When to Intervene

A pigeon probably needs help if one of the following is true:

• It has a visible wound or injury preventing it from flying. A broken or drooping wing, missing feathers, or a bloody wound will significantly decrease a pigeon’s chances of survival; however, minor wounds will likely heal on their own. Even injuries like missing toes (or having a stump instead of a foot) do not always significantly affect a pigeon’s quality of life.
• It is banded, in distress, and the owner is nowhere to be seen. Most pigeons with bands are either bred commercially, kept as companions, or participate in racing competitions; in all of those cases, they will be unable to survive in the wild for long. However, some banded pigeons can successfully survive in the wild (or may just be resting before continuing their journey), so the presence of a band alone may not mean the pigeon needs help.
• It is a baby pigeon that is too young to fly or eat seeds and it is outside of a nest or inside of a nest that has been relocated (thrown out). You can recognize baby pigeons by thin yellow hairs. In this case, it is likely lost, fell out of the nest without the ability to get back, or someone tried to destroy the nest. Note that this does not apply to fledglings, young pigeons who are starting to learn how to fly; a pigeon fledgling would look little and ruffled but would not have any yellow hairs, and if it doesn’t appear to be in immediate danger, it’s better to be left alone.
• It is persistently hanging around humans and seems to be asking for help. Pigeons normally avoid any contact with humans; if a pigeon does not fear you, it may be severely sick to a point where survival instincts do not kick in.

In all other cases the pigeon may not need your help and may just need rest: it could be a racing pigeon that got lost and needs a break or a young pigeon learning how to fly. Get it some seeds and water and keep away; check in after a few hours.

Overall, use your best judgement. The list above is non-exhaustive and will not always be correct either.

How to Help

If the pigeon is in immediate danger of being attacked by predators, provide shelter. You can bring it home, however make sure to quarantine it and avoid contact with other animals. For housing, a large dog cage, a large cardboard box, or something similar will work well while you try to find the owner or determine what is wrong.

Get the pigeon some food and water. They are strict granivores, so if you have bird seed, that would be best. Wild bird food or parakeet seed works well. If you have dried split peas or lentils, you can offer those as well!

If the pigeon is injured, see if there is an avian vet (preferably) or an exotics vet nearby. In the US, you can find avian vets at the Association of Avian Vets website. Crowdsourced Pigeon Vet List will also have contacts for avian vets in cities with active CPC members.

Look for a band on the pigeon’s leg. If the band doesn’t have any contact information but has a sequence of letters and numbers, it may be a pigeon club band. Look up your country’s pigeon association and ask them for help. For example, NPA or AU in the US.

If there is no band, see if you can find a pigeon breeder around you, and ask if they’re missing a bird. You can also check local groups for postings of lost pets. Craigslist, Facebook groups, and Nextdoor are all good options.

If none of these options worked, and you don’t want to keep the pigeon, look for a rehome or a rescue:

1. Your local (or closest) bird rescue or animal rescue.
2. Facebook bird rescue groups in your area. Sometimes there may not be an actual rescue but you will find volunteers in the group.
3. #sell-and-rehome channel in the CPC Discord.
4. Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue (US Midwest and around).
5. Palomacy is a decent option, but has been known to re-release “feral” looking pigeons and will not always attempt to locate owners.

If none of these options worked, and you do want to keep the pigeon, congratulations! You now have a pigeon. 🐦