Vulnerability at Pigeons As Pets

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Feral Pigeon Project - Research blog to answer some of the mysteries about feral pigeons.
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Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Adoptions - Organisation dedicated to the rescue of doves and pigeons in the San Francisco Bay area.
Pandemonium Aviaries - Organisation dedicated to preventing the extinction of targeted avian species through conservation and education.
Pigeon Aid UK - A site that provides advice for those who have picked up a sick, injured or baby pigeon and need guidance.
Pigeon and Dove Rescue - A website aimed at providing help for anyone that has rescued a pigeon or dove by providing details of pigeon friendly rescue centres, vets and guidance on how to care for orphaned, sick or injured pigeons.
Pigeon Angels - A forum dedicated to the support & care of all pigeons, feral or fancy, that find themselves in jeopardy.
Pigeon Blog - A bona fide urban pigeon telling it how it is for the pigeons of London.
Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PiCAS) - PiCAS specialises in the provision of non-lethal, holistic and sustainable bird control systems, which will result in a permanent reduction in bird numbers.
Pigeon Control Resource Centre (PCRC) - An online resource for anyone with a pigeon-related problem. All information and advice provided on the website is geared towards completely solving pigeon control problems by the use of humane and non-lethal control methods.
Pigeon Rescue Team (UK) - A group aiming to help and rescue pigeons in the area of London
Pigeon Tales - Interesting blog following the lives of a family of feral pigeons living with the author.
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Rescue Report - Wonderful blog about fostering and adopting pigeons (from MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue).
Urban Wildlife Society - Their mission is to promote appreciation for all animals, particularly pigeons, that share the city and suburbs with humans. The website is filled with information and articles about inhumane pest control and offers advice on alternative measures.
Wild Bird Fund - Website for the non-profit organization that provides assistance for wild birds, including feral pigeons, in New York City.
Wing and a Prayer Bird Haven - Wild bird rescue centre and sanctuary in Norfolk, UK

Pigeon Rescue: people who can help
Links to various pigeon-friendly organisations, groups, rescue centres, and vets that can help with injured, ill or orphaned pigeons and doves.

The problem of chronic egg laying
Talking about the problem of continuous egg laying in birds (e.g. risks to health) and possible solutions.

Welfare of fancy pigeons
Discussing the genetic welfare problems of some fancy pigeon breeds.

How to tell if a pigeon is male or female
Explaining a bit about sexing pigeons.

The scoop on pigeon poop!
Are pigeon faeces dangerous to humans and can it be used as fertiliser?

Pet pigeons - what we mean
Explaining what we mean when we talk about keeping pigeons as pets. In brief: We mean keeping tame, imprinted or disabled pigeons that would not otherwise survive in the wild.

Feral pigeons and disease – do pigeons carry disease?
Do pigeons pose a threat to the public and your health. The quick answer is: No, they do not. Don’t believe me? Well, read the full article to find out.

Hand-rearing pigeons - right or wrong?
Controversial post on whether it is right to hand-rear a pigeon on its own and therefore potentially cause them to become imprinted on humans.

Invisible babies
Why we don’t normally see baby pigeons, their growth rate (photos included) and info on what to do if you find a baby pigeon.

Pigeon Rescue: what to do with injured, ill and orphaned pigeons
Information on what to do, as well as links to various sites about pigeon rescue.

Vulnerability

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My pigeons feel very vulnerable when they go through their annual moult. Elmo in particular. He’s looking very disheveled and I’m sure he feels that way too. It must be uncomfortable also. They’re preening a lot and pulling out all the old feathers and unsheathing the new ones. To be honest, Elmo is acting in such a way that I can only describe as “I’m feeling ugly. Leave me alone”. He’s very moody towards me and doesn’t want me around him.

Georgie is being a bit nicer to me but she’s now in the later stages of her moult and possibly wanting reassurance from me. I don’t know if birds in the wild feel the same as my pigeons do but I imagine they must also feel vulnerable during a moult. It takes energy and time to grow new feathers, and when they don’t have a full compliment of feathers they may be more vulnerable to predators.

As I’m writing this Elmo is on the sofa falling asleep. I want to go over to give him a kiss to reassure him that he’s loved but I’m not sure he’d be happy about that. Usually when I nod my head to Elmo he’ll respond with a nod and then run to his nest to coo to me. But lately he’s not been responding to me and simply stares. … I guess I’ll just have to wait until he’s feeling pretty again before he’ll let me cuddle him.

Elmo

The above photos shows the few feathers on Elm’s left wing that he tries to preen but only succeeds in fraying and breaking. This may be because of the angle that he’s not able to reach them properly (since Elmo has coordination and mobility problems).

Author: Revati

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2 Responses to “Vulnerability”

ara on October 19, 2012 11:27 pm
Piggles has been thru the major moult – wow. Still losing feathers(tiny ones) but i found that the ones she cannot reach – head and neck i have helped a bit.

I very gently use my nails to break (loosen) those ‘straws’ that show sticking out on her head. Never pulling or anything like that. She likes it and closes her eyes – also the same under and around the beak

Perhaps your birds would not mind if you did that?
Revati on October 21, 2012 3:06 pm
Hi Ara, we do “preen” the back of our pigeons neck but Elmo doesn’t always allow me to do this to him when he’s feeling insecure. But I know that pigeons love to be preened around the neck where they cannot reach themselves so I’m glad you are doing this with Piggles.

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