NYC to Pigeons: No Soup For You!

[livius drusus]

New York City is considering making feeding pigeons illegal on account of how corrosive their crap is. NYC Pigeon Problem Prompts Feed-Ban Idea. A bit of an unenforceable law, I suspect, but what entertains me most about the article is the accompanying picture:

"Council Member Simcha Felder leaves after a press conference at City Hall announcing legislation to ban feeding pigeons, New York, Monday Nov. 12 , 2007."

[Stormlight]

Good! I hate flying rats.

And that picture is pure genius!

[Pinecone]

Is that white spot on his lapel what the pigeons think of having their free chow cut off?

[Joshua Adams]

But how will this impact our deal with the pigeons?

[Shelli]

Flying rats fer sure. And the picture is genius.

[Caligulette]

Obviously that pigeon is a scout and spy. Simcha is done for.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

Is that white spot on his lapel what the pigeons think of having their free chow cut off?

He's going to have to start wearing hats if he knows what's good for him.

Originally Posted by Joshua Adams

But how will this impact our deal with the pigeons?

My guess is the streets of New Your will become an unnavigable obstacle course of passive pigeon resistance.

Originally Posted by Caligulette

Obviously that pigeon is a scout and spy. Simcha is done for.

Clearly he has underestimated his enemy. There's probably a GPS/listening device in that spot on his lapel.

[Crumb]

What do people have against the poor wittle pigeons?

[livius drusus]

Well, their guano is pretty destructive, but other than that, I quite like them. They make excellent happy noises.

[Ensign Steve]

I love pigeons. Whenever I see them strutting about, I imagine that they are the Goodfeathers.

[Shelli]

They're fine and all until they SHIT ALL OVER YOUR CAR/HOUSE/YARD/YOU.

[Crumb]

Don't be a hater, Shelli.

[davidm]

I live in NYC, and I love the pigeons. They are one of the few representatives of wildlife that we have (apart from mice, rats and cockroaches, and quite frankly, I don’t mind them, either. In fact I rather like them, especially the roaches, which seem such hardy souls.)

If you carefully observe pigeons, you will see that each one is slightly different, just like humans. Pigeon couples are also charming. One will chase after the other persistently, hectically flapping its wings and pecking at it partner, who probably forgot to pay the rent or something.

The pigeons don’t fear humans, and you can easily get them to feed out of your hand. They love peanuts.

Cockroaches, mice, rats and pigeons: gorgeous creatures! Only a cretin would try to pass a law preventing their feeding, IMO. And I say this as someone who has wiped off pigeon shit.

[Shelli]

I don't hate the pigeons really. I hate their .

Find a way to make shitless pigeons and I'll like 'em.

[Watser?]

Maybe they should introduce hawks or some such birds to keep their numbers down (and increase biodiversity).

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by Shelli

I don't hate the pigeons really. I hate their .

Find a way to make shitless pigeons and I'll like 'em.

Or at least pigeons that can only while on the ground.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Shelli

They're fine and all until they SHIT ALL OVER YOUR CAR/HOUSE/YARD/YOU.

And it's just dandy when anyone/anything else does that?

[Shelli]

Originally Posted by Crumb

Or at least pigeons that can only while on the ground.

hmm.. maybe liter boxes?

[Shelli]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

And it's just dandy when anyone/anything else does that?

hrm.. well, as of this time, no one nor anything (save a different type of bird) has ever shit on my car/house/yard/self, thank , so, erm, no, no that would NOT be just dandy.

Why do you ask? Is this a regular occurance for you?

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Shelli

hmm.. maybe liter boxes?

Oh now you're just exaggerating. Surely they don't dump more than a pint or two.

[Shelli]

That's sooo gross.

[Sock Puppet]

Originally Posted by Watser?

Maybe they should introduce hawks or some such birds to keep their numbers down (and increase biodiversity).

I'm pretty sure the raptors would concentrate the toxins ingested by the pigeons, then sicken and die. Pigeons must have amazingly efficient livers.

[Ensign Steve]

[The Lone Ranger]

Originally Posted by Watser?

Maybe they should introduce hawks or some such birds to keep their numbers down (and increase biodiversity).

Peregrine Falcons have been deliberately introduced into New York City and some other large urban areas over the past couple of decades. In fact, NYC currently has one of the highest densities of peregrine falcons anywhere on the East Coast.

The idea originated in an effort to recover falcon populations that had been devastated by DDT and by shooting. (Some people will shoot anything that flies.) The idea was that there would be plenty of food for the falcons (pigeons), and that skyscrapers would mimic the ledges they nest on in the country, thus providing good nesting habitats.

It has been a great success. Peregrine falcons have become relatively common in NYC, and where they nest, pigeon populations have declined drastically.


Also, there are several breeding pairs of Red-Tailed Hawks in Central Park. They eat pigeons as well as rats.


Alas, you can't please everyone. The city has received complaints about Peregrines and Red-Tails preying upon "defenseless" pigeons. Some of the complainers have demanded that city officials shoot and kill the birds of prey in order to protect the pigeons. Go figure.


ETA: All birds produce uric acid in their droppings. That's why the droppings are so corrosive. (Most mammals, by contrast, secrete their nitrogenous wastes in the form of the much-less-corrosive urea.) Most birds don't have separate urinary, reproductive, or digestive openings; instead all those tubes end in a common structure known as a cloaca. Accordingly, bird droppings are a semiliquid mixture of fecal matter and uric acid.

Cheers,

Michael

Love you lots, M, but damn I didn't need to read that while eating lunch.