Useful Information

Today’s urban pigeons descend from domesticated pigeons, including semi-feral domestic pigeons and racing and homing pigeons, that escaped, were abandoned or were no longer kept by humans over the centuries and subsequently established populations in cities. Their original wild ancestor is the Rock Dove.

Unlike typical wild animals, urban pigeons did not adapt to city life independently of humans. Their behaviour today has been shaped by thousands of years of selective breeding, including their strong site fidelity and high reproductive activity. Escaped or lost domestic, fancy and racing pigeons also continue to join urban pigeon populations to this day. Their present-day situation is therefore largely the result of human activity.

Urban pigeons spend a great deal of time on the ground searching for food. As they do so, discarded threads, strings and especially human hair can become wrapped around their toes. These materials gradually cut off the blood supply and can cause inflammation, necrosis and eventually the loss of individual toes or even entire feet. This phenomenon, known as “stringfoot”, has been scientifically documented.

Biologically, urban pigeons are (feral) domestic pigeons, but under Swiss hunting law they are classified as wild birds. As a result, interventions involving free-living populations generally fall under hunting legislation and cannot simply be carried out by private individuals. Cantons and municipalities may also introduce their own regulations, for example regarding feeding bans or management measures.

Regardless of this, the Swiss Animal Welfare Act still applies: Urban pigeons must not be subjected to unnecessary suffering and must be treated in accordance with animal welfare requirements when they are captured, deterred or killed.

Healthy pigeon droppings are normally small and firm. Urban pigeons are naturally grain-eating birds, but find very little suitable food in cities and often feed on human food scraps and waste. This inadequate and unbalanced diet can lead to the typical watery “starvation droppings”. When pigeons are fed a suitable diet of grains and seeds, their droppings become noticeably firmer again.

Urban pigeons are not omnivores but are naturally grain-eating birds. Their natural diet consists mainly of grains, seeds and other plant-based foods. In cities, however, they often find too little suitable food and therefore resort to bread, human food scraps and waste, even though these do not meet their natural nutritional needs.

It is best to prevent pigeons from settling before a nest is built, for example by making preferred nesting niches inaccessible or using changing visual deterrents. These can include reflective, fluttering ribbons or hanging CDs. Care should be taken with netting: It should have a fine mesh, be professionally installed and checked regularly, as holes or loose sections can quickly become dangerous for the birds.

If a nest already exists, it should NOT be removed: This can lead to egg binding in pigeons – a condition in which an egg becomes stuck inside

Culling campaigns can reduce pigeon populations in the short term, but they do not provide a sustainable solution. Nesting sites and food sources remain available, while the remaining birds can compensate for losses through increased reproduction. In addition, killing parent birds can leave chicks in nests without care. Targeted population control through egg replacement is therefore more sustainable and humane.

Yes – provided there are no nests at the affected site. More humane alternatives to spikes or wide-mesh netting include structural solutions that permanently block access to niches and openings, as well as suitable sloped surfaces or fine-mesh netting that is professionally installed and regularly inspected.

If nests are already present, pigeons should not simply be deterred or access points sealed off, as eggs or chicks may be left behind. In this case, an appropriate solution that meets animal welfare requirements should be sought first.

Unlike many wild animals, the breeding behaviour of urban pigeons cannot simply be controlled through food availability: because of their selectively bred strong reproductive drive, they continue to breed even when food is severely limited. Studies show that young pigeons continue to hatch, while their chances of survival are significantly reduced by the lack of food.

From an animal welfare perspective, this is precisely the problem: population management is not achieved by deliberately preventing reproduction, but through hunger and increased mortality.

Yes. Managed pigeon lofts based on the Augsburg Model provide a sustainable and humane way to manage urban pigeon populations. The pigeons are provided with suitable food and nesting sites, while their eggs are consistently replaced with dummy eggs. This allows reproduction to be controlled directly, rather than regulating the population through hunger, displacement or culling.

No. With egg replacement, real eggs are replaced with dummy eggs at an early stage, allowing the pigeons to continue their natural incubation behaviour. Based on current scientific knowledge, the embryo is not expected to be capable of experiencing pain at this early stage of development. At the same time, egg replacement prevents chicks from repeatedly hatching and having to grow up under poor conditions, thereby preventing suffering.

The Augsburg Model is a humane approach to the sustainable management of urban pigeon populations. In managed pigeon lofts, the birds are provided with suitable food, safe nesting sites and medical care. Reproduction is controlled by consistently replacing their eggs with dummy eggs. At the same time, the pigeons spend a large proportion of their time in the loft, reducing droppings and conflicts over the use of public spaces.