Often called flying rats, trash birds, flying ashtrays and other unflattering names, rock pigeons are usually unwanted guests at backyard feeders and baths. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to discourage rock pigeons and keep these birds from causing problems.

Problems With Rock Pigeons

Rock pigeons (Columba livia) are native in cliff-strewn areas of southern Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East, but because these birds have been domesticated for millennia and are easily adaptable to living with humans, they have developed feral colonies in many cities and suburbs worldwide.

While wild rock pigeons do not cause problems, feral colonies can be extreme and their behavior can create many difficulties. Pigeon characteristics that cause the most problems include:

• Voracious Appetites: These birds eat just about anything, and while they are largely granivorous, they can easily subsist on scraps or garbage. In birders' backyards, even a small pigeon flock can quickly drain feeders, depriving other species of adequate food.
   
• Large Flocks: Rock pigeons are gregarious and form large flocks. The more birds in the same area, the more noise they make and the bigger mess they create with their shed feathers and feces. The high uric acid component of pigeon feces can damage cars and buildings.
   
• Fast Breeding: These birds breed any time of year, and while a typical brood only has 1-2 eggs, when pair raises five or more broods annually, the pigeon population can grow rapidly, exacerbating problems and quickly ousting other birds from the area.
   
• Adaptable Behavior: Unlike birds that are sensitive to habitat loss and have very specific needs, rock pigeons easily adjust to changes, making it more difficult to remove or discourage them once they have become established in an area. It is far easier for birders to act quickly to remove rock pigeons before they cause extensive problems.

Many local birds suffer when rock pigeons become abundant, including native doves such as mourning doves, white-winged doves, band-tailed pigeons and other species. Ironically, however, urban raptors, such as peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks, benefit from the presence of pigeons, which become easily hunted, rich prey for the carnivores.

Discouraging Pigeons

When pigeons arrive in a birder's backyard, the best way to encourage the birds to move on is to take steps to not meet their needs for food, water, shelter and nesting sites. Because of their adaptability it can be difficult to completely avoid providing what they need, but careful steps can be effective.

• Food: Eliminate ground feeding areas and clean under feeding stations where pigeons can access spilled seed. Avoid offering kitchen scraps, and keep trash cans firmly closed so birds cannot forage in inappropriate areas. Do not feed pets outdoors – pigeons will eat dog and cat food. Switch to clinging feeders such as mesh or net feeders without perches so pigeons cannot access the feeders, and remove large tray or hopper feeders. Add large, steep baffles close above feeders so these large birds are less comfortable accessing feeding ports.
   
• Water: Instead of a wide, easily accessible bird bath, opt for a hanging waterer, such as the Garden Sip & Seed arrangement, which rock pigeons will have much more trouble accessing. Improve yard drainage and adjust automatic sprinkler coverage to eliminate puddles pigeons will drink from, and keep gutters clean so there is no backed up water they can use. Rain barrels should be covered.
   
• Shelter: Eliminate favored perches for these large birds by adding spikes, netting, wires or coils that keep them from landing in convenient locations. Wires that deliver mild electrical shocks can also be effective. Be sure windows and roofs are sealed so the birds cannot get inside to roost or nest, not only on houses, but also on sheds, garages and other backyard structures.
   
• Nesting Sites: Remove or alter flat, sheltered locations where rock pigeons build nests. Adding a steeply angled ramp – sheet metal or an angled wooden block is ideal – will keep the nest from feeling secure and the birds are likely to move on. If extreme measures are necessary, investigate commercial bird birth control chemicals and add them to an easy food source to keep pigeons from laying fertile eggs.

For the greatest effectiveness, use multiple techniques to keep rock pigeons from getting comfortable in the backyard, and they are likely to move on to easier locations.

Aggressive Control

While laws vary in different regions, rock pigeons are often considered invasive, including in the United States, and more aggressive options can legally be used against them. Pest control companies can capture and kill the birds, and it is legal to remove their nests and destroy their eggs. The birds can be trapped, but relocating them is not always effective – they have uncanny instincts for returning to familiar territory. When birders see pigeons at their feeders, spraying them with a hose or using loud noises can be useful for temporarily discouraging them, and in time, the birds may move away. Advocating for city laws to discourage pigeons, such as prohibiting mass feeding in parks or creating stern litter control measures, can also help keep these birds from becoming a nuisance.

Certain control techniques, however, should never be used, even if they are advertised as effective against pigeons. Glue traps and sticky spreads that are purported to discourage the birds are cruel and can impact many other creatures, and loosing dogs or cats on the birds could also have adverse effects on other species the predators may harass. Poison should not be used against pigeons, either, since there is no way to guarantee other birds or animals will not ingest the toxin.

By using several methods, it is possible to discourage rock pigeons and keep these unwanted birds away from backyard feeders. While they are adaptable, if birders stop meeting pigeons' needs, they will have to adapt to a new location instead.

Photo – Rock Pigeons © Toshihiro Gamo