out...). Keep an eye on baby's front, just
above the breast bone. That is where the crop is, and you aim to
have that nicely rounded, full but not to overflowing. (WiT
Webmaster) |
Unlike garden birds who gape when hungry, it is necessary for the
squab's beak to be gently opened to receive tiny pellets of food that
should be pushed into the back of the throat. Feed until the crop feels
plump or the bird loses interest. Food can be moistened, but do not
squirt water into the mouth as baby birds can choke or actually drown
this way. Small seeds like millet can be added gradually until the
youngster begins to feed itself. When the squab is old enough to begin
to peck at seeds, provide a shallow dish of water and cage bird grit.
Once it is well feathered (appearing last under the wings), keep the
youngster outside in some sort of cage safe from cats during the
daytime. This will get it used to other birds: encourage it to pick up
it's own seeds and grains and gain beneficial sunlight. Ideally it
should spend some time in a rehabilitation aviary. but if this is not
possible, do ensure the bird can fly properly and eat by itself before
release, allowing it to strengthen and try it's wings in a bedroom or
garage. When you are satisfied that it is able to fend for itself, let
it go in fine weather in a safe area, perhaps a town or city park. well
away from cats where it can join a regularly fed existing flock who have
all year round access to water.
All baby birds are frail. Please do not blame yourself if the
little one dies, even after initial success. Any period of cold weakens
their ability to thrive, and infant mortality in nature is always high.
RECOGNIZING A SICK PIGEON
A sick pigeon will fluff out it's feathers as if it is cold, but in
winter a healthy bird will not allow you close enough to pick it up.
Instinctively, the patient hides, perhaps under a park bench or in a
doorway, and is seen on the ground at dusk when it's fellows have flown
up high to roost. The droppings may appear green and watery, and signs
of bullying by other birds may be visible around the head. Sometimes,
when a pigeon is very ill, it has little chance of survival. But you
will be doing a kind service to an individual by sparing it a slow and
pitiful death, and to the flock by removing a source of infection, if
you rescue it. An injured pigeon may be in shock, limping badly,
drooping a wing or bleeding.
CATCHING THE PIGEON
Pigeons are easier to catch than most birds because they are
semi-tame. The flock to which the patient belongs can be attracted with
corn or unsalted peanuts. A soft cloth, coat or towel is often helpful.
Throw it over the bird from behind whilst it's attention is distracted.
The first attempt is the most important since pigeons (being preyed on
in the wild) quickly become wary of notice. Pigeons very rarely bite.
Their beaks cannot cause injury. Line a cardboard box with something
soft and make a few air holes in it. Pigeons will not die of fright
through such confinement. On the contrary, a warm dark environment is
vital to overcome shock. One may be fearful of causing further pain or
stress by a clumsy catch, but if you leave the pigeon where it is, a cat
with no such qualms will almost certainly find it.
The following, from the original page, is included for
readers at some distance from trained and experienced assistance.
The guidance is sound, but this is not so easy to do as it looks.
(WiT Webmaster)
FRACTURES A pigeon limping or favouring a leg which may be
twisted out of shape should be taken to a wildlife centre or vet who
can Xray and set it. If this is impossible one can use the diagram
below as a guide.Fractures in the upper part of the leg are best
seen by an expert.
Extend the leg and wrap it in wadding to protect the skin from
pressure. Cut a straw to a length that is shorter than the wadding
so the sharp ends do not cut the skin. Slit the straw lengthwise,
fit it over the wadding then cover with adhesive bandage. Leave in
place for 2-3 weeks, longer if necessary.
Birds bones are hollow and very frail. Fractures near joints do
not mend well, and compound or multiple fractures need experienced
attention. The diagram below shows how a clean break to a wing can
be treated.
Fold the fractured wing into it's natural position. A figure of
8 bandage holds a broken wing in place then another bandage is
wrapped over the damaged wing, around the body then under the sound
wing. Leave for about a month.
INJURIES / SHOCK An injured pigeon may be suffering from shock.
This means that blood vessels become inflamed and restrict the blood
supply, particularly to the toes. These feel cold. To counteract
this. keep the bird warm i.e. in a box with a wrapped hot water
bottle. The condition should not last longer than 3 hours. Bach's
Rescue Remedy is helpful (this is an
herbal remedy, found most easily in a health foods store having homœopathic
remedies). Use the same technique if you know the bird is
concussed i.e. it flew into a patio door or car. Keep the box away
from noise.
INJURIES / SHOT One day our society may ban weapons of any
kind, but until then one may find a pigeon who has been shot. Sadly,
this foul practice is not uncommon because pigeons receive no legal
protection. A puncture wound is generally painful and may bleed.
Only a vet can tell if the pellet is still present and remove it to
prevent infection. Part the feathers and clean the area with iodine.
If the wound is bleeding, apply pressure for a full minute with a
finger, swab or cotton bud. This is vital since all birds have a
small blood volume and movement accelerates blood loss. Keep the
patient still. Heavy panting or laboured gasping may mean imminent
death.
INJURIES / CAT ATTACKS Contrary to popular belief, pigeons are
commonly caught by cats. Typical injuries are scratches or holes
under the wings or on the back with considerable feather loss. In
all cases, even if it seems recovered, antibiotics from a vet are
necessary since cat's teeth carry bacteria. Clean the wounds with
TCP (not available in the USA; try
mercuroclear), saline solution or antiseptic spray. Half
an aspirin can be given if the pigeon seems in pain (maybe
a baby aspirin?). Warmth and quiet are essential before
seeking professional advice. Bells on cat's collars and keeping pets
in at night help to reduce casualties.
EXHAUSTION / STARVATION Exhaustion generally applies to racing
birds who have gone beyond their endurance. If one comes down in
your garden etc. it will appreciate some food. A pinch of sugar in
water would also be of benefit. If the breast-bone can be seen or
easily felt, there is muscle wastage and the bird is suffering from
malnutrition and needs help. In most cases the fatigued pigeon
recovers in a day or two and will leave on it's own.
ILLNESS Pigeons suffer from a variety of ailments peculiar to
themselves, the most likely to come across being the Paramixo virus
and throat canker. The virus causes birds to appear fluffed up,
unbalanced or dizzy. They may walk in circles, throw seeds in the
air when eating, hang their heads or have fits. No veterinary
treatment is available as far as we know but the patient almost
always recovers after a lengthy period of rest and care. However, he
or she must be kept separate from other birds for at least 6 weeks.
Canker or Trichomoniasis seems most common in adult collared doves
and young feral pigeons aged between 2 and 5 weeks. It is detected
by a swollen throat, wet or bad smelling discharge from the beak and
unwillingness to fly. This complaint is fatal if not treated with a
drug such as metronidazole bought from a vet. Crop-feeding may be
necessary while healing is underway. Please do not attempt to scrape
away the white growths unless they are severely restricting
breathing, as this may damage the lining of the throat. Keep the
patient away from other birds. As with dealing with any animal,
please observe common-sense hygiene. [This
means, wash your hands both before and after dealing with the bird.
The CDC recommends soap and warm water for long enough to sing the
Happy Birthday song twice through. Regular soap is fine, and
SoftSoap is particularly gentle.] |
GENERAL CARE
During the time the pigeon you rescued is recovering, suggested
containers are a wicker cat basket. rabbit hutch, shed or large box with
strips cut away to permit light. Newspaper bedding is the most suitable
but needs regular changing! Give mixed corn, bird grit and fresh water
in a heavy bowl. If rehabilitation in an aviary is not possible, a spare
room or garage allows one to tell if the pigeon can fly properly prior
to release. Perfect weather conditions for this are sunny and windless,
preferably not in winter. Release near an existing flock where water is
always available.
The following are obiter dicta,
beyond the scope of pigeon care proper. The WiT webmaster concurs in
these views and the Board of Trustees has thus far not objected.
TIPS ON FEEDING PIGEONS
For food, feral pigeons rely on our generosity and wasteful
ways. In the pigeon's interest it is important not to throw food
where notices prohibit it, such as railway station forecourts etc.
Doing so will attract a large flock and consequently adverse
attention from authorities who can and will take action to the
pigeon's detriment. Safe sites are open spaces and parks. It is best
not to feed bread near gutters as hungry birds will be tempted to
follow stray crumbs into the path of traffic. If you can, feed mixed
corn (from pet shops). It is nutritionally superior and is quickly
consumed with less risk of crusts being left to encourage rats and
still more unsympathetic notice. Feeding is especially appreciated
in the winter months, and water should be provided in gardens as all
species drink freely and enjoy bathing.
PERSECUTION
To appreciate and understand pigeons as living sentient
creatures instead of as a 'problem', it is helpful to know something
of their past. The feral's ancestor, the Rock Dove, lived a
difficult life nesting on cliffs or in caves, avoiding ferocious
falcons and gulls, foraging on the shore and inland, as well as
enduring extreme weather conditions, and this created, over the
centuries, a very intelligent and resourceful bird. Sadly, as early
as Roman times, people recognized an opportunity to abuse the Rock
Dove and stole them from their natural habitat to be kept in
specially designed breeding units. One can still see medieval
examples of these cylindrical structures where the baby pigeons were
reared for winter meat. However, when farming practices changed,
most of the dovecots were abandoned and many birds escaped. Although
semi-domesticated and bred with several plumage variations from the
original blue-grey, white rump and two black wing bars, a lot of
these were still as adaptable as their coastal cousins. They sought
refuge on man-made escarpments, and learned to monopolize on the
wasteful habits of humans. Until more recently they were tolerated.
Samuel Pepys mentions that they refused to desert their young during
the Great Fire of London, and Victorian feral pigeons were allowed
to clean up under the nose-bags of draught horses. But as man became
more extravagant with food, the pigeon population has increased.
Human beings are ever blind to their own shortcomings, always
preferring to condemn another species for situations directly
brought about by indolence or neglect. As a result the pigeon,
merely taking advantage, as would we all, of a chance to survive, is
persecuted under a law which permits local authorities to reduce
their numbers by extreme and violent means.
CULLING
All methods of culling involve cruelty and are a misuse of
funds because all they achieve are a temporary gap asking to be
filled by other pigeons moving in from surrounding areas. After a
cull, more food is available to those remaining; hence more pigeons
are fit to breed and less succumb to infant mortality. With these
advantages they can replenish their numbers at an astonishing
degree, to again be the scapegoats for inefficiency, and victims of
misguided priorities and wasted resources. A given pigeon population
will level off to a density rate that the food availability can
sustain. When that point is reached, less robust pairs will not
reproduce and natural losses tend to stabilize flock numbers. So
basically, if left alone the flock will not grow ad infinitum, but
regulate itself without the unnecessary savagery of drugs, falconry,
traps and guns. If their presence is justifiably unwanted, the only
sure (and most humane) way to deter feathered opportunists is to
reduce the amount of refuse we produce and net off roost sites. As
long as mesh is maintained no pigeon should suffer, and the flock
will be stronger and more resistant to disease. This solution is
cheaper, permanent and does not employ armies of mercenaries who
poison the public's mind with ill-informed scare-mongering
propaganda merely to ensure an easy salary. Too many people accept
this ridiculous disregard for life and money, because they choose to
believe 'experts' who have a vested financial interest in promoting
deplorable myths about these birds. What any honest vet will tell
you is that feral pigeons are no more a risk to human health than
any other bird or animal species and it is doubtful than any
outbreak of ill-health has ever been traced to pigeons. Another
common myth is that pigeon's droppings corrode buildings, but these
droppings are neither acidic nor alkaline and cannot corrode
building materials. But pigeons are a convenient visible target for
anyone who would rather pin the blame on them rather than the
sulphur dioxide of car exhausts and acid rain.
EXTINCTION
Contrary to popular notions, pigeons do not carry fleas which
bite humans. They play host to certain parasites, but this they have
in common with all wild creatures, and not even the most hysterical
devotee of hygiene would want every species wiped out because they
harbour a few lice. In fact the only real 'crime' pigeons commit is
leaving an unsightly mess (biodegradable to a greater degree) in a
few corners in our towns and cities, for which they are sentenced to
death by a race which has irreparably polluted the whole planet, the
oceans and even space itself. So are we really justified in
labelling the pigeon as a destructive element? Another most
unpalatable fact concerning their association with man involves
members of their large family who have been made extinct. We are all
familiar with the image of the Dodo, but how many people realise
this gentle flightless islander was actually a pigeon? The Passenger
Pigeon was reckoned to be the most numerous bird in the world until
this century when the very last one died in a zoo, her fellows
having been blown into permanent oblivion by 'sportsmen' glutted on
blood. In all fairness, we owe a debt to pigeons if only as a means
of righting a terrible wrong. Before we attach the word 'vermin' to
any creature, let us learn to consider ourselves not as the dominant
and all-powerful dispenser of malevolence or mercy, but as fellow
beings who display the same desire to preserve our existence in a
state as near approaching happiness as possible.
PIGEONS ARE AMAZING
Pigeons and doves belong to a large and successful family of
289 species, ranging in size from the Diamond Dove which is
approximately 12cm long, to the Crowned Pigeon which is as big as a
female turkey, and in colour from the many-coloured Fruit Dove to
the soft grey Wood pigeon. Our familiar feral pigeon of the streets
has been known by man for 6000 years. They were sculpted on Egyptian
tombs, carried messages for King Solomon, helped Julius Caesar
conquer Gaul and won many medals for bravery in both world wars.
Several poets including Shakespeare have written about the qualities
of pigeons. They are truly amazing birds, for they can
- live everywhere except Antarctica
- suck water the way we do
- navigate up to 1000 miles
- sense the Earth's magnetic field
- fly as fast as 75 miles per hour
- hear ultra-sound
- see colours including ultra-violet
- feed their babies 'milk' even if they are male
FRIEND OR FOE
Pigeons are here to stay. We must learn to live with them. If
certain people want to extend a helping hand, we at Pigeon Recovery
believe it is their right to do so and they should not be penalized
for offering food to the hungry, so long as it is in a sensible
place where the less charitable cannot object. Street pigeons have
deadly enemies, but they also have many friends. We ask their
friends to keep an eye open for fallen youngsters under bridges or
shop doorways etc. Use a coat to stop them running into the road and
take them home or to a rescue centre. But PLEASE REMEMBER, because
of the bigotry against pigeons, we strongly advise rescuers to
check, when taking pigeons to a vet or charity clinic, what they
will do for it before leaving. We at Pigeon Recovery provide
sanctuary for any permanently disabled pigeon and do not believe
that youth or a broken wing is an excuse to kill. Also, many pigeons
lose toes or legs because of discarded tackle or threads, and can be
injured by fishing hooks. Please pick up such dangerous debris and
dispose of it safely. Bird feet can be disentangled using nail
scissors and antiseptic spray from any chemist applied to the area
afterwards. Finally, listen out for any plans to cull pigeon
populations and write, urging them to adopt the many compassionate
alternative deterrents and anti-roost devices, and emphasise the
fact that killing is always a cruel, unnecessary and short term
solution. To the friends of feral pigeons they are trusting
companions in the sterile, lonely concrete messes that humans make.
To many they are a symbol of Peace, Love and the Spirit of God. To
us at Pigeon Recovery they are creatures in need and we hope that
one day they will simply be allowed to get on with the business of
living unhampered by blame and bigotry. Pigeons are gentle,
beautiful birds who need and deserve all our kindness and respect.
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