toasty pigeons

[badbird]

I was walking through the Daley Center plaza in downtown Chicago today. There were hundreds and HUNDREDS of pigeons scattered in the entire area. Its insane! I have NEVER seen this many pigeons in one concentrated area.
I took a pic of some of them.

Also, there was a group of pigeons huddling around an eternal flame. Two of them seemed they got too close or something.... they had NO tail feathers. their bodies looked normal but they were like...half a pigeon. How do they fly? How do they hide at night if they can't fly?

[Camrron]

I see what you mean. One or two of the pigeons look to have no tail feathers. Wonder why they put the flame on the ground like that. Seems to be a hazard to pigeons.

Cameron

[badbird]

yeah there were some that looked like mini pigeons or compact pigeons because they had no "butt"

lots of eternal flames are in the ground. but im surprised they put that one in the ground. i wonder if a pigeon ever started on fire and needed to stop drop and roll lol. just kidding.

thats sad if they got their feathers burned. but...it could be something else.

[Trees Gray]

I'm so sorry to hear about those poor birds. Please try to contact a rehabber and see if those birds can be caught in a trap for rehab. Supply them with a good pigeon seed, and clean warm water to drink, if possible for now.

Those birds seeking so much warmth that their tail feathers are burnt off need to be rescued. They could be ill and need rescue to be treated, as well as that they need time to regrow their tail feathers.

[Lady Tarheel]

These are great pictures to demonstrate what everyone on this forum says: "Keep sick or injured pigeons warm"! They know they need the warmth.

Some of the tails are puzzling to me because they look extremely short but they have the black band at the end. I would think if their tails did catch on fire they would be badly burned all over, not just the tails.

Maggie

[Camrron]

That really is a good point you made Treesa. Most animals are very afraid of flame, fire, smoke etc. It is in their most basic programming to flee from it. If those pigeons got so close to the flame that their tail feathers burnt they must have been feeling very ill indeed.

Cameron

[badbird]

i'll ask around but catching them may prove difficult because its in the center of downtown chicago (city hall) and people may be like.... what's going on here. there was also a do not feed pigeons sign so i didn't want to attract attention by throwing seed....plus i didn't want any birds to get distracted and get to close to the flame.
i am not sure if the tail feathers are really burnt off or if they just got yanked off or if they are just deformed like that.....

[JGregg]

The pigeons who have lost their tails have done so escaping predators, so you could say that they're lucky. Predators like to grab the back end of their prey (that's the end with no eyes!). They couldn't have been burned off because feathers go up in flames just like fur.

If 'ya can catch the tailess pigeons to rehab them, then more power to you. I doubt that they could be caught unless they have things wrong with them in addition to missing their tails.

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by JGregg

The pigeons who have lost their tails have done so escaping predators, so you could say that they're lucky. Predators like to grab the back end of their prey (that's the end with no eyes!). They couldn't have been burned off because feathers go up in flames just like fur.

If 'ya can catch the tailess pigeons to rehab them, then more power to you. I doubt that they could be caught unless they have things wrong with them in addition to missing their tails.

Thanks for the information, yes, hawks could have caused them to lose their tails as well. But, regardless of whether the tails were missing, if they were sitting close to the fire, they are in need of rehab.

[Garye]

Well you know it is possible those could be burnt feathers. Maybe when the flame touched the feathers, the birds flew off to the nearest water and were able to quelch the flames. The feathers have an uneven look to them, not as if they were pulled out.

Anyways, loved the pix. There's a couple in the pix that look like Garye - a rarety. And I see you have a redhead in the midst. Lovely mix of pigeons.

I remember going to Boston some place and seeing all these pigeons. They were so used to people that they would run right up to you. It was my first time of having pigeons come so close to me that it kinda shocked me that birds could be so bold. There was an outside cafe and the pigeons knew where to get scraps.

But the ones around my town stay cautious. They'll come up to you but as soon as they sense danger, they're off.