releasing a feral pigeon

[basil]

Hi,

A beautiful brown/red pigeon landed in my yard last week. i managed to catch it and have been feeding it and it seems to be in good condition.

I live in the mountains and there are no pigeons here. There is, however, a small flock of pigeons in a town about 15 miles away.

i would release the pigeon in my yard but there are many hawks and wild cats and i'm afraid it will become dinner for one of the natural predators here.

i have 4 parrots and i don't really have space to keep the pigeon.

It seems quite tame and will let me touch its toes.

What is the best way to handle this? the bird is unbanded but it's so calm I'm thinking it must have lived with humans but, as i said, there are no pigeons around here.

is it safe to relase the pigeon in the nearby city with a feral flock?

thanks much, basil

[maryjane]

Welcome to the site, and thank you for taking in this pigeon. It sounds as if it is someone's pet who escaped, possibly. While some feral pigeons are used to humans (usually from being fed in public places), most of them won't let you handle them or be so calm around a person. Can you give us the general area where you are located? We may have someone near you who can take the pigeon and keep as a pet, or release him if he seems releasable. Are you sure it's not a youngster? Are there any yellow "hairs" on his head? Have you heard him making any sounds or any distinctive behavior (such as cooing or "flirting" with you)? Hopefully we can get this figured out.

[basil]

Hi maryjane,
I'm in the Catskills, NY state, zip code 12451. A neighbor said the same thing, that the bird doesn't look like a 'street' pigeon. It is very beautiful; mauvish/brownish with a dark slender beak and white stripe above the nasal cavities. I bathed (showered) my birds today and the pigeon was delighted to have a bath too; He kept lifting one wing then the other and waited for me to drench all the feathers and then he preened himself along with my parrots. He coos a little but what i find most striking is the way he stares at me, eyes locked on my face. I'd love to keep him but I'm in a tiny 500sf cottage with an Amazon, a Quaker, a plum-head and a budgie and there's barely room for me! Any help you can give would be appreciated. i don't want to put the bird in any danger.

basil

[Charis]

I know it may be difficult but it would be best to hang on to the bird for the time being. The bird doesn't have a band does it?

[basil]

Hi Charis,

No. there is no leg band. The problem is I can't allow the bird to exercise as my space is too small and I would have to keep it in the cagfe. i hate doing that. i took a trip to Hudson today and went to the town park looking for pigeons but didn't see many. I struck up a conversation with a couple of women there and asked where the Hudson pigeons hung out. *LOL* (I'm new to the area and don't know much about the bigger towns)
One woman told me about a resident who feeds the feral pigeons daily and suggested i speak to him. I found him and asked about introducing the pigeon to the flock he feeds and he said i could bring the bird on Sunday. I'm torn about what to do. I read some of the articles here about 'soft' release. the bird appears healthy and alert. Does he have a chance with a wild flock? Like i said, i have NO space for another bird. As a matter of fact, i had to find homes for two of my parrots before I moved here because the cottage is so small.
I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm a bird/critter lover and want to do what's best for the pigeon.
basil

[Charis]

I can tell you are a animal lover and I know you want to do the right thing.
Is there a paper in your area where you can post a found add? Any feed stores that you can inquire if they know of someone that keeps pigeons? Veterinarian in the area that might know of someone that keeps pigeons...might know of someone that lost their pet.
My gut feel like you need to hang on to the pigeon until you can answer those questions. If he's in a cage for a bit, he'll be ok. It would be awful to leave him in a park a long ways from his home if someone is looking for him and hoping he will come home.
I have a friend that lived in Denver for a while. One morning his kids found a turtle in the back yard. Wanting to be kind, he loaded the turtle in the car, took it to the woods and left it by a lovely creek. A short time after returning from the deed, his neighbor knocked on the door and told him their turtle was missing...tropical turtle...it had been left in the yard that morning by their daughter and when she went back to get it, she couldn't find it. They had been searching everywhere...Of course it was too late.
Now this may not be the case with this Pigeon but it could be. I'm suspicious because it is friendly.

[TAWhatley]

I think Charis is right about you hanging onto the pigeon for at least a bit longer. It does sound like it has been someone's pet. Are you anywhere near this place: http://www.birdparadise.org/ They do take in pigeons, but I think a donation may be required in order to place one here .. don't know that for a fact.

Terry

[basil]

TA and Chariss,

thanks for the info. I believe I am near the grafton Sanctuary and will call this morning. I also did a search on rehabbers and found one in Saugerties so i will call there, as well.

I'm assuming you both think it inadvisable to release the pigeon with the feral flock?

But what if the guy who feeds the flock keeps his eye on the bird for a few days before releasing it?

Even if the pigeon is someone's pet I can't release him here because there are 2 red-tail hawk nests in the area. And I'm in such a rural place it would be nearly impossible to track down the owner. As for vets, the nearest one ismiles away and there's only 1 feed store and that's 20 miles away.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. i still think the person who cares for the hudson, NY feral flock is a good person to turn the bird over to but I will not do that until I check out the local rehabbers.

thanks so much for the input. if you have any other suggestions please let me know. :-)