I just hit a pigeon with my car, I'm a bit shocked

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I've been driving for decades and pigeons ALWAYS get out of the way, but just now I was driving along and there were two pigeons in the middle of my lane. They both took off and one cleared me in plenty of time but the other one took off in time but then flew towards me for some reason. It glanced off my windscreen pillar and there was a huge puff of feathers, so I don't think it ended well for the pigeon.

I ran over a rabbit on our local bypass, had I slow down or braked not only would I have endangered the life of the occupants of my own car but the ones behind me as well.

I do slow down for small animals or brake but when it’s safe to do so.

i had to come off at the next junction and find a place to stop I cried for about half an hour.

I still feel bad about it now but I’d feel much worse if I’d have caused an accident

I hit a pigeon once, all I could see were feathers in my mirror. I did feel so bad. Then I was sitting in my kitchen a few days later and one flew right into the window. They fly anywhere.
I wouldn't slow down for them tbh, and I do value a human life over an animals. Doesn't mean I'd try and hit them, but I also wouldn't put myself or others in danger not to hit them.

I've done a few safe emergency stops for pigeons & also slowed down quite a few times thinking 'FFS bird! Just fly off! I'm giving you loads of chances!'
Sometimes I think they're playing the avian version of Russian Roulette...

I had a pigeon fly in to the grill on the front of my old car, I couldn't avoid it as it swooped from in the air, it smashed the grill, wouldn't have thought one could do so much damage.