Lost racing pigeon. Will he/she survive the winter outside?

[pushtheskyaway]

Any pigeon people out there?

My parents found a lost racing pigeon in the garden a few months ago. They didn't want to contact the owners as I was once told by a pigeon fancier that they just snap returned birds necks!

He/She has been living in the garden, and spends most of the time chilling out on the pergola. My mother feeds him/her pigeon corn everyday, and the bird currently looks like it might explode any second.

We are just worried about the chances of him/her surviving the winter outdoors? We know nothing about pigeons, so we aren't sure what to do. Could we get a dovecote or the like? The bird is getting pretty feral now, so I don't think it would take very well to being cooped up!

Advice would be appreciated!

All the feral pigeons that grace our towns are the direct descendents of racing and other domestic pigeons that have strayed, so there's no inherent reason this one can't survive the winter outdoors, especially as it has a ready food supply. It'd be better off if it teamed up with a flock of feral pigeons though. The biggest risk, I'd have thought, is that a sparrowhawk might get it - species that are naturally inclined to flock are vulnerable to predators when they're alone.

I think it's unusual for them to stay around for so long, it's usually weeks, not months.
So long as it has food and a fresh water supply available then I'd let nature take its course to be honest.