Feral pigeon

Feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica or Columba livia forma urbana), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons,[1][2] are descendants of domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) that have returned to the wild.[3] The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild rock dove, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains.[4] Rock, domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs, have become adapted to urban life, and are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world.[5]

Owing to their capacity to create large amounts of excrement and be an occasional disease vector to humans combined with crop and property damage, pigeons are largely considered a nuisance and an invasive species, often disparagingly referred to as "rats with wings".[6][7][8] Actions are taken in many municipalities to lower their numbers or completely eradicate them.[1][2][9][10][11][12]

  1. ^ a b Nagy, Kelsi, and Johnson, Phillip David. Trash animals: how we live with natures filthy, feral, invasive, and unwanted species. Minneapolis (Minn.), University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Blechman, Andrew D. Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird, St Lucia, Qld., University of Queensland Press, 2007.
  3. ^ "Science & Nature: Animals: Feral Pigeon". BBC. Archived from the original (Web article) on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  4. ^ Levi, Wendell (1977). The Pigeon. Sumter, S.C.: Levi Publishing Co, Inc. ISBN 978-0-85390-013-9.
  5. ^ "Why study pigeons? To understand why there are so many colors of feral pigeons". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Archived from the original (Web Article) on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  6. ^ "The Origins of Our Misguided Hatred for Pigeons". Audubon. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  7. ^ "BBC Inside Out - Pigeon Pests". BBC. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  8. ^ Jerolmack, Colin (2008). "How Pigeons Became Rats: The Cultural-Spatial Logic of Problem Animals". Social Problems. 55 (1): 72–94. doi:10.1525/sp.2008.55.1.72. ISSN 0037-7791. JSTOR 10.1525/sp.2008.55.1.72.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference bird control was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Facts about pigeon-related diseases". The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Archived from the original (Web article) on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  11. ^ Geigenfeind, Ila; Vanrompay, Daisy; Haag-Wackernagel, Daniel (February 2012). "Prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci in the feral pigeon population of Basel, Switzerland". Journal of Medical Microbiology. 61 (Pt 2): 261–265. doi:10.1099/jmm.0.034025-0. PMID 21921110.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference invasive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).