Pigeons belong to the Columbidae family of birds and usually have a plump body, a relatively long neck for seated birds, often long tails, and short, slender beaks. Pigeons are found everywhere on earth, with the exception of the polar regions and the driest deserts, and the mountain pigeon has one of the largest ranges of all birds: it is a pigeon that has taken root in many cities around the world. Read more about the pigeon diet here:
What foods do pigeons eat?
Most pigeons tend to be herbivores or granivores, but some supplement their diet with animal protein. Eaten foods:
- Seeds, including pigeon, sunflower, hemp, safflower, and nettle seeds.
- Wheat
- Rice
- Corn
- Barley
- Oats
- Sorghum
- Herbs including Panicum and Echinochloa
- Weeds, including knotweed, ragweed, and poison ivy.
- Berries
- Fruits, including dates, figs, and plums
- Flowers and buds
- Leaves of trees such as willows, poplars and elms
- Acorns
- Insects, including ants, beetles, and grasshoppers.
- Insect larvae and pupae
- Snails
- worms
- Bone from owl pellets and animal feces
- pollen
- Nectar
- Discarded human food such as pizza, bread, popcorn, fried chicken bones
How to attract pigeons to your yard?
Most pigeons feed on the ground, so the best way to attract them to your yard is to simply scatter handfuls of seeds on the ground. To be a little tidy, you can also place the seeds in a soil trough or platform trough that is open on all sides. Although hanging feeders are more likely to attract other birds, pigeons do not mind taking seeds that these birds have dropped.
Although pigeons feed on the ground, they will need roosts to rest, so make sure your trees or shrubs have protruding and uncircumcised limbs. They will also sit on electrical wires and clotheslines. The ideal location is a clean area with shrubs and trees around the perimeter, where birds can quickly escape from potential predators.
Although almost all seed-loving birds crave black sunflower seeds, mix them with nuts, cracked corn, millet, safflower, and niger seeds. Just remember to remove the old husk often so that it doesn’t attract rodents, including squirrels. Make sure there is a source of clean water nearby for both bathing and drinking and keep it clean.
How do pigeons hunt prey?
While most pigeons are granivores, there are some that do hunt and consume animals. Pigeons do not seem to have a complex hunting strategy, they catch insects, larvae, caterpillars, ants, worms and snails wherever they find them on the ground. If the snail is small enough, the pigeon simply swallows it and does not bother to break the shell or stick its beak inward to get to the animal.
What animals eat pigeons?
Pigeons are small, gentle and defenseless birds, and their predators are numerous. As you know, people eat pigeons. Indeed, they were so discovered by wandering pigeons that they completely exterminated them, although there were flocks with millions of birds. In addition to humans, animals that feed on pigeons, chicks and / or eggs:
- Other birds, especially birds of prey, such as hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls.
- Cuckoos, blue jays, crows
- Mammals such as oncilla, mustelidae, raccoons, possums, dogs, cats, ringtail cats, lynxes, skunks, caracals and rodents.
- Reptiles, including snakes and lizards.
Next: The 10 Largest Deer in the World!