Are pigeons lazy or cunning?

[stewamax]

My seed and fat-ball bird feeders are well-patronised by all the smaller birds and some quite large rooks - but never the numerous pigeons that waddle about on the patio underneath.
Since the rooks are larger than many of the pigeons, it is intriguing why the latter never take their turn on either of the feeders, but merely sit hopefully and expectantly waiting for some seed to fall. They all look plump enough (for pigeon pasanda perhaps?), but are they just idle or do they find difficulty balancing on a swaying feeder?

[kiloran]

We've often had pigeons (big fat stupid birds) hanging on a seed feeder, with much flapping of wings to try and maintain position.
They just don't seem to realise that they are simply not designed for that task.
Jackdaws are fine hanging on the feeders. Rooks, crows and magpies never seem to try.

--kiloran

[bungeejumper]

I'd say that our pigeons have got the world sussed. They know that hanging on the feeders won't work, because they've simply got the wrong feet for it. But they do seem to have plenty of other food sources in the hedgerows. Did you ever see a thin pigeon?

We have a couple of robins whose 'flat' feet and short beaks are also ill-suited to the task of hanging onto a bird feeder. But they're very persistent, and they quite often succeed despite the odds. Fascinating to watch. I'm hoping we'll see the nuthatches again this year - the only birds that can literally run down a vertical tree trunk.

One thing that the pigeons don't seem to be able to cope with is the presence of barn owls. I know it isn't a laughing matter really, but our local owls are doing very nicely by picking them off in the yew tree where they usually nest. We have a pigeon population explosion at the moment, and they're more than welcome to take as many as they want. Pigeons might be intelligent, but if they don't know the difference between a bird bath and a communal lavatory (and trust me, they don't), then I won't object to anybody regarding them as bird food....

BJ

[kiloran]

One thing that the pigeons don't seem to be able to cope with is the presence of barn owls. I know it isn't a laughing matter really, but our local owls are doing very nicely by picking them off in the yew tree where they usually nest.
BJ

Our foxes help to keep the pigeon population down. One of our foxes trotted around the garden with a pigeon in its mouth the other day showing off its prize to its mates.
We often see a pile of pigeon feathers on the lawn, maybe caught by a fox, maybe a cat or hawk

--kiloran

[Sorcery]

We've often had pigeons (big fat stupid birds) hanging on a seed feeder, with much flapping of wings to try and maintain position.
They just don't seem to realise that they are simply not designed for that task.
Jackdaws are fine hanging on the feeders. Rooks, crows and magpies never seem to try.

--kiloran

The crows that visit my feeder do, don't see it all the time but sometimes a crow will hang upside down with one claw from the wire loop used to hang the feeder and manages to eat from the feeder. They used to just shake the feeder to try and get some seeds our. Now it's just ground feeding + 1 maybe 2 using the upside down technique.

[mutantpoodle]

annoyingly...the magpies and crows in my garden have no problem with the feeders
hanging upside down appears to be worth their effort
as others have said the pigeons simply pick up the dropped seeds from the ground

[NotSure]

annoyingly...the magpies and crows in my garden have no problem with the feeders
hanging upside down appears to be worth their effort
as others have said the pigeons simply pick up the dropped seeds from the ground

The corvid family, including magpies and crows, are exceedingly intelligent by non-human standards. Pigeons are feral, originally domesticated, and no-one ever bred them for intelligence, just fecundity and fatness.

We use squirrel-proof spring-loaded feeders. They are not cheap, but I can vouch for their durability (and efficacy - I once spent a very amusing 10 minutes watching a squirrel try to defeat them). Anything heavier than a blackbird and the door to the food simply shuts.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Squirrel-Proof-Bird-Feeder-Guaranteed/dp/B00BXLF3WU/ref=sr_1_5?th=1

[stewamax]

We use squirrel-proof spring-loaded feeders. They are not cheap, but I can vouch for their durability (and efficacy - I once spent a very amusing 10 minutes watching a squirrel try to defeat them). Anything heavier than a blackbird and the door to the food simply shuts.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Squirrel-Proof-Bird-Feeder-Guaranteed/dp/B00BXLF3WU/ref=sr_1_5?th=1

If the spring were adjustable, I would willingly use one to enable small birds up to and including blackbirds to feed but will shut when a large rook or crow tries. OK - its a bit 'birdist', but these ferocious-looking chappies can feed elsewhere as they scare away the smaller ones, and anything that frightens my beloved blackbirds is no friend of mine.

[NearlyThere]

Our foxes help to keep the pigeon population down. One of our foxes trotted around the garden with a pigeon in its mouth the other day showing off its prize to its mates.
We often see a pile of pigeon feathers on the lawn, maybe caught by a fox, maybe a cat or hawk

--kiloran

This little fellow helps us occasionally....

[NearlyThere]

If the spring were adjustable, I would willingly use one to enable small birds up to and including blackbirds to feed but will shut when a large rook or crow tries. OK - its a bit 'birdist', but these ferocious-looking chappies can feed elsewhere as they scare away the smaller ones, and anything that frightens my beloved blackbirds is no friend of mine.

The spring is adjustable. These visitors we've been having for the past couple of years seem clever enough to defeat the mechanisism by lifting the cage up though. The feeders have stopped squirrel raids.