People vs. Pigeons : Life in The Urban Aviary

Woody Allen has called them “rats with wings.” Satirist Tom Lehrer once sang of poisoning them in the park. One wag described them as “the roaches of the sky” before a recent Glendale City Council meeting.

They are pigeons.

Beloved by breeders and fanciers for their abilities as racers and message carriers, the ubiquitous birds have frequently drawn the ire of cities unhappy with the mess created by their droppings.

It is a problem with no easy solution. Some people blamed pigeons for ruining an area’s aesthetic beauty, as in Glendale, where an estimated 10,000 are said to reside in the business district, fouling fixtures and folks alike. Others will cite the sentimental image of feeding pigeons in the park, arguing that the birds contribute to an area’s charm.

The battle continues.

Pigeon Profile

Although “pigeon” is a general term often used to describe any of the nearly 300 species of pigeons and doves in the family Columbidae , the common North American pigeon is known as the rock dove (Columba livia) .

Size: Approximately 13 inches.

Coloring: Generally blue or ash gray with a white rump and a purplish-green area around the neck.

Diet: Fruits, grains, nuts and occasionally insects, snails and worms

Voice: A deep, rolling series of coos.

Nesting: Pigeons are generally monogamous and will build their nests on the ledges of buildings or cliffs; young pigeons, known as “squabs,” will leave the nest after two to three weeks

Range: All of North America except for the northern tundra

History: Domesticated in Egypt around 3100 B.C.

Glendale’s Bird Battle

On April 12, Glendale’s City Council declared war on pigeons, voting unanimously to stem the burgeoning bird population by contracting with Los Angeles County to trap and kill the creatures.

Two days later, city officials beat a hasty retreat after it was learned that one of the county’s past extermination methods involved gassing the birds by attaching sacks of them to car exhaust pipes. That method was not proposed for the Glendale birds.

Glendale is now considering a measure that would prohibit feeding pigeons in certain areas, although a report drafted by Director of Public Works George A. Miller noted that in cities where similar laws were passed, “enforcement ... is a low priority at best.”

Glendale is also in the process of drafting a request for proposals to relocate the birds, so long as “no harm is to come to the pigeons once they are trapped.”

Population Control

Across the nation, a variety of methods have been used to reduce pigeon flocks, some simple, some sophisticated:

* San Diego: Bird feed spiked with a contraceptive.

* New York and Washington D.C.: Bird-repellent netting draped across building tops.

* San Francisco: Trapping and relocating.

Pondering Pigeons “Pigeons on the grass alas.” --Gertrude Stein

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“I’m old fashioned. I believe that people should marry for life, like pigeons and Catholics.” --Woody Allen

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“Do not abstain from sowing for fear of the pigeons.” --French proverb

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“The only difference between a pigeon and the American farmer is that a pigeon can still make a deposit on a John Deere.” --Jim Hightower

The Great Mystery

It is a riddle that has vexed many over the years--”Why don’t you ever see a baby pigeon?”

The answer is simple. Squabs have an extremely high metabolic rate and eat a large percentage of their body weight in food during their time in the nest. So by the time they’re booted into the world, pigeons are nearly full size.

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Sources: The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Americana, “Imponderables” by David Feldman