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Town

Feral pigeon

Columba livia

The bird of every town centre: grey, with a shiny green and purple neck and two black bars on each wing.

Size
About 32cm long
Look for it
All year round
Where
Town squares, stations, bridges and rooftops

My spotter's list

Walks after you, bobbing its head with every step. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Pigeon

Good to know

Six things about the pigeon

Family

A wild ancestor

Town pigeons are descended from the wild rock dove, which nests on sea cliffs. Buildings make good cliffs.

Homing

Finding the way home

Pigeons can find their way home from hundreds of miles away, using the sun and the Earth's magnetic field.

War

War heroes

Pigeons carried messages in both World Wars, and some were given medals for bravery.

Head

The head bob

A pigeon's head is not really bobbing. It holds its head still while its body catches up, so it can see clearly.

Milk

Pigeon milk

Both parents feed their chicks a rich, milky food made in their crop.

Colours

All sorts of colours

Because their ancestors were bred by people, town pigeons come in grey, white, brown, black and mixtures.

The real thing

Photos of the pigeon

Feral pigeon, photo 1
Photo: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Feral pigeon, photo 2
Photo: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Feral pigeon, photo 3
Photo: Jörg Hempel, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Look in any town square, railway station or park. Watch for the differences between birds: no two flocks have quite the same mix of colours.

Lend a hand

How to help

It is best not to feed them in town centres, where large flocks cause problems. Clean water in a park or garden is more useful.

Keep going

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