Nearly everyone has seen an ill, injured or orphaned pigeon in their life – be it in a city, town, park or a garden. There are a lot of predators, disease and harmful things out there that affect pigeons, and sometimes people don’t know what is the right thing to do when they come across a baby pigeon or an injured or ill pigeon.
First, let me just say that pigeons do not carry millions of diseases that humans can contract. That is just scaremongering, mainly from pest control companies (that are out to make money) and ignorant people (who either hate pigeons or are afraid of them). All living beings carry disease – humans included! – and some do pass on to other species, however, if everyone just used a bit of common sense, such as good hygiene measures (e.g. wash your hands after coming in from outside), then this myth that pigeons are infested with disease that will kill you and your family wouldn’t be as big of a problem as it is. You can contract disease from a dog or a cat but are they hated as much as feral pigeons? Makes little sense to me.
A pest or vermin is defined by people as any animal that is unwanted or destructive, such as rats, mice, pigeons, foxes and racoons, but this term could very well be attributed to cats, dogs, parrots and songbirds, depending on which country and area you are in. ‘Pest’ and ‘vermin’ are not synonymous with ‘disease’.
The following website supplies good points on the subject (particularly the last paragraph): Pigeons and disease
Ok, back to what to do when you come across an injured, ill or orphaned pigeon. First, after you have correctly assessed that the pigeon is indeed in need of rescuing (a broken wing or foot is pretty easy to recognise, however, read the following about Recognising a sick pigeon and Rescuing a baby pigeon), you need to safely capture it and place it in a box, cat carrier or other secure container (make sure there are air holes!). Put an old towel, cloth or tissue paper in the box so that the pigeon can grip onto something and to also keep it warm.
After you have the pigeon in a secure box and put it in a quiet place, contact your local animal rescue centre or wildlife hospital and ask if they can help. Unfortunately, some places do not treat pigeons (since they may consider them as pests) so you need to find a pigeon friendly rescue centre. The best place to find your local rescue centre is to search for it on the internet or look in a phone book. Your local vet or pet shop may also know of an animal rescue centre in the area.
You can take the rescued pigeon to a veterinary surgery, however, many will simply euthanise the bird unless you are willing to pay for its treatment and care. Ask before handing the pigeon over. Some veterinary surgeries will transfer the pigeon to a wildlife rescue centre.
Please read the information on these websites as they contain good instructions on pigeon rescue and first aid: Pigeon and Dove Rescue, Pigeon Aid UK and Pigeon Recovery.
The following link contains a list of wildlife hospitals, sanctuaries and veterinary surgeries around the world that are pigeon friendly: Matilda’s List
This website lists pigeon friendly places in the United Kingdom: Pigeon Friendly Rescue Centres in the UK
The main thing is to not panic. Find someone who can give you advice and help you and the pigeon. Hopefully you’ll feel good about rescuing a pigeon in need. 
Feral pigeon caught in netting. Photo courtesy of Dave Risley.
Baby feral pigeon - few days old
2 baby feral pigeons - few weeks old
I have a feral pigeon baby on my balcony! I originally thought pigeons were disease carriers but after some research and your great site, I now know better. I will now educate those around me too in order to make life better for pigeons. We keep rats and they get the same bad press. Thanks for your helpful and informative website!
Thank you Lara! Your words mean a lot to me!
I used to have rats and loved them to bits, so I also know the bad press they get. Pigeons are almost as bad as rats in some people’s eyes. Sad.
I hope the baby feral pigeon is doing alright. I could watch them all day (especially feeding time!).
Hi, thankyou for your website, its full of great advise.
I have managed to rescue a wood pidgeon trapped behind my gas fire, the poor thing had been there 3 days and is still fighting fit,
I am going to see if he/she is ready to be released in the morning as does not appear to be injured but will try it in a room first.
I am still in shock that it must of fell down the chimney and was a bit scared to begin with but i must say, the pigeon is actaully very cute and a lot bigger than i first thought.
Many thanks
Thank you Sarah,
I hope your woody flies away nicely. Just be careful about test flying him in your house, woodpigeons are very strong and can bash themselves against the window quite badly. I think woodies are very beautiful – they have strong characters and are very strong willed! Good luck!
thank you for ps:pigeon support.no one wants them for rehab.cats tore some feathers and skin from under his wing.i put him in a carrier,seed,water and bacitracin on the wounded area.stillflies when i clean the carrier in the bathroom.have for about 1wk to 10 days.skin is now pink,but feathers underneath not grown in.eating,drinking fine is it time to let “poppins”go and do i do this where i found him even if the cats are still in the area.or set free in a wooded area not far away and heill find his way home?help,he’s frigthened and needs to be free.that’s his right thanks and the pigeons surely must thank you too.
Hi,
I think you need to speak to someone directly about your pigeon because it is very hard to give advice over the internet without actually seeing the pigeon. Please go to the following forum to find someone near to you who you can call: http://www.pigeonangels.com/pigeon-resources-f8/
Also, the pigeon can only be released if it can fly. If it has any yellow fluff on its face and body then it is too young to be released. Your pigeon must be able to fly properly and should be released where there are other pigeons so that it can join the flock and follow them for food and shelter. But please first find a local pigeon friendly person who you can call and get advice from. Good luck!
Hi im currently working under the m6 motorway and have found a nest with two baby pigeons in looking at them only a couple of days old, but unfortuatly they need to be moved as they are in the way of me doing my job, i dont want to tell my boss as he will get them killed, the parents are still around i have seen them hovering around. I was just wondering if there was any steps i can take which will not harm the babys and keep them with.the parents baring in mind they do need to be relocated. I would be very gratefull if you could get back to me asap. Thx in advance.
Hi Martin, thanks for the email. Unfotunately under the circumstances the safe option would be to seperate them from their parents and take them to a rescue centre. Please call Folly Wildlife Rescue on 01892 750 865 and ask for advice, they may be able give you a closer rescue contact. In the mean time I’d stick them in an box lined with a dish cloth / kitchen roll to keep them warm.
Good luck! And once again thanks for the email.
Hello. I appear to have some unwelcome guest staying with me. some pigeons and dove have found a way in past my bird net on my roof and know they can’t find there way back out. I can’t reach the net to let them out as its 50 feet up off the ground on my roof and know they have entered my tiny box room where i keep my washing machine and dryer and some of them appear to be sitting in that room at the back of my washer where the window is.
i cant remove the washer myself due to the way they are fitted and if i removed the washer they would fly into my flat. PLEASE Help. I know nothing about birds and how to deal with them.
Hi Andi,
I have sent you an email about your trapped pigeons. Please let me know if you don’t receive it. Thanks
Need some help to do the best for a pigeon i picked up from a layby yesterday,I watched him for a while and he was picking scraps up from the road but was dragging his wing. I believe his was recently hit by a car. as i approached him he didnt flutter to escape … so i took him home. On closer inspection he has a open wound under his wing that has bleed.but dried. He is eating and drinking well but cannot fly. He is currently in my bedroom perched on tray watching the birds from the window. What should i do. I dont want to keep him prisoner… but dont want to let him suffer outside. should i bathe his wound in something and wait to see if he improves.????
Hi Kerrie, I sent you an email about the pigeon you have found. As I wrote in the email, you need to find your nearest pigeon-friendly rescue centre that can help you because the pigeon’s wing needs to be looked at by a vet or wildlife rehabber. Please check that the wound doesn’t have any fly eggs (that look like little grains of rice) or maggots! If you find any then they need to be removed immediately otherwise the maggots will eat the pigeon alive. Good luck! Rev
Rescued a feral pigeon from the cats yesterday, put it in a box in a quiet corner of the shed, fully expecting to find a sad little corpse this morning. Found instead a pigeon with an attitude. There are lacerations, so I am worried about infection, and too much feather loss to allow flight. He is now in a small plastic covered ‘greenhouse’ (supermarket thirty quid job), exercising himself by bouncing off the polythene, knocking over his water dish, and generally being a pest, but I rather admire his feistiness, and would like to help him. Have failed to find a rescue centre nearby, and have no car. I think I am stuck with him. Any advice, please?
Hi Jenny, I’ve just sent you an email about your injured pigeon. You’ve done the right thing by keeping it in a safe, quiet cage with food and water, however, it sounds like the pigeon does need some medical help. Please reply to my email as soon as possible. Thank you. Rev
Hello, Rev,
I managed to track down a vet (personal friend), who advised me to spray Savlon on the wounds, and keep the pigeon quiet and safe, as you said. If he is still alive tomorrow, she will call in with antibiotics and take a closer look. I’ve named him Catsmeat, because he very nearly was, and I just hope he can rejoin the local wildlife soon.
I’ll keep in touch, if that’s okay. Please wish us both luck!
Best wishes, Jenny
Catsmeat is eating and drinking, and I have found a nice box, which I have adapted as a ‘nesting box’ following advice from my cousin, who rescues ill-treated parrots. Thank you for your help! I like pigeons, love to watch them flying. Unfortunately, the cats have now discovered his new home, so tomorrow I shall have to find a secure cage for him, as the plastic greenhouse will not keep him safe for long. I’ve sprayed his wounds. Well, if he survives, I shall have to keep him until his feathers grow back. So be it. I like your website! All the best, Jenny
He died. I’d just re-named him ‘Fred’, a proper name rather than a joke one, because I’d thought I could take a chance on becoming fond of him. He seemed to be responding well, would come to my hand and eat out of it, let me handle him without visible signs of disgress, was eating and drinking, but I came home to find him dead. Does anybody need large quantities of wild bird seed, sunflower seeds, suet, meal worms, peas and sweetcorn?
Am feeling sad. Silly to be disappointed, because he had taken a dreadful beating, but still, he was a character.
Better get on with cleaning up the greenhouse, I suppose. He was not exactly houseproud.
I feed a flock of around 40 Pigeons every morning. Along with a few Pied Wagtails, & a rather cheeky Robin who comes into my workshop for his very own supply of grated cheese (medium cheddar of course)
.
Last week I noticed a Pigeon behaving very oddly, wobbling around, crash landing, & chucking his food over his head. A bit of research on the internet revealed that he/she is probably suffering from Paramxovirus (PMV).
Yesterday, I managed to catch him, as, he had come into my workshop looking for food. He was unable to fly, & was pretty weak. I popped him/her into a small cage that I have, with lots of food & clean water. He spent the whole day stuffing himself!
This morning he’s looking better, he’s still chucking food over his head, & making a dreadful mess
I cannot find anywhere local that would take him in. As, a lot of rescue centres don’t have the facilities to keep a bird with PMV isolated.
I don’t mind taking care of him until he’s better, assuming he makes it, it could be a few weeks according to what I’ve read, but I could do with a bigger cage to keep him in. Does anyone in the SW London/Surrey border area have one that I could at least borrow until ‘Boris’ (as in Karloff) as I call him, is fit for release?
You can contact me via my website http://www.stewarts-motorcycles@o2.co.uk
Regards,
Stew.
Hi Stew, I work at Folly Wildlife Rescue in Kent and we would happily take this pigeon in for care (http://www.follywildliferescue.org.uk/ and http://www.facebook.com/follywildliferescue). I will email you further about this. PMV can take months to recover from, if they recover, that is. Some never do, unfortunately.
Hi I found a pigeon on the road at first I thought it was dead but when i moved close Ii realized it was alive. it doesnt seem to have any visible injuries and it looks very clean the only thing is that it seems to be in shock or something as it didnt try to move when I picked it up and even though its eyes are open and it is standing it seems to be in a daze.I used a droper to give it some water with a little sugar dillutted in it and it drank it but still looks very out of it. I wrapped it in a towel and put it in a box and then in a warm room. Is there anything else I can do?
I live in Athens Greece and its hard to find wild bird rescue here.
thanks for ready I hope you can help.
I would love to see our little friend fly away
warm regards
Bill
Hi Bill, what you’ve done is good. The pigeon may be in shock over its accident, so keeping it in a warm, quiet room as you have done is good. (Pigeons suck up water so if you dip its beak in a bowl of water it will drink from it if it wants.) I will email you further information.
hya i have a dove,i rescued from a cat attack,her wounds have healed after anti biotics and pain relief.its been 3 weeks since and id had it since it came out of the nest and had a bad 1st landing…both incident have injured her wing but it now seems strong altho hangs slightly lower and one feather is stuck in the quill…but she flaps so hard she lifts herself up on the side of the parrot cage shes been kept in and she can fly around my living room.altho crashes into things so not to keen to let her go in their again due to possible injuries…i think its time to let her go and shes looking strong.where would be best to let her go.i dont want a repeat of the cat saga as that whats happened last time.someone got in my garden and let her out and a cat got her.too many round here.do i let her go near other doves or just a aplace with lots of trees like my dads as i can put seed down until shes ready to fend for herself….i cant get any rescue centres round here as theyr either closed down or full.shes beautiful but no life in a cage.so needs to have a go.just hope shes strong enough …cheers sara…any help would be greatly appreciated
sorry also will she try to find her way back to mine?shes kinda bonded with me as i had to pump feed her for a few weeks,altho i never petted her.just washed n cleaned her wounds.poor thing its a miracle she survived.her back was a huge hole and you coudl see her wing bone….she deserves such a chance.such a brave birdy.i dont want to release in my garden incase she comes back and gets attacked by neighbours cats…when she flys she flys back to me and sits on my hand…that without me treating her as a pet.bless her
Hi, thank you for contacting. The dove needs to be able to fly properly before you release her, but more importantly if she is tame you cannot release her into the wild. If the dove is very friendly towards you and likes to sit on you and be in your company then I’m afraid she’s tame, and if you release her she may not be able to find food and not know what a predator is to avoid them. If she’s not tame then she can be released where there are other doves and lots of food and trees for shelter, so you need to find a place where there are other doves. I’ll email you to discuss this further.
hya arr thanks for that.she doesnt like me picking her up and wing slaps me when i try i think she is more familiar with me….ive not encouraged any friendship altho she did sit on me in the house when i was seeing if she could fly & flew onto me,i dont think shes scared of me but doesnt want me handling her.im just not sure how strong she can fly or for how long.no way of telling unless i let her go as i cant test fly her,when she flaps she lift herself up and her wings both move so fast.but then im worrying if i cant get her back.reason i want her to go is shes pacing the cage and flying at the bars desperate to get out.its a big parrot cage but shes a bird.i was thinking take the cage to my dads leave the door open for if she wants to come back.i released a dove there a month back and theres about 3 that come back.ill just put lots of seed down.shes not scared of me atall but does that mean shes tame.she wont let me handle her willingly.when i take in injured wild birds i dont stroke them just do what needs to be done and put em back.really hope shes not tame.the feeding by herself could be an issue.shes never fed by hersel
f as shes straight out of nest.she pecks well tho…i guess leave loads of seed out till shes found her barings.i am a nervous wreck over this but cant keep her locked up every day shes deseperately trying to get out..pity theres no rescues round her.3 owls were fanstasic but sadly closed.cheers sara
There was a family of pigeons in my back garden that i have been keeping an eye on and the 3 babys have grown up and there is no sign of the parents or the other 2 babies they may have flown away, but one has fallen and possibly injured itself. I did not see it fall but it does not seem to be able to fly??? whether that is because it does not know how or it is injured i don’t know. Anyway when it was on the ground it was attacked by our hens. It is fully grown but still young. I’ve put it in a box with a thin layer of straw. What should I do now?
Hi Charlie, you’ve done the right thing by containing the pigeon. Please keep it warm and put some wild bird seed in a small bowl, as well as a small dish of water. You will need to find your nearest pigeon-friendly rescue centre or vets. If you’re in the UK, please have a look at this website: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentres.htm. For elsewhere, please look at this website for your nearest centre: http://www.pigeonangels.com/f8-pigeon-resources
Hi, I got a baby pigeon today which was discarded by the mother pigeon. I don’t know why she did so.the baby was rite in front of her eyes lingering here and there for almost a whole day but she did not bother at all. Anyways the baby is very small. I think its just of 1 or 2 days. I will contact the rescue center soon but till then please advise me how i can take a good care of it. what should i feed it and in what regular intervals? awaiting your reply.
I am simply loving the feeling of the presence of the baby at my home.
Thank you.
Hi Reva, thank you for contacting us. Please keep the baby warm (make a little nest out of fleece or something warm) but don’t try to give it any food or water unless you have a small pipette to syringe the food into its crop. You have to be careful when feeding such a small baby because the liquid can go into the lungs if you don’t know what you’re doing and kill the baby. Please have a look at this website for advice on what and how to feed a baby: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm I will email you directly.
Hi, thanx for replying. i saw the website. i will surely try those tricks. By the way i am regretting to say that i had given it some drops of skimmed milk 2 hrs ago and it has excreted some time before. I thought the baby was hungry and fed him some skimmed milk as i read it on the internet. Its 4am here and i don’t have a syringe. so what should i do? should i wait till morning and then feed the baby or should i continue giving him some drops of skimmed milk in every 2 hrs?
about ten days ago my cat brought in a young pidgeon. He hadnt hurt him and i was initially going to put him out in the field behind the house. Then i realised that he wasnt fully developed and hadnt got all his tail feathers. I put him in a disused cattery that i have, put some hay in , made him a nest left food and water and left him to settle. Hes been fine, grown his feathers and started to fly around a bit. I havent handled him at all and would appreciated advice on releasing him. thankyou
Hi pauline,
Excellent, sounds like you’ve done the right thing by not handling him / her.
If he can fly and is fully feathered (even under the wings) then I would suggest putting food down to entice a flock and then release him / her while the flock is still in the garden. Hopefully that way the pigeon will join the flock.
Good luck!
hi, this evening whilst walking my friend’s dogs, i found a (wild?) pigeon that had previously been caught and someone had tied a string to its foot (!) but i found her with the string tangled up in some barbed wire and the bird flapping helplessly upside down. untangled the string and drove back with the bird so i could cut the string off and then.. have her at home in a basket with paper and a small towel to stay warm. just gave her water, though i have no food at all, its after midnight. i should say, i’m overseas in asia.. so not sure i will find a pigeon centre nearby.. what should i feed her? am happy to let her re-cooperate from string ordeal and see if she’ll mend, but need advice.. thank you
Hi Julia, thank you for contacting us. Pigeons often get their feet tangled in string, wire or hair, and sometimes it cuts off the blood circulation and their toes fall off. Not a very nice thing to happen, so it is really wonderful that you were able to help the pigeon, especially when it was dangling on barbed wire! Poor pigeon! You have done the right thing by keeping it contained and warm. As for food, if you haven’t got any bird seed, any bread will be ok (seeded preferably) or rice, peas or sweetcorn is ok too for the short term. I will email you directly with more advice.
yes all of you are right I have a doves nest in on top of my house but the baby fell out and I picked it up and got a ladder and put it back but the parents aren’t feeding it so what shall I do
Hi Mo, please keep the baby in a warm, secure location and try to find your nearest animal rescue centre that may help you. If you are in the UK, here is a link to pigeon friendly rescue centres: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentres.htm. This website has lots of information on what to feed a baby dove or pigeon: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm I hope you find someone near you. Good luck!
There is a banded pigeon at my home, its been there about 4-5 days now. I am feeding it wild bird seed and it hangs out on the roof. Any idea what the band means? and how to catch it if I need to read the band for id purposes? It lets me get within about 4-5 feet then fly’s up to the roof again.
Any help appreciated.
Beth
Hi Beth, it’s probably a racing pigeon that has either lost its way or is injured and hasn’t the strength to fly back to its home. The band on the leg will have some numbers and letters on it that will help with tracing its owner, however, many racing pigeon owners don’t want lost or injured birds back because they haven’t made the grade – so they will most likely kill it if you try to return the pigeon to its owner. It may be that after a few more days the pigeon will fly back to its home, however, if you feel it needs help then you would have to find your nearest pigeon friendly animal rescue centre that can rehome the pigeon for you. To catch the pigeon: you’ll have to lure the pigeon into something with food (e.g. a shed or garage) that you can shut the door and then catch the pigeon inside. If the pigeon doesn’t look like a racing pigeon (e.g. normal grey colouration) and looks more like a fancy pigeon that has escaped then it will need to be caught to trace the owner. Fancy pigeon often cannot find their way home and so would need the help.
hi i found a young pigeon on my window ledge looking very wet n bedraggled, after two days in my bird shed he now lives outside. he goes off on his own for the night but comes to see me every afternoon for some feed and sit on my head.is this normal behaviour for a wild pigeon.
Hi Linda. Pigeons become tame and friendly very easily so it may be that due to your care he’s taken a shine to you.
Hi, there’s a baby pigeon on my balcony. It’s about 1 month and a half old now, but it seems like its mum discarded it. It walks and flips its wings, but I don’t think it can fly because I can see the skin of its back and it looks infected. I’m not that comfortable with pigeons, but I can hear it “crying” and would like to do something. Also, to be completely honest, its nest is covered of poo and it smells and attracts lot of flies. What can I do? Is there anyone I could contact to take him to a rescue center? I’m central/south London. Thanks!
Hi Laurianne, sounds like the baby pigeon needs rescuing so you need to contact someone nearby. This website has a list of pigeon friendly rescue centres: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentresinengland.htm
Hi,
There is a pigeon with,what looks like cotton or cord around its foot. It is wrapped quite tightly around.
It is limping,and I want to help.
How do you catch a pigeon? She/He is in a flock that lives in the street.
Can I help it? How do I go about catching him/her.
I would appreciate any help. Thanks.
Hi Carolanne, if the pigeon can fly then it will be hard to catch. You will need a net or a towel to throw over it, or if you can lure it into a room with food then try to catch it there. Best thing is to feed the pigeons, and with a friend, try to catch the pigeon with a net or towel, however, you will have to be very quick. It is very sad that many pigeons get wire or hair wrapped around their toes.
We found a pigeon living in the bed of our truck. It seems like an adult and in good health. I have seen it fly but today it hasn’t flown at all. It moved to the side of the chimney when we moved the truck. It didn’t look comfortable and didn’t look like it could fly anymore. We were able to have it perch on a stick and we moved it back to the truck. We gave it water and food and its living in the truck bed right now. I’m not sure what to do. We don’t have pigeons where we live but my husband said there are pigeons living in the parking garage where he works. Could this pigeon have hitch-hiked a ride from the garag e to our house (15 miles)? It seems completely lost I’m thinking we should drive it back to the garage but not sure how it would do with during the return trip. Any comments on this?
Hi Joyce, I will email you about this.
I found a pigeon last night, it was upside down shaking with the neck twisted and in shock, it was in the middle of the street, i didn’t want a car to ran it over so i put it on the sidewalk, when I went by the same place like 10 min later, it was in the middle of the street again. so i picked her up again and put it on a green area, next day my wife told me that the pigeon was in the same place so we went and gave her water, she couldn’t fly and her tail was sideways, she try to flee from us today when we saw her but she couldn’t fly, she could barely run, she ran into a bush and looked scared. so we decided to put it back in the green area, thinking she would be better in a safer place, we brought the pigeon to our house, we put a box with to the house, we put a box with towels and water and she was there calm. we when out and when we came back she was moving more and looked better, we gave her some sunflower seeds and more water. like about 3 hours later she started flapping, she feel upside down again and was stressed out and shaking, i didn’t understand since i tough the pigeon was getting better earlier, I pick her up wrap her in the towel gently and gave her water, she was drinking it, then she really started to drink it a lot and faster so i thought she ll be fine. i put her down in the box again but this time unlike earlier it seemed that her legs did not respond and she feel forward inside the box with out being able to get up or give a step. I picked her up again, but by now her tail was straight again. earlier it was sideways. but this time her neck was a little crooked like last night. so i was holding the little bird and she started to shake even more, after a few seconds it seemed she was going on my hands. it kinda creep me out and I feel bad, I didn’t know what to do, I wanted the little bird to get better and to fly again. she suddenly started to shake slower but stronger so i knew she was going
. I wrapped the towel around her body like a blanket and then put the remaining part of the towel behind the pigeon head as a pillow and lay her on her side to make her more comfortable. she then didn’t shake any more and she passed away. I am not into pigeons or birds ET all but I do help them when they come across me and need help. I swear to you, this felt awkward and I felt really sad that the little bird did not make it. did I do something wrong? should I have let her out before this happened? I don’t know , all I know is that I tried my best and me and my family gave her love, we pet her little head when we found her, we gave her food and water and a safe place for recovery, still, I feel sad and kind of guilty because I think maybe I did something wrong. I hope I did not since my intentions were the best. after the little pigeon stop moving and breading, I proceeded to close her little eyes, put her back in the box and took her right across the street in a park and placed the box with her inside right next to a tree. I hope the little bird is happy and in a better place now. any feedback as to my actions and shed some light into what went wrong would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hello Kinich, you did the right thing in taking the pigeon home and giving her warmth and shelter. It sounds like the pigeon was ill and most likely would have been run over by a car or died in the cold. You didn’t do anything wrong, so please don’t feel bad. Sometimes we cannot save an animal but the best thing we can do is give them a safe and warm place to be in during their final hours. Thank you for helping the pigeon. Many people wouldn’t have, and even though you say you’re not a bird person, you still had the kindness in your heart to help.
There is metal netting underneath the motorway bridge close to where I live to preevnt pigeons landing and apparently destroying the bridge (laughable). However, The pigeons have still managed to get in but are becoming trapped, there are a number of dead bodies, and some alive ones but will not make it due to thirst and starvation. There is also one pigeon that is trapped by its leg and wing and cant move. It is obviously suffering as its is squealing and screaming, it is making me feel so sad as I cant do anything to help – the bridge being so high up. Cant get through to RSPCA and tried to find pigeon rescue in Manchester without success. Is there anything to do? It is making me sad knowing at least one bird, probably more is suffering. Please advise thanks Karen
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35356 – Also if people could sign the petition to ban netting would help
Hi Karen, it is horrible that the pigeons are trapped!! This is a common occurence and is actually illegal for the company who put the netting up to let birds become trapped and die. These facebook groups may be able to help you with contacts in the Manchester area: http://www.facebook.com/groups/408975542471242/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/PigeonProtection/ Please post what you’ve written to me there and hopefully help will be at hand. The only other thing I can suggest is finding out who’s in charge of maintenance of the bridge and contacting them, or even contacting the local newspaper to report what is happening.
Thanks, Karen, for sharing the link.
I rescued a pigeon being eaten by a kestral. He had a big hole the size of my thumb under his wing but I cleaned it and treated it with some Duphacyline spray which we use for the horses and after 2 weeks he is nearly mended but unfortunately he has lost a tremendous amount of weight and I fear I will loose him if he doesnt have a friend to make him eat more. I live in Wigan (North West) and would be grateful to anyone who could offer me another pigeon as company or alternatively take mine till he is fit and well to be released back to his chums. I am willing to pay for any food during his recovery or keep a friend while he is recovering. Please help someone before its too late. Contact me on 07713 627751. Thanks x
Hi Dalila, thanks for contacting us. This website has a few places in Lancashire that may be able to help you: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentresinengland.htm, such as Greenmount Wild Bird Hospital: http://www.gwbh.org.uk/ If you have no luck with these websites, then may I suggest posting your request on this facebook pigeon rescue group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pigeon.rescue/ They have many members from around the country, so I’m sure you’d be able to find someone local who can help you!
Hello. I found a pigeon this morning when I was walking my dog. He was sitting on the ground, and when my dog went up and sniffed him, he did not move. I decided to take a closer look, and noticed both of his eyes were bleeding, and they were glued shut with dried blood. Initially I did not pick him up because I thought he might have a disease, but when I saw he was still sitting there in the same spot on the ground this evening, I decided to take him home. He put up a little fight, but I put him in a pillow case and he is now comfortably restingin my garage until I can take him to the SPCA tomorrow mornbing. what do you think is wrong with him? I was thinking maybe he flew into a window, or was hit by a car. I could try using some warm water and cleaning off the dried blood on his eyes. Any suggestions?
Hi Susan, you did the right thing in picking up the pigeon. There’s obviously something wrong with it, however, without seeing a photo of the pigeon it is very hard to say what could be wrong (even telling from a photo can be hard). It may be a disease or an injury but whatever the case, the pigeon needs care. Please keep him warm and secure until you can take him to a pigeon friendly vet or rescue centre. You can try dipping the pigeons beak in a small bowl of water to see if he’ll drink, but I wouldn’t try to feed him (unless he’s going to be with you for many days). I hope you find help soon so the pigeon can get the treatment he needs. Good luck and thank you for helping!
Hi
I found a pigeon that looks to be two weeks old in the hallway of my building, it came in from the open terrace. It had appeared to have landed in wet cement and had globs of cement stuck to it (there is constuction next door), so i gently washed it and most of the cement came off. It tried to fly afterward but was all wet and kept falling forward and doesn’t have many feathers. I don’t know if washing it was a great idea but it seemed to feel better and there was no way it could fly with all the cement on it.
Now it is resting on the closed terraced in the shade on an old shirt. i put food and water there but i think he needs to rest. I left him there (which is quite secure) because I have cats inside and its family was hanging around nearby and squawking at him !
I’m in Argentina so I don’t believe there is a bird rescue — what would be the best thing to do? Thank you!
Hi Ande, thank you for contacting. Sorry for the late reply (I had internet problems). You did the right thing in rescuing and washing the pigeon. As you said, he wouldn’t have been able to fly with cement stuck to his feathers. Keeping the bird warm and safe is good (which you’ve done) but he’ll need feeding and care if he’s a baby. I found these contacts in Argentina from this website (http://pij-n-angels.forumotion.net/t274-matilda-s-list-south-america) so maybe they can help you?
Dr Hector Funes
J. V. Gonzalez 5359
Capital Federal
Argentina
Tel. 4504-2566
Vucetich 616 – Tel: 6327-2454
Monday to Friday: From 17:00 to 20:00.
Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:00
Argentina, Buenos Aires….. +54 11 47991683
Andrea Ferrari, Asociacion Ribera Norte (Subcomision de Fauna)
ereka@impsat1.com.ar
Otherwise, these websites have instructions on how to feed and care for a baby pigeon: http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/caringforababypigeon.htm and http://www.pigeon-aid.org.uk/wordpress/?page_id=192
Thank you so much for your answer! Well the little guy is doing much better=
after eating today. I didn’t see him eating so I fed him by hand. I fed hi=
m about a teaspoon and a half of lentils brown rice and seeds and another h=
alf teasspoon six hours later, but now he has more fight in him. How much s=
hould i be feeding him?=A0
He can hop around and fly about one and half or two feet in the air. The te=
rrace has walls that are about six feet high so he can’t escape. What I am =
worried about is that the pigeon family was hanging around and up above and=
I’m worried they won’t want him back if I handle him too much.=A0
I did call the gentleman, thank you very much. He gave me some advice. Ther=
e is a bird refuge or some sort but it costs money. We kind of have our han=
ds full with the overpopulation of dogs and cats here so I will do the best=
I can I really hope i can reintegrate him. but I’m kind of ‘winging it’.
Thanks so much!
hi
I have a small home based rescue and at present have a few young pigeons that will soon be ready to released
my question is
in the wild do the young stay as a family group ?[they seem to from my bird-table studies ]
Should i let them go in the same area as they were found, in case they can rejoin their family units? the one is not a problem[my garden] but the others came from a factory estate where there are a lot of sparrow hawks,[I know because i had to rescue a sparrow hawk that had been hit by a car from here][the birds have been in my care for a few weeks now]
has anybody studied wild pigeons in detail, I know they mate for life,but do they form family groups?
Also I have been feeding wild birds in my garden for the past six years and have a few large flocks of pigeons feeding twice a day each group [they are more the size of chickens now and get through 25kg of feed each week,] I would like to move to the country and get some land to start a bigger rescue centre but wonder how these flocks will survive? some have been bringing their young, and their young have bought their young ect! how is the best way to get them to be less dependent on me?
also although i have had no problems so far could the local authorities do anything to stop me feeding these birds [its my own house] if a neighbour complained for example?
many thanks
Hi Barry, I will email you with my reply. Thanks for contacting us!
Hi, My pet cat caught an adult pigeon and luckily i stopped her from hurting the poor thing seriously. I put the bird on a flat surface outside and am keeping the cat inside. Although there’s no blood, the bird can’t seem to fly. Its been sliding along the floor for the past few hours. How long does the shock usually take to subside (more or less?) ? Usually when this happens to the smaller birds she(the cat) catches they recover quite fast.
Hi Basheera, I just saw your message. Shock usually subsides after a few hours, however, cats have a lot of bacteria in their claws and teeth, so if your cat has injured the pigeon (even a small cut) then the pigeon can die from blood poisoning. The pigeon would need antibiotics. If the pigeon is injured and cannot fly then it would need to be seen by a vet or wildlife rescuer.
Hi, I found a baby pigeon in the road when it was just a couple of weeks old, must of fallen from the tree. I took him home, that was middle of April this year he alive and well and I’ve been feeding him, first bread and milk, today we was out side and he took his first propper flight but came straight back. He lives in my back room, and roams around the house in the day he’s not long started flying he started flying off the floor on to my lap and then every moning now when I go in the back room to him he flys straight at me and lands on me. He’s defently about 2 months old now, and he like eating his food out on his own. But sometimes still wants to be fed like a baby by putting his beak in my fingers and sqweeks and beats me wiv his wings lol. He’s become a part of our family and I reallly like him, I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m scared if I let him go he won’t survive, a day, but I no if I keep him he can live to up to 15 yrs, what can I build to keep him in. Out side so he can’t get eaten by a cat. Obvioulsy ill let him out to fly, but ill be watching him.
Hi Debbie, thanks for commenting. Yes, you are right, the pigeon can live on average 15 years in captivity, so if you want to keep your pigeon you can build him an aviary in your garden. Here’s a link to a good blog that will give you an idea of what you’ll need: http://www.rescuereport.org/2011/01/how-to-create-aviary-for-rescued-king.html As you have said, there are dangers with letting your pigeon fly freely, so the bigger the aviary, the better really so that your pigeon can fly safely about in it.
oooo, thankyou for replying to me I replyed bk via email. And sent pictures of nasher as I’m when I found him and as he is now or she I don’t know.
Hi Debbie, thanks for the photos. I’ll reply properly to your email soon.