Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. bhica,o 5%, Ill. Origin of the domestic pigeon » » e Steabus.of the city Su.gestions for control . 6 « « » Daiscouraing the birds GVO Yewaining « » © ee © « 6 Fri htenin;; devices . oe ee @ United States ei a af tne Interior ° Fis aa ila1ire. Service ee ee ew eterno U.S. DEPART MES? OF AGRICULTURE a Se { ee ay us| CONTROL OF VAGRANT DOUESTIC PIGEONS Prevered in Hconowic Wildlife Investiceations Division of Wildlife Resesren CONTENTS Peso « Pase Za Suggestions for Control--Con .. . pai,eon CHhe aa ae ery Tréppin, Se woe te el 6 Mee Mar er Ay 3 i Shooting del oo lee (ere ib Ral eter Tee y ; Poisonin:; | oe @ 76. 6 8) 8 ee eee i. 3 Gassin; (oe eae: eh aren” ey Mal aiel nate mes. 2} ewe ee eee ORIGIN OF THE DOMESTIC PIGEON Pi,eons siisilar to those now living an 2 se.iwild stbcte in tne park s ond streets of towns «iia cities neve lons, been closely associated vith man. “he progenitors of tnese birds cen be traced turough wcdievel tines, back to tine uisbories of earl, corded word e ' Eugptien kiu,s, anc even to tne reali of myth before the re- Evidence presented by the birds tucuselves, in form, coloration, and hebits of even the proiiscuously interbred pi.cons tuet are no: found in tno streets, points to the Lilkelincod tict OVayinelly tuose birds cine from the blue rock, or conmon piyeon (Columbe livic), of Rurope, Asie, end Africa. They may have been held in sex.idonestication by early nen, or they may have token advantage of easier Living in human surroundin,s. Innumerable races, or strains, of pieons have been deve- doped by selective breedin, and by the persetuction of uniaue off-shoots from parent stock. lihen left to their own resources, however, as are the members of the "trasp!t floeks that make a living frou the city streets, the birds: tend to revert te a type supsgesting the rock pleon. From accounts of the creat flocks of piseons in the sublic scuares of th Gities of Hurope and Asia, flocks as old as tue cities thesselves, and frou the numbers of their counterparts in our cities, it is evice.t tuct tue urbun pigeon f 5 ; TE oe EL te ee obae Oe oer yy ' oe he se « Sere ps . > % 83 Was Sean ats é ; oe td at gt there Bands with the letters "IF are issued by the International Federation of Homing Pigeon Fanciers; secretary, John Boshler, 38 Long Beash Road, Hempstead, Le. I., New York. ; Bands carryin, tie letters "NPR" are issued by the National Pigeon Associa- tion; secretary Harry Bs Baldwin, Box 502, Kansas itis Missouris These bands are used on fancy sow pizeons only, not on racing: homers ee SUGGESTIONS ‘FOR CONTROL Discouragin; the Birds from Remaining zs An objectionable flock of sicons is often the sirect result of unintentic- neal encourégeient. A church tower aay serve os an eaceilent nesting loft for dozeiis of une birds, or ledzes protected by overhanging eéves may attract daily a flock thet hes reaciied undesireble numbers. Likewise, promiscuous feeding of poultry in open yards .éy be an incentive for vi:eons to stey neér such premises. The lo,ical remedy for troubles of tiis kina is to re.ove the attraction, if possible, oe “alae toxers, lofts, and velfries cen be sersenea ‘ith rust-proof vires oquliry runs can bee vovered; and sdmetimes ledges can be oblitere- ted ty insteilin, slovin® goerds or wire uetting thet will prevent the birds from roostijg,there, Small crannies used as nesting sites can-often be blocked so as to prevent | the entrance of birds. Althou,h the cost of screening may at first seem excessive, the results “are srécticall; permanente | The screen s! hould be made of 2- inch-mesh ; galvanized poultry wire. In areas where $tarl ins ss also are objectionable, J-inch-aesh poultry wire should be used. Ke Frightening Devices’ Sometimes pigeons majyy be driven froin. a favorite roostin, yvlece by frightening devices. Noise-producin; contrivances which may also be disturbing to human as usually have Little permanent effect on roosting pigeons that are accustomed to the varied noises of cities, Li.hts are of little avail. Slingrshots, with pebbles. for missiles, may be used with good results on small groups of roosting pigeons, provided the birds are disturbed nichtly es they are ~oing to roost. Most attempts to dislode roostin, birds throu,h the use of a sling-shot or other means depend for their success on the persistence with which the operations are carried on. These must be continued until the birds have definitely reestablished themselves in some other »lace. -,.When the birds are numerous, the city fire department may. be induced to ¢o- operate. .If a stream of water fro. a fire hose is turned on the roosts for seve=— ral successive ni-hts, the birds will doubtless seek , other quarters. Trapping | .- Pigeons may be traoped readily when food is not overly abundant: so that-with the expenditure of a little ingenuity, patience and time, small groups of these birds can soon be eliminated. A trap of the “ash-sifter" type, with :@ frame 4 or 5 feet square and about S inches deep, to whacn is aieagaed” a "sievel! made of-. .- 2 leinch | poultry wire, will be Slocoamcunscunls “thas trap should be propped up on one — edge by a stick 10 to 12 inches long to. which:a pullcord is fastened. When the pigeons have become accustaned to feeding on baits placed about and under the - trap, the bulk of any small flock should be captured in one or two springings. The birds can be ee from the trap by driving thea into one corner and taking the out turou.n an opening iaade by loosenin., « section of the screen from the frame or threuzh a suall slidin;, door built into the frame itself. Similar traps of larger size way. be used for catchin,; larger flocks. Shooting -The use of fireariis is usually prohibited in cities, except under special permission of the police devaxtuent, For this reason si0otin,, cannot be recon-. mended asia general procedure in controllin, objectionable city-dwelling pigeons. . Per..ission to shoot the pi.eois, however, can usually; be obtcined from the police if the birds are few in number and are particularly objectionable. A 22~-caliber rifle using anmunition loaded witn fine snot, or a.shotgun of small size (410 gage). should be used in, the control Operations. so as 1.0 avoid both the danger of ritochesing bullets and ibe disturbance caused by the discharge of firearms of larger bore, Highly-powered air. rifles also may be usede Epesoning Although + Lhe use of poisoned vaits. is nba ective and is reasonably safe when the operations are soneucted b; experienced persons, tais mebiod of pigeon control is not, recoumendel for the general. publie.s Most poisons are toxic to 2fimals in general, and there is dun,zer thet cats or dogs may eat the freshly killed birds and obtain Lethal doses from the srain.in the birds! crops. Further.ore, the ex- posure of poison within the limits of towns snc cities is, as a rule, pro ene baged by law. Where municipalities eiploy isen Gxperienced in pest control, poisoning opera- Lions ma, be undertaken, but even then the procedure should be carefully super- Vised 16), preventisiz ships: oe. conditions make.tae use of poison necessary, Lireipieendy Wine lite Sevvaece pall Darnish informetiea concerning the best metuods of Preparias ena distrioutin,: the paieon, +) Beas ng & ee Many people peclisve that by tic use of tonic gases:piscons cen be satisfacto— rily controlled in a sinzle operation. Under certain peculiarly foyverahle condi- tions such gases have siven .ood eae bub, usually whe objections, obstacles, SRUNGwveCloNEOLMe (ONeELGOne Lariouletsiewshowsoaventa.ese nl; a aaa ex oerienced Li UNernenalinMOR Loe wesss, .anG\propenis equiwoctis should be empiovea in such work. Before undertalin, suci. Operebions, perversion sugulc ve obvained from the wunicival authorities, anc tac wOsX ouOuld be done under proper Supervision. (7 x 3 1652 will continue to be a close asseciete of man and his works for years to comes Reasons for this are not herd to,find. Observe the food. offered by kind-hearted individuals or ‘snouy winter days or by.interested-chileren.on sunny uornings,. and note also that other essentials for. avian existence, es-shelter and places to breed, are abundant. These factors:.and a sympathetic,:or.at least. a tolerant, attitude toward the birds ak a are Jade of the eae assure them a continuing livelihood. The factors that favor the existence and the increase.of these birds, however, also aggravate certain problems connected with their presence under modern metro— politen conditions. Those wno have had to contend daily with the litter and dis- turbance of larj:e numbers of roosting or nesting pizeons—including custodians of public buildings, dwellers in apartment houses, and even private-home owners-— have at tines been called upon -in self-defense to take action to curb the numbers of the birds. Such conditions thet afford pleasure and fascination to one indi- vidual may become an annoyance to another. . When. this happens, relief measures may be necessury. Suggestions for controlling vagrant pigeons and for preventing — damage by them are ‘given in this leartict.- STATUS OF THE CITY PIGEON The flocks of vericolored pi,,eons that frequent the largor citics are, as a rule, made up of seuwiwild, or "tramp" individuals to which no one claims owner— ship. The birds may breed, iiest, raise their young, end live their cntire Lives without becoming; dependent on man otner tnan-fer the shelter afforded by some “towcr or portico or for waste food. In suburban cosmunities cna in sisaller towns there way be flocks which, waile paying some alle, ance to an owner by returning honc to roost, obtain most of. their food froma the city strcet; or tuere may be-.well-cared-for flocks that are sheltered and fed but wake daily flizhts near their cotes. These latter flecks can be controlled readily by their owners and do not, as a rule, become seriously objectionable. -Before teking any a,jeressive action ezainst the scuwiwild flocks of larger Cities, one should consult the local police regulations. Tacre aay oo restric= tions on the use of fircaras, trups, goisons, baits, uma otuer uecans of control within corporate linits. There is elso the likclihood that individual piscons of racin, or show strains, usually reco,nizaole by the numbered bands on their 16.5, may join the "city; crowd". Waion suen birds arc captured uninjured, they should be given dry food and water and allowed to go on their way. If such a bird persists in stayin, with the flock, an inquiry addressed to some local pigeon fancier uiay help in findin; its owner through the desi,nation on its band.. These birds, because they save becn trained and are of valuc to their owners, saould be gaven cvery opportunity to roturn to their lofts. As an aid in tracin, the owners Of these valuable pigeons, tne addresses of some of the principal national asso- clations thet handle racin, or show birds arc here given. .Pigcons recorded with these organizations usually are the only ones that it is possible to trace. Hands bearing the lettcrs "AU" (sonctincs in monogram form so that they arc misread "AJ") arc used by the Anmcrican Racing Pigcoon Union; sccrctary, Edward Barnes, 2l4 Congress St., Jersey City, Nu: Jersey. x Z aed ae ae ee