The effect of habitat and number of inhabitants on the population sizes of feral pigeons around towns in northern Poland

Abstract

Most studies on factors influencing density of the feral pigeons Columba livia var. domestica were carried out in large cities and agglomerations. However, also in small towns, pigeons are important epidemiological and sanitary problem. In our studies, feral pigeons were censused in 33 towns located in the Pomeranian Province (northern Poland) during 2006-2008. These birds occurred in 19 (57.6%) towns. The number of pigeons was positively correlated with the area of the town, and it was significantly higher in towns localized in agricultural landscape than in towns surrounded by forests. We also found a significant effect of interactions between type of a landscape surrounding a town and residual number of inhabitants on the abundance of pigeons. In the largest towns of the Pomeranian Province, feral pigeons were concentrated mainly in central quarters. In smaller towns, they were noted in central parts or in areas with blocks of flats and even the suburbs. The obtained results suggest that food conditions in small and middle towns may be not sufficient for colonization by pigeons.

Feral Pigeons: Problems, Dynamics and Control Methods

“…According to Hetmanski et al (2010), the number of pigeons is significantly higher in towns located in agricultural landscape than in those surrounded by forests, at least in Poland. Countryside can host colonies in a variety of locations such as bridges, ruins or otherwise it can be visited by pigeons for feeding purposes with fast commuting foraging flights.…”

“…The distribution of food resources and the annual trend of reproductive attempts appear to exert a leading role in shaping the characteristics of these flights, as previously suggested both for feral pigeons (Soldatini et al, 2006) and for wild rock doves (Baldaccini et al, 2000 and references therein). The distances covered in such commuting flights vary between 3 and 20 km (see Rose et al, 2006 for a review), mainly depending on the landscape and distribution of food resources (Hetmanski et al, 2010;Soldatini et al, 2006). These foraging flights can be a significant source of damage for agriculture which adds to the damages done by colonies resident in the countryside.…”

“…Haag, 1988;Senar et al, 2009), most of the historical (and largest) populations of feral pigeons should be almost stable, provided that the environmental conditions which affect population abundance (e.g. human population density, prevalent structural characteristics of buildings, habitat features of the surrounding landscape; Buijs & Van Wijnen, 2001;Hetmanski et al, 2010;Johnston & Janiga, 1995;Jokimäki & Suhonen, 1998;Sacchi et al, 2002) did not change significantly. This pattern is clearly confirmed for Hamburg, where four censuses conducted during the second half of the last century indicates that feral pigeon population increased markedly from 1953 to 1966 and remained at a high level thereafter (Rutz, 2008;Fig.…”

Dietary habits of urban pigeons (Columba livia) and implications of excreta pH – a review

“…Human land modification, in the form of managed rural landscapes (with the accompanying abundance of grain sources) and the development of urban agglomerations with tall structures (church towers, multi-storey buildings, etc.) has provided the rock dove with an eminently suitable synanthropic habitat (Hetmański et al 2011). Today, the feral pigeons have become regarded as a major urban pest (Schuster et al 1989;Gavris 2011).…”

Avaliação parasitológica de excretas de pombos refugiados em edificações da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

“…É uma ave sinantrópica longeva, vivendo até 16 anos, é granívora e frugívora, porém consome restos de alimentos (Foti et al, 2009). O tamanho da população é influenciado positivamente pelo número de habitantes humanos e pela área da cidade (Hetmański et al, 2011), distribuição espacial dos recursos disponíveis e do fornecimento de alimentos (Rose et al, 2006). Têm papel fundamental na contaminação de fontes de água potável e culturas agrícolas pelas fezes contaminadas, podendo transmitir agentes infecciosos a outras aves (Lillehaug et al, 2005), além de trazer riscos de contaminação para o homem e outros animais (Millán et al, 2004).…”