Feeding pigeons yes or no? 5 Fun-Facts

Feeding pigeons or chasing them away? One expert says: City pigeons are pets – so municipalities should take care of them instead of imposing feeding bans and putting up spikes. IMAGE: D_Fenix249 for Pixabay

5 interesting facts about the urban pigeon

1. city pigeons are not wild birds

In 2022, the animal protection commissioner of the state of Berlin, Dr. Kathrin Herrmann, commissioned an expert opinion to classify the feeding ban of pigeons in animal protection law. A genetic analysis by the experts showed that urban pigeons are domestic animals or their offspring. They do not mate with wild pigeons and are therefore genetically not wild birds. Consequently, the experts conclude that the municipalities must now take care of the urban pigeons, since the original owners can no longer be identified. The duty of care includes: Feeding, care and veterinary care.

2 There are over 300 species of pigeons

Worldwide there are about 300 different species of pigeons (the dove is one of them). The city pigeon/ carrier pigeon originated probably from the rock pigeon.

3. city pigeons exist already since the antiquity

The history of man and pigeon goes back a long time. You find city pigeons mentioned already in the antiquity (thus about 5,000 years ago). The dove as a symbol of peace is in the Old Testament in the story of Noah.

4. city pigeons do not transmit diseases to humans (or the danger is small)

Some people fear that pigeons may transmit diseases to humans. However, according to the German Animal Welfare Association, the risk of infection is very low – or no higher than with pets or wild birds.

5 Feeding pigeons: Bread, chips and food scraps harm the animals

Pigeons have a plant-based diet and eat primarily grains. Bread, chips or other processed foods contain a lot of salt and too many carbohydrates. According to pigeon experts, this is not a species-appropriate feed and not healthy for the birds. Suitable food for pigeons are corn kernels (popcorn corn), untreated sunflower seeds, spelt grains or dried peas. But you can also buy special feed mixtures in a pet shop.

The reason that pigeons should not be fed is:

From animal lovers’ perspective: People often feed the wrong thing
From pigeon haters’ perspective: It ensures that they multiply and disturb people by their presence as well as noise and pigeon droppings.

The German Animal Welfare Association advocates pigeon houses. In these, the pigeons receive species-appropriate food and can use the houses as breeding grounds. The pigeon eggs can then be replaced by imitations to reduce the population. This is already done in several cities and could help to regulate the number of pigeons without using drastic measures like poison or spikes.

If you like to watch other birds besides pigeons, here are the best destinations for birdwatching: