#rock doves

[harkthorn]

Thought Americano, Coo's mate, had finally reappeared-but it was just this other black pigeon that showed up at the same time, not her. Ameri has feathered toes and a distinctive attitude, so it's easy to tell her apart

She's still not been seen for weeks

[toadalled]

Meet Pigeon the Gargoyle! Raised by birds, she destroys anti-bird spikes and hostile architecture. She sleeps in a park and lets the local children draw on her with sidewalk paint.

[persephonaae]

I would like everyone to meet my very special new friend

[greencheekconure27]

I do Not understand people who hate pigeons and other urban birds.

I'm sitting in a cafe with my laptop watching the acrobatics of a huge fat wood pigeon trying to eat berries off a decorative bush while a flock of rock doves in a dozen different colour variations is (politely) badgering some guy for fries and it's beautiful.

Literally how could you hate these guys when they provide free theatre every day.

[hoot-alex]

[swede1952]

Angel Wings

Many of the photos that I capture aren't as crisp as I like, but I like the way that they look anyway. This rock pigeon (Columba livia) with white spots is one of those, perhaps the slight blur shows motion.

"Seeds, fruits, rarely invertebrates. Pigeons also readily eat food intentionally or unintentionally left by people, including breadcrumbs and littered food." - allaboutbirds.org

[jackalbuzzards]

some pigeon appreciation

they are perfect creatures

[abra-ka-dammit]

There was a rather fancy fellow hanging out with these doves at walmart :0 idk what it is, ive never seen one like that! Maybe piebald??

[floof9000]

Driving behavior in male pigeons may look scary but it’s all a normal part of courtship. The male forcefully pushes the female to go back to her nest and lay eggs for him

[grandma-susan]

Crack Theory: The exorcists are based off of Pigeons aka.....ROCK DOOOOOOOVES!🎸🎸🎸⚡⚡⚡

I've been staring at their wing pattern ever since the first Prime episode, thinking to myself what bird do their wings remind me of. The grey wings with grey-black bars. Granted it only works when the pigeon's wings are closed and the bars are mostly noticeable on the upper side, not the underside, like the exorcists, but I don't care. But not all the angels have 2 bars you say! And I counter there are FOUR typical wing patterns.

And rock doves have been bred to the point of all crazy sorts of patterns!

Look at these crazy "FANCY" birds

And that typical pigeons also have to that very characteristic darker neck too. I mean sure you can argue the Ladies are exorcists cold blooded killers and there are lots of raptors with barred wings. BUT

The pun would be funny. We talking Adam here. You take the dove which is often portrayed as the holy messenger bird, but the white dove is still a trashy pigeon at heart, but all pigeons are still ROCK DOVES and they are perfect in every way. I don't care how many city dwellers call them rats with wings, they are amazing funny-stupid- intelligent birds.

That's it, I dont got anything else to support this crack theory. i originally thought some kind of sparrow, but again, the pun won me over.

Okay, bye.

[harkthorn]

Biblically accurate angel in the middle here

[wuh2k]

I'm sick and tired of people making this mistake, so for the last time.

the singular is pidge-pidge

And the plural is pidgies

Get it right.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Is feeding pigeons bad? I don't feed them from my hand, I just leave out food and they eat it all up. Other animals don't get to the food because I place it on my window and the pigeons heavily populate my street and finish it in minutes.

In a post you mentioned that having animals gather close to one another can cause easier spread of diseases.

I am just wondering if that also applies to pigeons considering that they are domestic and if there are more ethical ways I can feed them or if I just shouldn't at all.

@uselessfish - Good question! So, this is sort of a weird situation. Pigeons are technically a domestic version of the rock dove (Columba livia), sort of how the house cat is the domesticated version of the African wildcat (Felis lybica), so this isn't like feeding native wildlife. Nor is the pigeon strictly an invasive species since they are synanthropes that mostly (though not exclusively) stick to human-dominated areas. While there is likely some risk of pigeons spreading diseases to other birds simply through proximity, they aren't like European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) or house sparrows (Passer domesticus) that actively compete with native North American birds for nest sites and other resources. Most of the complaints about pigeons have to do with the fact that their feces ends up all over public places because, well, that's where a lot of them live. They can occasionally cause crop damage in rural areas and in those cases I can understand control methods being brought into case, but urban pigeons don't really seem to be hurting much of anyone. Plus they are a nice reminder that nature persists in spite of our urbanization.

To be honest I feel bad for pigeons because we domesticated them and then when we no longer needed them we basically abandoned them. People will spend scads of money feeding feral outdoor cats that, even when neutered or spayed, decimate native wildlife for the remainder of their lifespans. But pigeons? Pigeons get kicked, chased away, treated like the scum of the earth, even by people who claim to love animals. They're more than just "rats with wings", and I think they deserve a P.R. boost.

Also, in recent years native species of falcon, hawk and other raptors in urban areas have been using feral pigeons as a steady food source. In Portland, for example, there are several active nests of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the city limits. Would it be better if they were in wild habitats eating native prey? Sure. But the city isn't going away anytime soon, and the pigeons provide food for these once-imperiled predatory birds that are taking up the niche that's offered to them.

So personally? I see no issues with you putting some food out for the pigeons on your windowsill. Just sterilize the surface they eat on on a regular basis so that you aren't promoting disease transmission, and keep an eye out for more potentially troublesome critters below the window if the food gets knocked off on a regular basis. Also, I don't have personal experience caring for pigeons, but I would recommend doing some research as to what a proper diet for a pigeon would be. There are still folks who keep them as pets so I'm sure you can find plenty of information on what's best for their nutrition and digestive systems.

[doveghost]

I JUST LEARNED PIGEONS CAN READ

[someguywriting]

my dad brought home wild pidgeons because "they looked scared :("

[swede1952]

Pigeon Yoga

The yogini demonstrates a new position for the class.

I've had several inquiries about how to get a print of some my photographs. This is a hobby for me, so I haven't been equipped to handle those requests. But I enjoy what I'm doing and want to share my photographs.

So, I set up an account and website with pixels. My website is:

If you want a print of one of my photographs, you can get it there, If I haven't loaded it, let me know which one it is, and I'll gladly load it there for you.