In some cities, no matter how big or small, it seems like the population of pigeons is equal in size to the population of citizens; if not bigger. In such cities, they tend to have a favored spot, too—like a large square or a park, where, if the winged creatures are lucky enough, there might even be a person feeding them the crumbs of their pastry.But it’s not always pigeons that are happy to be in close proximity with humans. In some places, other animals act just like pigeons do, be it other birds, cats, or even moose. These are just a few examples of ‘pigeons’ from different places in the world, but if you’re curious to see more, scroll down to view them on the list below.In order to learn more about pigeons,Bored Pandagot in touch with two experts, Professor at the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island,Peter Paton, and Professor at the Department of Biology at Queen’s University,Robert Montgomerie. You will find both of their thoughts in the text below.This post may includeaffiliate links.

In some cities, no matter how big or small, it seems like the population of pigeons is equal in size to the population of citizens; if not bigger. In such cities, they tend to have a favored spot, too—like a large square or a park, where, if the winged creatures are lucky enough, there might even be a person feeding them the crumbs of their pastry.

But it’s not always pigeons that are happy to be in close proximity with humans. In some places, other animals act just like pigeons do, be it other birds, cats, or even moose. These are just a few examples of ‘pigeons’ from different places in the world, but if you’re curious to see more, scroll down to view them on the list below.

In order to learn more about pigeons,Bored Pandagot in touch with two experts, Professor at the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island,Peter Paton, and Professor at the Department of Biology at Queen’s University,Robert Montgomerie. You will find both of their thoughts in the text below.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Family Of Raccoons In My Yard

Zao Fox Village

Woman Feeding Squirrels In Lovers Point Park, California

In quite a few cities, a square covered in pigeons is far less surprising than an empty one. Take Milan, for instance; expecting to see at least a few of them in Piazza del Duomo is a pretty safe bet. The same goes for St. Mark’s Square in Venice, where the situation got so bad, pigeon feeding had to be officially banned, to the great sadness of the birdseed vendors in the square.“It’s a tradition,” one of them toldThe New York Times, “It’s like removing Rialto or The Bridge of Sighs”—two of the main attraction points in Venice for both tourists, and, likely, pigeons.But what, apart from the obvious—birdseed—led flocks of these googly-eyed birds into the cities in the first place?

In quite a few cities, a square covered in pigeons is far less surprising than an empty one. Take Milan, for instance; expecting to see at least a few of them in Piazza del Duomo is a pretty safe bet. The same goes for St. Mark’s Square in Venice, where the situation got so bad, pigeon feeding had to be officially banned, to the great sadness of the birdseed vendors in the square.

“It’s a tradition,” one of them toldThe New York Times, “It’s like removing Rialto or The Bridge of Sighs”—two of the main attraction points in Venice for both tourists, and, likely, pigeons.

But what, apart from the obvious—birdseed—led flocks of these googly-eyed birds into the cities in the first place?

Wild Horses In The Town Center Where I Live, Nevada

Wild Macaws Frequently Visit Balconies In Caracas

Bored Pandaturned to the evolutionary biologist Robert Montgomerie to discuss the reasons some animals, including different species of birds—among which, of course, pigeons—ended up living alongside people in cities. The expert pointed out four main factors, one of them being warmth, as the cities are warmer due to concrete and asphalt, among other things.

“There are also fewer predators,” the expert continued, adding that it applies when it comes to big predators, as the cities are now full of the smaller ones, such as foxes, falcons, and raccoons.

The third reason is nest sites. “Pigeons, swallows, falcons, house sparrows, starlings and some other species all nest on buildings, which are much more plentiful than their natural sites on cliffs and tree hollows,” he explained.

Eagles Are Like Pigeons In Alaska

I Started Feeding A Street Cat Last Year, And The News Is Going Fast In The Neighborhood

Captured A Picture Today Of This Man Trying In Vain To Yield To A Deer In Nara, Japan

Another reason why some birds might end up in cities, according to Professor Peter Paton, is their resemblance to the natural environment the winged creatures are used to. “Pigeons are native to cliffs, so possibly city buildings mimic their native habitat,” he pointed out. “They were slowly domesticated over time and evolved a commensal relationship with humans, so ended up in cities.”The expert added that they are arguably easier to domesticate than other birds, which is why they are adapted to living with humans more so than most other species.

Another reason why some birds might end up in cities, according to Professor Peter Paton, is their resemblance to the natural environment the winged creatures are used to. “Pigeons are native to cliffs, so possibly city buildings mimic their native habitat,” he pointed out. “They were slowly domesticated over time and evolved a commensal relationship with humans, so ended up in cities.”

The expert added that they are arguably easier to domesticate than other birds, which is why they are adapted to living with humans more so than most other species.

Austria - Marmots

I’ll Follow You (Aoshima)

Doves Of Ecuador

Even though pigeons seem to have adapted to the city lifestyle quite well, certain instincts affect their habits even in the concrete jungle. For instance, the fact that they tend to move around in flocks.“It’s about safety in numbers. An anti-predator strategy,” Paton said. “Pigeons are common prey to raptors, such as falcons, and when you are in a large flock, it is easier to evade predators, as more eyes are watching out for them. Also, in a large flock, it’s more likely that a neighbor will be eaten rather than you.”

Even though pigeons seem to have adapted to the city lifestyle quite well, certain instincts affect their habits even in the concrete jungle. For instance, the fact that they tend to move around in flocks.

“It’s about safety in numbers. An anti-predator strategy,” Paton said. “Pigeons are common prey to raptors, such as falcons, and when you are in a large flock, it is easier to evade predators, as more eyes are watching out for them. Also, in a large flock, it’s more likely that a neighbor will be eaten rather than you.”

My Father-In-Law’s Bird Feeder (Wild Birds)

Friends Found A Baby Raccoon In Their Garage, They’re In Contact With The Local Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Just A Cutie

Swimming Pigs In The Bahamas

“There are lots of animals and birds that move around in social groups outside the breeding season, either for enhanced vigilance for predators, or finding food; or, more rarely, for sussing out potential mates for the next breeding season,” Montgomerie suggested.Quite a few species on this list are among those who travel in groups, such as monkeys, cockatoos, and cats, just to name a few.

“There are lots of animals and birds that move around in social groups outside the breeding season, either for enhanced vigilance for predators, or finding food; or, more rarely, for sussing out potential mates for the next breeding season,” Montgomerie suggested.

Quite a few species on this list are among those who travel in groups, such as monkeys, cockatoos, and cats, just to name a few.

Wild Horses In My Neighbor’s Yard This Morning (NV)

A Group Of Black Cats Out In The Wild

Here Is A Wild Donkey Herd Near My House In Southern California

But with all sorts of species charting human-filled territories, is it likely that animals are becoming less and less fearful? Prof. Montgomerie does not think that’s the case; not in the natural world, at least. “This may be true of animals in cities but in the countryside, animals and birds seem to be most wary where they have regular contact with humans and are tamest on remote islands and in the arctic where humans are relatively scarce.”

Squirrels

View From My Kitchen Window This Morning (New Hampshire)

Moose Visited My Dad’s Yard, Alaska

Even though not to the same extent as the Arctic, Alaska is another place where people are relatively scarce; but ‘pigeons’ are not. Except ‘pigeons’ in Alaska are not the same as those roaming the streets in Italy.As quite a few pictures on this list show, an eagle is the bird that can be as commonly seen in Alaska as pigeons are elsewhere. As a matter of fact, the bald eagle population there is reportedly greater than in all of the lower 48 states combined, according to theForest Service. The birds seemingly thrive there not only because of fewer people, but also because of the condition of their natural habitat and abundance of food.That’s why ifHome Alone 2was set in Alaska, the kind-hearted Pigeon Lady would likely be feeding a very different kind of bird. (And have a different moniker, too.)

Even though not to the same extent as the Arctic, Alaska is another place where people are relatively scarce; but ‘pigeons’ are not. Except ‘pigeons’ in Alaska are not the same as those roaming the streets in Italy.

As quite a few pictures on this list show, an eagle is the bird that can be as commonly seen in Alaska as pigeons are elsewhere. As a matter of fact, the bald eagle population there is reportedly greater than in all of the lower 48 states combined, according to theForest Service. The birds seemingly thrive there not only because of fewer people, but also because of the condition of their natural habitat and abundance of food.

That’s why ifHome Alone 2was set in Alaska, the kind-hearted Pigeon Lady would likely be feeding a very different kind of bird. (And have a different moniker, too.)

My Wife Had Been Feeding The Very Friendly Squirrel That Lives In Our Tree This Summer. Tonight She Brought Her Kids Out To Meet Us

Never Leave Your Picnic Unattended In Australia

Did You Know We Have Native Pigeons? This Is A Common Bronzewing That I Photographed In The Blue Mountains This Last Weekend (Australia)

Even though in some cities it feels like there are more pigeons than people, they are not the most populous species of bird out there; they succumb in number to their distant relative, the chicken.It is believedthat the pigeon and chicken lineages diverged more than 85 million years ago, which led to the former becomingthe most abundant birdworldwide, with a population reaching 30 billion. The pigeon—well, its cousin, the dove, to be exact—is third on the list with a population of 475 million.

This House Is Surrounded By Dozens Of Wild Peacocks

This Week On Christmas Island, 50 Million Crabs Are Scuttling To The Ocean

I Miss My Balcony. And My Two Local Breakfast Regulars

Whether you find pigeons fascinating or not really, you might want to check out the beautiful variety onthis list here, featuring some rather impressive-looking breeds. For more random pigeon-related content, check out Bored Panda’s pieces on this Japanese woman’spigeon shoesor sing along while browsing the comics depicting apigeon renditionof The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’.

Fox Village - Japan

I Recently Visited Okunoshima, The Bunny Island Of Japan. Wasn’t Expecting This Many Rabbits

Sandhill Cranes Showed Up In My Driveway, Port Saint Lucie, FL

A Raccoon Pool Party (My Aunt Sent This To Me This Morning)

While I Have To Deal With Annoying Pigeons On My Balcony, This Is What My Australian Friend Gets

In The Giraffe Manor, Jock’s Room, Kenya. There Are Rooms Where The Giraffes Are Fed. The Giraffes Come Early In The Morning To Get Treats. It’s Definitely A Great Experience

When You Don’t Read The “Don’t Feed The Monkeys” Sign (Thailand)

Beautiful Guests For Breakfast. Waratah Bay, Australia

Girlfriend Saw A Rainbow Pigeon In London Today

A Pigeon Riding An Iguana I Photographed In Ecuador

Family Of Wild Boars Roam The Streets Of The Carmel Neighborhoods In The Northern City Of Haifa, Israel

When You Think You’re A Disney Princess And Try To Feed The Birds But End Up Getting Bullied By A Flock Of Cockatoos

Book And Bench In The Park Is Only Complete With A Knee Squirrel

When You Roll Your Eyes Your Whole Life At Ignorant Foreigners Thinking You Have Kangaroos In Your Front Yard And You Live In The Suburbs

See Also on Bored Panda

My Wife And I Just Bought Our First House And Found A Welcoming Committee In Our Backyard The Night After We Moved In

Bird Of The Year: Magpie (Australia)

Deer In Nara, Japan. They Will Bow For Cookies. But Beware, Once You Feed Them, They Will Follow You For More, And You May Get Headbutted

Unfortunately, this isn’t as magical as it sounds. The eagles are constantly fighting over fish guts and attacking people. Nesting season is especially hellish.

The Harbor Town Of Unalaska Is Home To Over 600 Eagles, Making Them As Common As Pigeons In Most Other Cities

Chicken Heaven In Kauai, Hawaii

An Old Man Sitting In The Sun And Feeding The Ducks

Shanghai: Void Of People, Streets Taken Over By Cats

Legend has it that these chickens became the “pigeons” of Kauai after Hurricane Iniki in 1992 destroyed all chicken enclosures, releasing them all into the jungle. So now they’re literally everywhere, roaming the streets, shopping centers, restaurants, etc.

Wild Chickens Are Everywhere In Kauai. They Were Already Around Even When We Just Landed In The Airport

Wild Deers Freely Roaming The Streets Of Nara, Japan

Iguanas On Exuma Beach In Nassau, Bahamas

Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In

Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium

Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode

Unlimited content

Ad-free browsing

Dark mode

Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In

Tree Full Of Corellas. Took This Photo Just Down The Road From My Place, Northern Suburbs Of Melbourne

On January 1st Of This Year, I Photographed A Rather Bold Australian White Ibis In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

This Pink Pigeon In Valencia

Iguanas All Lining Up At A Canal Where My Mom Lives In Southern Florida

It’s The First Time I’ve Ever Fed A Deer. They’re So Cute And Friendly

Socially Distanced Bin Chickens - Because Face Masks Don’t Fit

I Saw A Green Pigeon In Malaysia

Kamla Nehru Ridge At Night. The Monkeys Became Kind Of Weird Post-Lockdown

Got Home, And Found A Monkey In The Kitchen, Barbados

Yes, It’s Magpie Season, But This Is Ridiculous

The King Parrots Were Very Hungry Today

He Came To Say Hello On My First Day In Alaska

There Are So Many Deer Here. As Long As You Have Deer Cakes In Your Hands, They Will Chase You. It’s So Cute

Peacocks Of Palos Verdes, California

This Monkey Casually Wandered Up To The Table For Leftovers In South Africa

Only In Australian McDonald’s

This Iguana Waiting To Pounce On Me Outside My Door, Boca Raton. FL

Legend has it that Frank Vanderlip, the “founding father of Palos Verdes” received them as a gift from the Wrigley family, the chewing gum tycoons. Others claim he received them from fellow real estate magnate Elias Baldwin, who loved to display his wealth and bought 50 peacocks from India. Whatever the case, peacocks are a common site in many Palos Verdes neighborhoods still today.

How Did Palos Verdes Become Home To So Many Peacocks?

I Legit Tried To Count All The Chickens I Saw In Kauai. There Were So Many It Was Nearly Impossible. I Stopped Four Days In At 350 Chickens

There’s Currently An Iguana Basking On My Jet Ski

Another One From Our Trip Up To Kodiak. First Time Taking Photos Of Bald Eagles. The Alaskan “Pigeon”

This Monkey At The Top Of A Water Tank

A Monkey At The Bird Feeder

I’m Going To Be Late Because Of These Monkeys. Delhi, India

This Iguana Chilling In Seminario Park, Guayaquil (Ecuador)

Pink Pigeon On A UK High Street

Monkey Picked Left Over Junk Food While Ignoring Orange

Modal closeAdd New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish

Modal close

Add New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish

Modal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish

Add Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.

Add Your Photo To This List

Please use high-res photos without watermarks

Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.

Not your original work?Add source

Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image

Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image

Upload

UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark

Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.

TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark

InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark

FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark

ChangeSourceTitle

Linas Simonaitis

Animals