Do Band-Tailed Pigeons Seek a Calcium Supplement at Mineral Sites?

Koch

2017

J Wildl Manag

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Band‐tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) congregate at and use mineral sites (mineralized water or soil) throughout their range; however, information needed to interpret counts of pigeons at these sites and make inference to population abundance and distribution is lacking despite current monitoring efforts. Our objectives were to determine if we could create a mineral site used by band‐tailed pigeons; test whether pigeons seek supplemental sodium, calcium, or both; describe the pattern of pigeon use of mineral sites seasonally and within days by individual birds; and evaluate implications of precipitation, fog, temperature, and mineral concentration on pigeon visitation patterns. We attracted hundreds of pigeons/day to a created mineral site that offered sodium, calcium, or both in a forested area in southwestern Washington, USA where we captured and applied passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to 771 pigeons and monitored mineral use during 2010–2014. When offered paired sodium and calcium stations, pigeons near exclusively consumed sodium, and pigeons continued to use the created mineral site for 3 years when calcium was not available. Pigeons visited sodium stations on average once every 12 days during June through early October; reducing available sodium concentration from 3,500 ppm to 1,000 ppm had no significant effect on visitation rates. Counts of pigeons at mineral sites varied with precipitation, sex, and time of season; consequently, comparison of pigeon counts among mineral sites can be biased if not accounting for these factors. Our results show that pigeons can be attracted to mineral stations, and that counts at mineral sites and stations allow opportunities for population monitoring. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Band‐tailed pigeon use of supplemental mineral

Koch

2017

J Wildl Manag

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Minerals in gastroliths and foods consumed by band‐tailed pigeons

Braun²

2021

J Wildl Manag

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Band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) congregate at and use mineral sites (mineralized water or soil) primarily within the breeding range of the Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeon (P. f. monilis), but the Interior band-tailed pigeon (P. f. fasciata) generally does not exhibit this behavior. Differences in supplemental minerals used between subspecies could be explained by differences in the diet (grit and foods) of these birds between their regional ranges. We necropsied 1,169 band-tailed pigeons and sampled 35 primary foods of band-tailed pigeons in the United States range of the Interior (AZ, CO, NM, and UT) and Pacific Coast (CA, OR, and WA) band-tailed pigeons to evaluate regional differences in mineral and moisture in gastroliths and food items, and the association of grit with food items consumed. Grit and food types consumed by pigeons were similar between subspecies, but grit amount varied with foods consumed and food items varied with season and region in association with plant distribution and phenology. Gastroliths contained small amounts (≤3.3% each) of calcium, sodium, and potassium and were smooth and polished, indicating relatively long-term retention and use primarily in food abrasion. Foods universally contained low amounts of sodium (0-328 ppm), moderate calcium (100-7,250 ppm), and high potassium (4,400-22,600 ppm), but varied somewhat with food type (e.g., acorns, berries, cultivated grains, pine seeds). Moisture and mineral content of grit consumed and foods used by Interior and Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons did not differ between their regional ranges in explaining

Feeding trial evaluation of supplemental sodium and calcium use by pigeons

Wildlife Society Bulletin

2022

The Pacific Coast band‐tailed pigeon's (Patagioenas fasciata monilis) conspicuous and well documented use of supplemental minerals has allowed wildlife managers to conduct counts of pigeons at sites with minerals to index their abundance; but despite at least 9 associated peer‐reviewed research publications since 1998, the reason that band‐tailed pigeons use mineral sites and necessity of that use remains unknown. I conducted feeding trials with pigeons during summers of 2009 and 2010 to evaluate maintenance and reproductive performance associated with access to supplemental minerals: one with 24 pairs of wild‐caught band‐tailed pigeons, and one with 30 pairs of wild‐caught rock pigeons (Columba livia). Data indicate that red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. arborescens) and cascara (Rhamnus purshiana) berries (natural food items) are high energy food sources for band‐tailed pigeons, and that band‐tailed pigeons can thrive on these berries without access to supplemental sodium and calcium. However, access to supplemental sodium could offer band‐tailed pigeons advantages in body weight maintenance or gain when consuming a diet low in sodium and high in potassium. Band‐tailed pigeons did not nest in this study; thus, it remains unknown if there are benefits to reproductive performance from access to supplemental minerals. Rock pigeons with access to supplemental sodium fledged ≥33% more young than those pigeons without access to supplemental sodium, and this was primarily associated with the increased number of clutches and increased fledging rate. Also, fledgling mass was greater (truex̅ $\mathop{{x}}\limits^{̅}$ ± SE = 35.5 ± 7.9 g, 95% CI = 19.3–51.8) for rock pigeons with access to supplemental sodium at fledging in 2010, but the difference was not statistically significant in 2009 (5.9 ± 22.9, 95% CI = − 43.2–55.0) possibly because of the nutritionally limited diet that year. Access to supplemental sodium could offer band‐tailed pigeons advantages in fecundity and hatchling survival rates (recruitment) through increased efficiency in food conversion. Natural mineral sites used by band‐tailed pigeons should be conserved until additional information is available for evaluation. Also, comparison of counts of band‐tailed pigeons at mineral sites over time and among sites must be interpreted cautiously until the factors (e.g., diet, weather, accessibility, supplemental mineral concentration, etc.) that influence the proportion of the local band‐tailed pigeon population that uses mineral sites can be determined.