Are Roosting Pigeons Harmful To The Environment?

Pigeons are such a common site in towns and cities that many people do not realize that in fact roosting pigeons are harmful to the environment and, on occasion, to the human population. Pigeons generally appear in large numbers – due to their fondness for living together in flocks, this means that the mess they create with their nesting materials, feathers, and fecal matter can be quite considerable. The combined weight of pigeon droppings may be many tons and the cost of cleaning their mess in towns and cities can be as much as several million dollars.

The fecal matter of pigeons contains uric acid – this is what gives it the characteristic white color – this acid can damage the surface of buildings and vehicles. While fresh droppings cause no threat to human health, spores from dried droppings can be inhaled as dust as well as carried on the wind. These spores can cause ‘flu' like illness in healthy people, but pose a more serious health threat to those with low immunity. Pigeons have been known to carry diseases such as Chiamdiosis, a virus similar to influenza and Psittacosis, similar to pneumonia. Pigeons eat large amounts of food – a single pigeon can consume as much as sixty-four pounds of food in one year – for this reason it is essential to discourage people from feeding the local pigeon population.



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