No, this isn't a new paper, this phrase cropped up when we were taking a training course at one of our regional offices. It seems to be a recurring theme across the RSPB that all the staff dealing with enquiries get at least one pigeon related query a day! Literally whilst writing this I had my 'daily pigeon'!
The queries are pretty varied but the general theme is one of disdain for our most common Columbid, the woodpigeon. This heavyweight of the pigeon world is now common and widespread in gardens across the UK as well as being a common and familiar bird of the wider countryside. The food we provide for wild birds is an irresistible attraction to them and they have figured out how to get at the food in many of our bird feeding contraptions. Is this a bad thing? Many people seem to think so!
The sight of a large and clumsy looking woodpigeon on a bird feeder seems to drive some people to 'feeder rage', unhappy that this 'brute' of a bird is taking the food intended for the smaller garden visitors. The word greedy often gets thrown at them, this I disagree with, it's not greed driving them to eat more than the tiny birds it shares the garden with, it's large size means it simply needs to eat more to survive! However, they can consume lots of food and if you are trying to feed birds on a budget you might want to think about caging the food off so that only small birds can get to it using ground protectors or similar like those shown on the link here to our shop. The woodpigeons will easily find other food so don't feel like you are being hard on them!
Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Another comment we hear quite often is that woodpigeons scare off other birds. Are pigeons scary to other birds? They are seed eaters so small birds generally don't live in fear of pigeons however, size matters in the pecking order when food is at hand. If you are a tiny bird and you see a hulking large bird flying at you, it makes sense to back off so that you don't end up getting squashed. Woodpigeons can use their size to be intimidating and yes they can sometimes get stroppy, especially if during courtship but they generally don't drive other birds away.
Of the other pigeon themed queries the most frequent involve ID's, we've got a few species of pigeon and dove (what makes a pigeon and what makes a dove isn't documented, the terms are often interchangeable) which you can read about on our bird family guide here.
At this time of year many woodpigeons and collared doves will be breeding, taking advantage of the seed, berries and other natural foods available. If you are finding your blood pressure boiling whenever you see these giants in the garden, sit back and watch them for a while, they are quite good entertainment if you give them a chance, we do speak to people who adore them! If you still don't like them, cutting off the free food is the best approach to reducing the time they spend in your garden.