Descriptions of Pigeons

I was curious what sort of sentiment "serious" bird people hold towards pigeons (aka rock doves). Charles Hood's A Californian's Guide to the Birds Among Us does not inspire much hope. Right off the bat he drops the "sky rat" moniker and then continues by describing my pigeon pals as "moochers shouldering each other out for popcorn or birdseed" and "a pesticide-free food source for...peregrine falcons." Next comes the bemoaning of pigeons defecating on vehicles. As if pigeons are the only ones pooping all over the city (I say this as someone whose car was recently blitzkrieged with splattered mulberry chunks by a band of squirrels). Perfunctory lip service is given to pigeons' military service, not that they had any say in enlisting, and their adaptability and hardiness.

Meanwhile, Western and Clark's grebes, which have got to be some of the most unremarkable (opens in a new tab) birds (opens in a new tab) I've ever seen, are "elegantly and cleanly black" with "lobed feet propelling them like torpedoes underwater." Mourning and collared doves, also abundant in urban areas, are not subject to the same derision as Columba livia.

All About Birds (opens in a new tab) from Cornell University, on the other hand, provides a much fairer blurb. They describe the wide variety of plumage patterns found on city pigeons, the birds' navigational abilities, and even provide suggestions on what and where to feed these feathered friends.

While these are but two bird resources out of the myriad books and websites out there, it is disappointing to see that anti-pigeon bias still prevails in some sources that are ostensibly targeted at bird lovers. Let's keep improving the reputation of pigeons!

2024 © Maneka Puligandla