The problem with pigeons
Posted on 3rd October 2021 at 09:16
The problem with pigeons living in Reading
The feral pigeon is a common sight in just about every town no matter how small or large, these birds only live alongside mankind and you won’t find many living out in rural areas and the reason for this is that these birds were once domesticated and used as a handy food source. The birds were domesticated from a breed of rock dove and you can see this in the way that they will nest on ledges and windowsills of buildings.
Pigeon behaviour and habitat and how we support the birds
Their relationship with man goes right back to where pigeon bones have been found in pyramids where the birds were eaten as a funerary meal, so no wonder that they aren’t frightened of us. As you walk through shopping centres, you’ll notice that the birds are confident to walk just in front of your feet as they wait for any crumbs or titbits to rain down.
This is the problem with pigeons; they live around us as they get their food from us in the form of dropped food, deliberate bird feeding or scavenging from waste, the feral pigeon is extremely successful and its thought that their numbers run to around 15 million or so.
That’s 15 million birds all of which depend on mankind for food and shelter whether we like it or not, these birds have become so adapted to living with us that they no longer need to adhere to a breeding season like other birds do. Smaller birds like the house sparrow time their broods to coincide with the rise in soft insects like aphids and caterpillars so they may have one of two broods a year.
Feral pigeons may have ten broods every year and their success is the adaptation to living off what we feed them. These birds can eat anything and then store the food in their crop where it is partially digested and broken down into a rich milk like liquid. This crop milk is highly nutritious, high in fat and protein and when fed to the chicks or squabs as they are called, the youngsters quickly grow and at a faster rate than other birds.
Pigeons have a successful strategy for breeding that’s built upon monogamy, whilst around 90% of the total bird species mate and share responsibility of raising a single brood, feral pigeons’ mate for life and so they form a very strong bond between each other and their chicks.
Combine ace parenting skills with high intelligence and you have a recipe for success; each pair of mating pigeons will produce around 10 broods each year, with each brood consisting of two eggs laid every time.
How netting can prevent a pigeon problem without harming the birds
Another successful strategy employed by pigeons and this is due to the strong bond between the pair is that their chicks or squabs will stay in the nest until full adulthood. For many bird species especially where there is only one full time adult carer, safety is best achieved by having the chicks leave the nest early. The brood scatters meaning predators like the grey squirrel or crows won’t chance upon the entire brood, with pigeons who have two adults that will defend their young together, they keep the young in the nest, and this explains why you’ll never see a baby pigeon.
Sexual maturity of feral pigeons comes at about 7 months of age, our single nesting pair will have produced a small flock by then with a combined number of around 12 birds, now that we have potentially two pairs able to breed; the growth of the flock will rise faster. More birds equal more mess, more noise and more potential damage to the building, feral pigeon problems quickly escalate so immediate action is important.
Keeping the pigeons off the area is the important thing and the most effective method of preventing them from getting into an area is the installation of a tensioned net across any openings and covering any sheltered ledges. When a net is installed correctly this technique will not harm any pigeons as the face of the net is pulled taught, on striking the net the birds bounce off.
An incorrectly fitted net that has slack or loose material will catch the birds legs, once the fibre wraps around the birds leg it acts as a snare capturing the bird and effectively killing the bird through starvation.
Pigeon netting in Reading - the ultimate pigeon control
The only effective, long term solution to a problem with feral pigeons is the usage of the correct proofing technique combined with a professional clean-up of the area. Here at Pigeon Control UK we provide the service that you need, with the installation of a variety of anti-bird measures and a detailed cleaning service we can sort out any pigeon problem that you may have.
We are a family run business and we work on a professional, tailored basis, we are competitive in our pricing and if you would like an absolutely no obligation quote to get rid of your pigeon problem get in touch with us.
Tagged as: Pigeon Control
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