People who dislike or fear pigeons often say that pigeons carry disease that can be passed on to humans. This is their main argument – that pigeons are dirty and diseased. However, what truth is there to this? And what is the real issue?
First of all, all animals – humans included – carry diseases. This is just a fact of life and most people are happy to live their life without worrying that they’ll catch something from another person or their pet dog. Yes, dogs and cats in fact can carry the same number of diseases as pigeons!
The real question is can these diseases be transmitted to humans? Infectious diseases that are transmitted to humans from non-human animals and vice versa are called zoonotic diseases. The answer to the question above is yes, some of the diseases that pigeons may carry can be transmitted to humans, however, the method of transmission is not straight forward. So rest assure – you’re very very unlikely to catch a deadly disease by touching a pigeon! (Please continue to read – quotes from experts on this matter towards the end of this post!)
Let’s put a couple of things into perspective: Human beings carry disease, and there are too many human diseases in the world to count. I haven’t got any medical books to reference, so I cannot give you any figures, however, I’m sure that if you research human diseases you’ll find more than you can stomach.
Here are a few of the zoonotic diseases and parasites that can be caught from cats: Feline cowpox, toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis, ringworm, roundworm, hookworm, feline conjunctivitis, pasteurellosis, salmonella, cat scratch disease (cat scratch fever, bartonellosis), helicobacter pylori, mycobacteria turburculosis, rotavirus, rabies, chlamydia and giardia.
A few from dogs: Brucellosis, campylobacter, hydatid disease, pasteurellosis, rabies, ringworm, roundworm, hookworm, toxocariasis, zoonotic diphtheria, rotavirus, cryptosporidia, giardia, leptospirosis, sarcoptic mange or scabies and fleas.
And here are some zoonotic diseases that pigeons can carry: Chiamdiosis, psittacosis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, chlamydia psittaci and campylobacter jejuni.
In an article by Robinson and Pugh called “Dogs, zoonoses and immunosuppression”, they state that “dogs are the source of a wide range of zoonotic infections that pose a significant threat to human health.” Robinson, RA and Pugh, RN. (2002). Dogs, zoonoses and immunosuppression. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 122: 95-98
What a statement! But you don’t see many of us panicking about dogs and disease! Rarely do I hear someone say “Dogs are diseased and dirty.” However, pigeons are viewed by many in a very unfair light – just because they can potentially carry disease, much like any other animal out there in the world.
The real issue is whether pigeons pose a threat to the public and your health. This is very easy to answer: No, they do not. (See quotes below from the experts!) I think Steve Harris put it very nicely in his article about pigeons on this subject: “Many websites list the diseases recorded in feral pigeons. How very scary. But let’s put this in context – many more diseases are known in people and their pets. Moreover, all animals carry diseases: the key issue is how often they transfer to humans, and there is little evidence of this happening with feral pigeons. Plus, domestic pigeons often come into contact with feral pigeons but stay perfectly healthy. In other words, feral pigeons simply do not pose a significant health risk. It’s a non-issue.” Harris, S. (2010). BBC Wildlife magazine 28 (10): 52-57
“It’s a non-issue” – something I wish would catch on. … So why all the bad press? Why are pigeons viewed as diseased birds that will kill you if they touch you? Unfortunately it is all down to greed. Pest control companies see pigeons as a continuous resource of money (since pest control methods are highly ineffective in the long term) and have spread misinformation and exaggerated things – thus spreading fear and ignorance in the public.
In turn, local councils have also been fed this misinformation and are trying to deal with the ‘pigeon problem’ in many towns and cities. In many council websites there is usually a page on pigeons and disease and they always state the fact that pigeons pose a health risk, however, I don’t see much in the way of scientific research or references backing up their claims (the same goes for websites for pest control companies).
Guy Merchant, the founder of the Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PiCAS), states, “We are the only independent source of unbiased information out there. By comparison, the pest control industries are only motivated by greed. They invest millions of dollars each year on anti-pigeon propaganda and misinformation. It’s entirely unethical. In fact, there are no ethics involved at all. Believe you me, the world hates pigeons because of them.” Blechman, Andrew D. (2006). Pigeons: The fascinating saga of the world’s most revered and reviled bird. Grove Press, New York.
Here are what the experts say (from Do birds spread disease?):
- On the subject of pigeons and disease, Dr. Nina Marano (an epidemiologist) states that “Pigeons are no more filthy than any other wild bird or animal,” while Dr. Arturo Casadevall (an expert in pigeon faeces) states, “Pigeons are no different than other animals. When it comes to spreading disease, they don’t stand out.” Blechman, Andrew D. (2006). Pigeons: The fascinating saga of the world’s most revered and reviled bird. Grove Press, New York.
- Mike Everett, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said, in The Big Issue Magazine, February 2001: “The whole ‘rats with wings’ thing is just emotive nonsense. There is no evidence to show that they (pigeons) spread disease.”
- The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, when addressing the House of Lords in 2000 on the issue of intimate human contact with the then 7,000-8,000 pigeons feeding in Trafalgar Square, was asked if this represented a risk to human health. The Chief Veterinary Officer told The House that in his opinion it did not.
- Charlotte Donnelly, an American bird control expert told the Cincinnati Environment Advisory Council in her report to them: “The truth is that the vast majority of people are at little or no health risk from pigeons and probably have a greater chance of being struck by lightening than contracting a serious disease from pigeons.”
- Guy Merchant, Director of The Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PiCAS International) says, when talking about the transmission of disease by pigeons: “If we believed everything we read in the media about the health risks associated with pigeons, and the farcical propaganda distributed by the pest control industry, we would never leave our homes. The fact of the matter is that there is probably a greater risk to human health from eating intensively farmed supermarket chicken and eggs, or having contact with domestic pets such as cats, dogs and caged birds, than there is from contact with pigeons.”
- David A Palmer (B.V.Sc., M.R.C.V.S) said in an article entitled ‘Pigeon Lung Disease Fatality and Health Risk from Ferals’: “Obviously, since all these Allergic Extrinsic Alveolitis disease syndromes rely on the involved person having a very specific allergy before any disease, involving respiratory distress and very unusually death, can possibly be seen, it really makes absolute nonsense for a popular daily newspaper to suggest that pigeons present a health hazard and presumably need eliminating for the well-being of the nation’s health.”
- David Taylor BVMS FRCVS FZS: “In 50 years professional work as a veterinary surgeon I cannot recall one case of a zoonosis in a human that was related to pigeons. On the other hand I know of, and have seen, examples of human disease related to contact with dogs, cats, cattle, monkeys, sheep, camels, budgies, parrots, cockatoos, aquarium fish and even dolphins, on many occasions.”
- The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, the New York City Department of Health, and the Arizona Department of Health all agree that diseases associated with pigeons present little risk to people. “We have never documented a pigeon to human transmission in the state of Arizona,” said Mira J Leslie, Arizona’s state public health veterinarian.
- In response to questions about the effects of pigeons on human health, in 1986 the Association of Pigeon Veterinarians issued a statement that concludes, “…to our knowledge, the raising, keeping, and the exercising of pigeons and doves represents no more of a health hazard than the keeping of other communal or domestic pets.”
As you can see, pigeons pose little threat to us. However, if you aren’t convinced, please visit the following websites: http://www.picasuk.com/index.html and http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/zoonoses/
The following video is an excellent documentary on feral pigeons, disease and pest control. Some scenes are distressing to view, however, it is well worth the watch because of the information relayed:
Glad to find an article that puts things in to perspective . Too many arogant people out there when it comes to pigeons . Some of my happiest memories with my Mum were spent in Trafalgar Square enjoying the pidgeons perching on us , sad I can’t repeat this joyful experirence with my son . So many predjeduced people out there , makes me so sad & angry . Lets respect all living creatures x O
At last! – some plain and HONEST FACTS! – Why is it that people always seem to believe the “bad-press” written by bad people, driven entirely by their own GREED? (and,of course almost all of whom are representing some Pest-Control company or another….
I love these kind, beautiful,and highly intelligent creatures who have (and still do) entertain and stun me with their wonderful and often more “human than human” daily displays of obvious love for “life”!
MAN HAS ONLY MAN TO BLAME FOR THIS ….. and …..sadly, here is just one more example of such human ignorance…!
“Hear, hear!” Thank you for your comments.
You cannot be poisoned by touching the Death Cap fungus – you have to ingest it to be poisoned.
Likewise, you cannot, or rather you stand little chance of suffering breathing difficulties by touching a feral pigeon – you have to inhale the the infected dust to suffer any eventual breathlessness which will be very difficult to diagnose by a doctor as there could be many other reasons for breathlessness.
However, where feral pigeons congregate together in huge numbers in an empty derelict building for example, living amongst all their dried up faeces where it becomes in effect, an extremely rich organic soil (guano) and is highly likely to contain some very nasty diseases, then when these pigeons move to the centre of town in the hope of finding food there is a high probability they take a disease with them in the form of dust.
This is when feral pigeons do pose a problem to human health and shame on you for failing to mention this.
i am absolutely appaulled at manchester city council and the attitude of pat karney aginst these innocent birds.
why they dont spend time riding the gardens of rubbish and sputum which the human beings are leaving behind is beyond me.
i am delighted with this piece of evidence and if it is ok with you i wish to use some qoutes in my letter to the manchester evening news.
many thanks
Hello, yes, please do use the quotes. I found them from this website: http://www.picasuk.com/
Dear Neil,
thank you for your comments, however, please provide proof of what you have stated.
I provide statements from experts on the subjects that pigeons do not prove a significant health risk to humans (throughout my blog post). Only those people whose immune sytem is compromised may be at risk, however, they will be at risk of disease from other animals as well as humans, so they have to be careful wherever they go.
I later wrote a post about pigeon faeces after having done some research on the subject and still found no evidence that it is dangerous to people unless you are in contact with huge amounts of pigeon dung on a daily basis. Please see: http://www.pigeonsaspets.co.uk/2010/12/04/the-scoop-on-pigeon-poop/
Sincerely,
Rev from Pigeons as Pets
It sad that people’s life are controlled by media and innocent creatures suffer as result. Very good article. Thank you
Thank you for this excellent article. Here’s more evidence that the government publications are not always accurate and that worrying about disease from pigeons is illogical: In 1986, a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s booklet on pigeons stated that pigeons presented a risk of transmitting salmonella to humans. In the early 2000s an article in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology presented findings that salmonella in pigeon feces is of low virulence to humans. Psittacosis from pigeons is extremely rare. From 1974 to 1981, only 23 cases of psittacosis reported to the CDC were attributed to wild pigeons. In contrast, 2231 cases of illness attributed to salmonella in eggs were reported to the CDC in a *one-year* period.
Hi Lori, thank you for your comment. You have shared some very useful information, thank you! Pigeons are an easy target and people then don’t think about the real issues that are the problem. Very sad, but it happens all the time. Interesting to read how many egg-salmonella cases are reported in a year.
Im very glad I came across this information. I am sick of narrow minded people and their views about pigeons. I’ve always loved pigeons, they are very entertaining intelligent creatures, and I do feed them now and again on the local common (ooh shame on me…!)
To this day I can’t really say iv’e heard about people dying or becoming seriously ill from being around pigeons, it just doesn’t happen and this info seems to back this up. Some people just love to moan and make something of nothing.
…now
If you were to roll around in it,and lick pigeon poo you might just increase your chances of exposure (:oD) something most sane humans wouldn’t do ….I hope
Hi Suzanne, thank you for your comments! The last bit you wrote made me laugh! I would hope no one was stupid enough to do that!! But you never know, people can be weird.
I too am glad to have found this… thank you. Terrific video .. good information. I knew that when I handled some of the pigeons on the square downtown it was fine – now you proved it. They are lovely animals. Greed and ignorance = bad combination…
Hi Kathleen, thank you for commenting. You are right, greed and ignorance is certainly a bad combination. Let’s hope more people see how wonderful pigeons really are!
So pleased to have found this blog and some other like minded people! I am terribly sad at the way the gentle pigeon has become vilified over the years. As a kid I used to feed them in Trafalgar Square – there wasn’t the silly ‘Rats with Wings’ hysteria there is now. Nobody got ill and we all had a great time for free!
I am currently fighting a battle with Pest Control at Canary Wharf who have removed a place where pigeons used to shelter from the weather and gulls/crows. I now find decapitated birds outside my office window. The pest control people use the ‘Vermin’ excuse so I am going to quote some of the information here to see if I can get them to reverse their action. Not hopeful though.
Did anyone see Stephen Fry defending Pigeons on QI recently? He said they carry no more diseases than human beings.
Hi Emma, thank you for your comment. It’s nice to hear from another pro-pigeon person. Yes, you are right, it is very sad how vilified pigeons have become. We are all working to change the negative views. The pest control companies are the worst – they spread misinformation and lies about pigeons just so they can kill them for money. It is scare mongering and simply dishonest. I wish you luck in your personal fight with them!
I have recently been called upon to rescue a ferrel baby pigion that has fallen out of he nest. I have taken this little bird in and will look after it until it is ready to face the world on its own. I was very concerned about desease and your website has put my mind at ease. Thank you very much.
Hi Susan, thanks for commenting. I’m glad that what I have written has helped you with your concerns. Pigeons are marvelous birds and I’m sure you’ll soon fall in love with the litte one you are caring for.
[...] them munching up food scraps that certain people dispose of on our pavements, and despite the lack of evidence that they pose any kind of health risk to the general public (literature sponsored by pest-control [...]
hi i found a pigeon in my garden and when i tryed to move it it didnt fly it had a broken foot so i ceared for it and put it in a shoe box so it rests any ideas on what to do next
Hi Tasha, sorry for the late reply. I have been away. I hope you have found help for your pigeon. If it has broken limbs then it needs to be assessed by a vet or pigeon rescuer to see if it can be fixed. In situations such as these, the best thing is to search for your nearest pigeon-friendly rescue centre or vet and ask for their advice.
I’m so glad I found this article. I just saved a pigeon who was injured and in the road this morning. Immediately after I did so I had a guy come up to me outside a gas station who told me that I should “wash and sanitize my hands immediately because pigeons carry over 50 diseases, he also said that they are nasty bird.” I’m still glad I saved the poor pigeon before he got ran over.
Hello Briana, I’m happy to hear you saved a pigeon from a cruel death. Of course, it is common sense to wash hands after handling any animal, especially before eating, but you don’t need to worry about catching a disease simply from handling a pigeon, so the man who spoke to you was just scare-mongering and ill-informed. Sadly, many people still view pigeons as dirty, diseased birds. I try to change that view whenever I can. I hope all is well with the rescued pigeon.
Hi! REVATHI…..really glad to read your site…..I’m leaving in a condominium and started feeding quite number of pigeons beside my condo past few months…..my whole family love feeding them and we really enjoyed their company. They used to come to my condo and starts knocking my window if we are late feeding them…. and now the management people in my condo starts complaining that we are creating nuisance by feeding the the pigeons and they scared us that these pigeons would cause serious diseases as cancer and etc……first I actually don’t bother them… but I keep getting complaints and lectures by these people which urged myself to do some search on pigeons…..I really glad and thanked for your site which support my act………thanks again………
No diseases eh ? then how come the Trichomonosis disease is being spread by pigeons – not to people but to other bird species , the disease is reaching epidemic proportions in our garden birds . evidently the pigeons infected saliva is left behind in garden bird baths , a local bird hops down for a drink and ingest the protozoa in the saliva which takes up residence and multiplies in the birds throat . The colony becomes so big the bird cannot swallow and starves to death – a nasty and long drawn out death .
But i suppose this does not matter as it is only our garden birds that suffer and not people – so thats all right then !!
Thanks. This is very good. I have rescued pigeons that are being poisoned in graineries locally.
Hello Anthony, the purpose of this post is to inform people of how little a risk pigeons are to people because of the undue fear people have about pigeons. I didn’t state that pigeons don’t carry diseases. I know all about canker in pigeons – having worked at a wildlife rescue centre and seen the awful disease in all its forms – but this post is about whether humans can catch disease from pigeons. … Having read your comment I take it that you don’t consider pigeons to be “garden birds” and therefore not worthy of saving. It is unfortunate that canker is prevalent in your garden, however, there are treatments that you can buy to help your birds.