For thousands of years, pigeons have lived in the same environment as man. These birds are in every city and urban area of the world. One of the reasons for this is that humans have always provided food for the birds – knowingly and unknowingly.

Considering how many pigeons exist in cities one would assume that these animals are healthy and eat well in our urban areas. But do they? What do pigeons eat in the city? This article looks into it

Pigeons in the city eat grains, seeds, fruits, bread cheese, pasta, rice, and food from the trash. This diet isn’t nearly as diverse and nutritious as foods they would eat in the wild but the pigeons don’t have any other options in the city. Foods that people shouldn’t offer pigeons include junk food, caffeine, and sweets.

What do pigeons eat in the city?

City pigeons also referred to as feral pigeons, eat just about anything they can find. If all pigeons had lived in the wild, their diet would have been completely different from what it is in the city.

Pigeons mostly live by scavenging, some things pigeons eat in the city include:

Grains and seeds:

These are some of the healthier foods you can feed the birds. Unlike pigeons living in the wild, city pigeons only get to eat this food when people offer it to them in parks and bird feeders.

Fruits and vegetables:

Fruits and vegetables are part of a wild and a city pigeon’s diet. Pigeons are given fruits and vegetables or find them in the trash. When feeding this food to these birds, it’s important not to offer them apples or avocados as they are harmful to the birds.

Junk food:

Junk food is a common food that people feed to pigeons and the most common food found by city pigeons. Junk foods are not healthy for pigeons as they contain high amounts of salt, oil and processed meats, all of which are not good for birds.

Leftover food:

When there’s no one to offer pigeons something to eat, they look for food in other places like trash cans. This is bad for the birds as some of the leftover food that they eat may be rotten or full of harmful bacteria.

What do pigeons eat in the wild?

The diet of pigeons in the wild include the following:

Seeds:

Pigeons eat a lot of seeds in the wild. Sunflower seeds are one of their favorites. This food is healthy for the birds as it offers them lots of essential vitamins and minerals.

Grains:

Pigeons are granivorous birds, they love to eat wheat, millet, and sorghum. Grains are rich in fiber, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, and other essential minerals.

Fruits:

Fruits make up part of a pigeon’s diet in the wild. Fruits are a good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, potassium, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Insects, worms, and snails:

Eating small creatures like insects, worms, and snails provides the birds with protein, fat, carbohydrates, and all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy in the wild.

What do baby pigeons eat?

During the first few days of a pigeon’s life, it relies solely on the crop milk (milk-like substance) of its parents. This crop milk is rich in antioxidants, protein, fat, and every other nutrient essential to their development.

After a few weeks, the young pigeons stop taking crop milk and move on to solid food. At this point, they are able to eat grains, seeds, and fruits just like their parents.

What you shouldn’t feed pigeons?

The following foods should not be fed to pigeons for any reason:

Chocolate: Chocolate is very bad for pigeons and shouldn’t be fed to them. The theobromine in the snack is toxic and can kill the birds.

Junk foods: Junk foods are one of the things pigeons living in the city feed on a lot. Giving pigeons junk food is not a good idea as it offers no nutritional value to the birds.

Caffeine: You may be tempted to share caffeinated drinks with your pet pigeon, but this is a bad idea. Caffeine is highly toxic to birds.

Apples and Avocados: Fruits are one of pigeon’s natural food in the wild. But apples and avocados should be avoided as they contain chemicals that are harmful to the birds.

Onions and Garlic:  Foods containing onions and garlic are bad for pigeons as they can irritate the bird’s mouth, esophagus, crop, and also cause them to develop anemia.

Why you should feed city pigeons

City pigeons live in an environment where there are no native trees or bush to provide them with food, so they depend on us for food.

If we don’t feed these birds, all they are left with is eating rubbish from the trash – which can be toxic to them.

Conclusion

City pigeons are everywhere you look. These birds have made our cities and urban centers their home. And like every living creature, they need to eat in order to stay alive and healthy.

Living in the city offers these birds little or no natural food to eat, so they rely on whatever can be found in the city – even if it comes from the trash can. This includes grains, seeds, fruits, bread cheese, pasta, rice, and food from the trash

You can care for the pigeons in your neighborhood by providing them with food. You only have to set up a bird feeder and fill it with diverse healthy bird food – this way, you’ll be adding value to the lives of city pigeons.

If you’re interested in pigeons you may also be interested in these articles: When do pigeons lay eggs? When do baby pigeons start to fly? What do pigeons taste like? Where do pigeons go at night? Click the links to read more