Rock Pigeons, known to most people simply as pigeons, have a long history with humans. They were, in fact, the first bird to be domesticated some 6500 years ago. Since then pigeons have served us as pets, as war heroes and even, occasionally, as food.
Like magpies and other species whose life cycles are closely tied to humanity, pigeons are both revered and reviled. A quick check of the Internet reveals the domain ilovepigeons.com and a Facebook group called the We Love Pigeons Society. One can even purchase I HEART PIGEONS t-shirts on zazzle.com.
Meanwhile a different search will quickly lead you to another domain — ihatepigeons.com — and another Facebook group called People Who Hate Pigeons & Those Who Feed Them. It will also lead you to websites where you can buy t-shirts proclaiming your hatred of everything pigeon.
Whether you are a peristerophobe (someone who fears pigeons) or a fancier, it doesn’t hurt to get to know your wildlife neighbours. Here are some things you may or may not have known about Rock Pigeons.
Invasive Species
Rock Pigeons are not native to Calgary. In fact, they are not native to North America. The species was first introduced into North America by the French at Port Royal in 1606.
At the time, North America was inhabited by two forest dwelling pigeon species: the Mourning Dove and the Passenger Pigeon. The former still survives. Unfortunately, the Passenger Pigeon, once prized as a source of meat, was hunted into extinction by the end of the 19th century.
As the Passenger Pigeon declined, Rock Pigeons proliferated and expanded with western civilization. Benefactors of human deforestation and construction, Rock Pigeons are now the dominant pigeon species on our continent.
Life Cycle
Rock doves are monogamous; they mate for life. Both the male and the female guard the nest and incubate one or two white eggs, with several clutches per year.
Frequent breeding means that nesting sites are heavily used. Unlike most bird species, moreover, pigeons do not carry away the feces of their nestlings nor are they very good at housekeeping generally. As a result, nests quickly become growing mounds of feces and other garbage.
Disease Spreaders?
Their poor housekeeping habits have led some to conclude that pigeons probably cause disease in humans. In Calgary, where our cold winters encourage pigeons to nest beneath rooftop air intake units, filthy nesting sites can become a significant problem.
At this point, though, there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that pigeons are any more likely to spread disease to humans than any other bird species. Nor is there any evidence that pigeons are themselves more susceptible to disease than any other bird species.
Brent Johner has been writing about urban wildlife since 1998. Many of the articles here first appeared in the Calgary Herald, Calgary Gardening magazine or on Talk About Wildlife. Brent has also done dozens of radio, television, newspaper and magazine interviews on the subject of urban wildlife.