To think pigeons are treated unfairly?

[Shithole90210]

I've just seen one close up in my back passage and they're actually rather beautiful and elegant.

One of my most favourite memories was feeding pigeons in St Marks Square in Italy as a child (now illegal I believe?). You would buy the seed and these pigeons would flock to you, like lady from Home Alone 2! So I have a soft spot for them too.

Although they are technically vermin.

Also, threads like this make me remember why I love Mumsnet. It's been a little tense on here recently, so a few more threads like this would be welcome!

I live pigeons (rock doves), wood pigeons and doves. Very pretty birds! They also do a massive job clearing up the mess of humans And are horribly ill-treated, poor things. We are a horrible species at times.

^love

I've never seen a skinny wood pigeon. When they land in the cherry tree I swear the entire tree bows.

Although they are technically vermin

I think pigeons in the garden are nice - but very different to those tough looking city pigeons, especially at train stations... often missing an eye or a toe, probably from scrapping during pigeon turf wars. Don’t mess with them.

In German, perhaps also in other languages the word for dove and pigeon is the same - I think they are the same type of bird. Food for thought. Not well enough respected in this country, poor pigeons

They are freaking evil sky rats.

They are freaking evil sky rats.
But not as freaking evil as human beings.

ducksback

Why the ?

They are technically vermin. As a veterinary nurse, officially we are meant to euthanase them, along with squirrels. Of course no one does, and most of the sick pigeons and squirrels end up with one to one nursing or hand rearing.

I don’t get the hate. They son’t do anything to us? Seagulls swipe our food out of our very hands- pigeons don’t! And liking the “nice, clean, plump country pigeons” and hating the “filthy scrawny evil city pigeons” sounds a bit .... pigeonist

I want to capture a railway pigeon, take it to the country and watch it transform

Fat wood pigeons are lovely. Not sure how they manage to fly though.

Love watching the ones in our neighbourhood. They are pretty and plump.

Actually @Pinkblueberry a lot of rock doves are missing toes because they have got tangled in she'd or discarded human hair.

www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/14/human-hair-behind-pigeons-lost-toes-paris-study-finds

hahaha at pigeonist. WC v MC pigeons.

And yes @Pinkblueberry, doves and pigeons are the same family of birds. Not sure why there are two different names in English!

Wood Pigeon: Orange beak. White Collar. Slightly shy. Very tasty in a pie.

Town Pigeon: Feathered Rat. Not fit for consumption except by its own kind as roadkill.

@Lockheart Fat Brian is genius 👍🏻

In your back passage? Asking for a friend

Wood pigeons and collared doves are lovely.

Feral pigeons not so much. They are a pest and carry diseases that can affect humans, their droppings cause huge damage to buildings and they make an appalling mess that has to be cleaned up by people in hazmat suits.

How funny, was just going to start a thread about how dumb they are. Despite having a garden full of trees, and a cat, one pair of woodies seems to be building a nest on the ground, next to a path. Not sure this is going to go well.

I love pigeons. I think they have a nice nature as far as bird natures go, and I like the male bowing as a part of the mating ritual. I like the way they seem a little bumbling, I always imagine them saying things like "oh gosh, oh heck, ahhh! Excuse me".

Yellowbrick, pigeons probably think we damage their habitat also

You had better block up your back passage quickly, you never know what else may wander up there.