We don’t need to control pigeons – just the people who feed them | Letters

2026-02-20 - 17:33

Dr Dave Dawson and Paul Roberts advise on how to combat pigeon invasions – but Nicholas Milton says we should celebrate these remarkable birds and David Jobbins suggests letting nature takes its course Your feature reminds us that debates over feral pigeons are not new (The Norwich pigeon wars: how birds are dividing a UK city, 17 February). They are the archetypical pest. I studied them as an introduced pest on crops of garden peas in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, in the 1960s, and again for Ken Livingstone, who misguidedly ignored pigeon friends in Trafalgar Square in the 2000s. As an animal population ecologist, I asked why the pigeons’ repertoire made them so successful. They’re smart and mobile, flocking to each distant source of food and moving just far enough away to avoid harm when scared. Continue reading...