Feral pigeons (also called city doves or city pigeons)  usually are half-wild former domestic pigeons. After escaping from pigeon-houses they started to live and multiply on their own account  i.e. beyond human control. All breeds of contemporary pigeons descend from one breed  the Rock Dove (Columba Livia). Pigeon races which look very different now were created as a result of breeding selection and uncontrolled crossing afterwards. The following features are characteristic for the pigeon: small head, rather short beak, short neck, very muscular breast, and dark and wide tail. A specific form of its defence against attackers (predators) is to drop some part of its feathers, they fall off very easily and the result of predators attack is its beak full of pigeons feathers. Pigeons are known for a very regular life style: they sleep always in the same places, in the morning they fly to get some food and water, the hottest part of a day they spend in their favourite places, in late afternoon they look for food again and come back to their bedrooms in the evening. Pigeons are very dependent on humans, who, whether consciously or not, provide food for them as well as comfortable places where they may roost and nest. Their favourite food is cereal grains and seeds, they also like radish and lettuce, flower buds and sometimes leaves of other plant.

SOUNDS MADE BY PIGEONS

       Nevertheless, the presence of pigeons has some very negative aspects. Apart from their eating and damaging of food products, it shall be remembered that birds’ faeces and feathers are a perfect breeding ground for numerous insects, mites, as well as fungi and bacteria. Many of them, often in various ways, attack humans and domestic animals, and may be the source of many dangerous diseases directly or indirectly caused by contamination of food. Only bird feathers alone left in closed premises (stores, etc.) may be successfully used by various rodents for building their habitats. Also fragments of abandoned or damaged birds’ nests and large amounts of their faeces may clog sink basins, storm sewers and drainage pipes. Pigeon faeces obviously mar buildings and accelerate their deterioration, which has a negative impact on prestige of their owners and administrators and additionally puts them at risk of incurring unnecessary costs for additional repairs. Pigeons intensively foul up sidewalks and courtyards in their roosting areas, which often results in the necessity of employing additional cleaning persons.

      There are a lot of various method to prevent the negative effects that the birds have on urban environment. The most effective of them are those which prevent or hinder birds access to food or water and those which make snug nesting and roosting places known to the birds unattractive to them. However, we have to remember that protection which is not complete will only make the birds move to another place nearby. It is also important that protection against birds is appropriately made and durable, that means that it is maintenance free and does not have to be replaced after only several months of use. Thus, we recommend the STOP-PTAK protection system which meets all the above conditions, only slightly modifying the structure and architectonic decorations of buildings, requiring at the same time only minimum maintenance consisting in removal of leaves and twigs from spikes. Additionally to the protection of the building itself it is worth thinking also about drainage of damp areas nearby it in order to reduce the number of places with stagnant water (paddles, etc.).

      However, all and any attempts to unnaturally reduce the number of pigeons and other birds by killing them, shooting with a pneumatic or other gun, spreading poisoned grains, or deterring by hanging out dead birds shall be deemed very reprehensible and worthy of condemnation. Such actions are unaccepted first of all for ethical reasons but also they may result in secondary contamination of environment by decaying dead bodies of birds. Birds weakened and exhausted by poison may be an easy pray for stray cats and dogs which may be subsequently poisoned or infected with one of dangerous diseases carried by birds. It is unacceptable to remove nests with eggs or nestlings with the use of strong water jet under pressure, this barbarous and completely ineffective method is used in some towns and cities in Poland. Nests, provided that it is really necessary, may be removed only while they are being built, before eggs are laid there (remember to wear rubber gloves!).