Identify Your Pest Birds Pigeon (rock pigeon)
Pigeon (rock pigeon)
Columba livia · Also called: Rock pigeon, rock dove, feral pigeon
The rock pigeon is the plump, blue-grey bird that gathers on ledges, rooftops and bridges in towns and cities. People usually notice pigeons because of the droppings, nests and noise they leave on balconies, signs and roof structures.
Size About 30 to 36 cm long
Colour Often blue-grey with a shiny green and purple neck
Key feature Plump body, small head and two dark bars across each grey wing
Season Year round; can nest in any month, even in winter
Where Ledges, balconies, roof beams, bridges, signs and under solar panels
What it looks like
Start with the neck: on most pigeons it flashes green and purple in sunlight. The rest of the bird is usually grey, darker on the head and tail tip, with two black stripes across each folded wing. It is heavy in the body, with a round little head, short red legs and a white, fleshy bump at the base of the bill. City flocks also include white, cinnamon, black and spotted birds.
Pigeons strut with a nodding head as they pick at seeds and crumbs. A disturbed group bursts up with loud wing claps. Their soft, low cooing is often heard from rooftops and ledges. Nests are loose platforms of twigs and debris, often built on top of a crust of old droppings.
Often confused with
Eurasian collared-dove
Mourning dove
Signs to look for
Droppings on ledges and sills
Cooing and wing claps
Feathers and flat nests
Birds lining the roof
Blocked gutters or drains
Risks and damage
Pigeons are mostly a property and cleanliness problem. Droppings stain and can damage concrete, stone, metal and paint, and piles can block gutters and drains or make walkways slippery. Nests under solar panels, in vents and on signs add mess and can trap moisture. Dried droppings can carry fungi and bacteria that may cause illness if the dust is breathed in. The risk to healthy people is low, but large build-ups should be cleaned with care.
In Alberta
Rock pigeons are a non-native bird that lives year round in Alberta cities and towns, including Edmonton and Calgary. They gather downtown and around bridges, grain elevators, rail yards, farms and industrial sites. They do not migrate and can keep nesting through winter in sheltered spots.
Pigeon parents feed their chicks crop milk, a rich, cheesy food made in the lining of the throat. Both the male and the female make it, and only a few kinds of birds can do this.
How to keep them out
Stop the food supply
Block beams and nooks
Guard solar panels
Make ledges hard to use
Remove nest starts early
When it is time to bring in a professional
Call a professional when pigeons are nesting under solar panels, in roof structures or on high ledges, or when droppings have built up in large amounts. Work at height, heavy cleanup and proper netting need special gear. Technica’s licensed technicians can set up humane deterrents that help keep birds off the building.
Frequently asked questions
Are pigeon droppings a health risk?
For most people the risk is low. The main concern is dust from large piles of dried droppings, which can carry fungi and bacteria. Avoid dry sweeping, keep the area damp while cleaning and wear gloves and an N95 respirator. People with weak immune systems should leave heavy cleanup to others.
Why do pigeons keep coming back to my building?
Pigeons are loyal to good roosting and nesting spots. If a ledge, beam or solar panel gap gives them shelter and there is food nearby, they will return. Removing food and making those spots hard to land on or reach is what breaks the habit.
Do pigeons nest in winter in Alberta?
Yes. Pigeons can nest in any month if they find a sheltered spot, such as a covered ledge, a vent or a gap under solar panels. That is why a nesting problem can carry on through an Alberta winter.