Feral pigeons are among the most persecuted urban birds despite living in often challenging conditions, and their welfare deserves consideration in how cities manage their populations.
Urban pigeon welfare is frequently disregarded because these birds are categorised as pests. Yet pigeons experience pain, fear, and social bonds just as welfare-relevant wild birds do. Lethal culling causes short-term population reduction quickly reversed by immigration and increased reproduction. Poorly installed deterrents trap and starve pigeons. Poisoning causes prolonged suffering and secondary poisoning of raptors. Fertility control programmes are more humane and increasingly demonstrate comparable population management efficacy to lethal methods. Individual pigeons also suffer from leg string injuries - human-discarded threads that tighten around legs causing ischaemia and amputation.