If you have pigeons in your area then you may have noticed that they do some peculiar things like eating leaves. So why do pigeons eat leaves?

The reason why pigeons eat leaves is because they enjoy them. In fact, leaves and greens can play a vital role in a pigeons diet. It can add calcium and other beneficial nutrients. Plant leaves that pigeons eat include the leaves of peas, cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli and sprouts.

A pigeons diet is what gives it the energy to maintain a healthy happy life. It also maintains its overall health and physical fitness. No animal can eat every single thing, for any animal that exists there is a food that is poisonous or hazardous to their health, this is the same for pigeons. Leaves may seem harmless but this isn’t always the case and if pigeons eat certain leaves they may become negatively affected

Why do pigeons eat leaves?

Pigeons eating leaves is not all that uncommon. These birds can regularly be found chomping on foods like grains, beans and seeds. Leaves are also something pigeons can and do eat

Sometimes pigeons simply crave leaves. If the pigeon is lacking nutrients then it may snack on, or very enthusiastically, eat some leaves. Leaves are an easy source of calcium for birds in need. Greens, in general, are great at reducing any incidences of egg binding.

Pigeons enjoy picking at the leaves of peas, cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli and sprouts. You’ll know that a pigeon has been picking at your plants because the leaves will be ripped off in portions, what’s left will be the stalks and large leaf veins of the plant.

Another thought that explains pigeons eating leaves is that they may have worms and are trying to expel them. They will eat something out of the ordinary like leaves to get the worms out.

Which leaves are poisonous to pigeons

Not all leaves are good for pigeons to eat, some leaves can be very toxic to birds. Here are plant leaves that are toxic to birds:

Avocado leaves: The toxic parts include the leaves, unripe fruit, stems and pit. Eating these results in the inability of the bird to breathe, and perch

Black locust: In this case, the toxic parts of this plant include the leaves, seeds and the bark. The specific toxins in this plant are robin and robitin. Pigeons that eat this will develop diarrhoea, vomiting, depression and collapse.

Castor bean leaves: All parts of this plant are toxic to pigeons and birds, the toxic elements of the plant include Ricin I and II as well as glycosidase. This can cause vomiting and bloody diarrhoea

Coffee bean leaves, tea leaves and chocolate leaves:  The leaves of these plants are toxic to pigeons and so are the finished products: chocolate, dark chocolate and coffee. They contain caffeine, theophylline and theobromine. If a bird eats any of these it can suffer from an increased heart rate, seizures and diarrhoea

Signs that a leaf or plant is poisonous to birds is intestinal or gastric upset, this will include diarrhoea and vomiting. If you own a pigeon and suspect that is has eaten a toxic plant then you’ll need to take the bird to a poison control centre immediately

How do I stop pigeons from eating my plants?

If you can’t get rid of pigeons eating your plants then you can at least protect your plants from pigeons. You can use plant netting to keep your plants safe

Plant netting is netting specifically designed to cover plants and protect from predators but still allow the plant to get ventilation, sunlight and rainfall which the plants need to grow. The mesh is small enough not to let animals like pigeons in.

Summary

In summary, birds can eat leaves for a variety of reasons. Leaves aren’t the first thing one would think about when compiling a pigeon diet but these birds do eat them.

They eat them to get a source of nutrients like calcium when they are lacking. They also simply enjoy some plant leaves like the leaves of peas, cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli and sprouts. Leaves that are toxic to pigeons include avocado leaves, black locust leaves, castor bean leaves, coffee bean leaves, tea leaves and chocolate leaves.

If you want to keep pigeons away from your plants you can use plant netting. This keeps pigeons off of plants while still allowing plants to get sunlight, ventilation, and rainfall.

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other pigeon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do pigeons attack other birds? How do pigeons find food? Why do pigeons puff up their chest? How do pigeons protect themselves? Why do pigeons poop so much? What do pigeons like to play with? Why do pigeons have red feet?