What Should I Do if I Find an Orphaned or Abandoned pigeon?
The sight of a pigeon flying in the sky has this special way of making people wish they had wings. These adorable birds are harmless, with a sense of peace that you can hardly find in any other animal. Therefore, feeling emotional when you see an orphaned or abandoned pigeon is an outward expression that is common to everyone.
Have you encountered an orphaned or abandoned pigeon and you don’t know what you can do to help? Right here we will be sharing the basic things that you need to know about what you should do when you find an orphaned pigeon.
What to do when you find an orphaned or abandoned pigeon
Seeing a pigeon that is unable to fly at a helpless state, the first impulse that you are most likely going to have is to reach out and help the bird. But in most cases, birds in such situations don’t usually need your help. Your intervention then will often reduce the chances of survival for the pigeon.
This simply means that you need to know when to swing into action and help the orphaned pigeon and when to allow nature to take its course. To do this, you need to first determine if the orphaned pigeon is a nestling or a fledging.
In most cases, orphaned pigeons are fledglings. These sets of pigeons are young birds that are just learning how to fly or they just left their nest and were unable to catch up with their mother in the air. These sets of pigeons are feathered and are capable of flights above one meter. Usually, these pigeons don’t need your intervention as their parents will come for them with time or they get strong enough to fly. To ensure their safety, you can watch from a distance and also keep all your domestic pets or animals indoors, away from the pigeon.
On the other hand, if you notice that the pigeon does not have many feathers and it is not capable of flight or hopping, then it is a nestling. If this is the case, then you need to swing into action and help the pigeon.
Due to their fragile nature, you need to be very gentle while capturing and carrying the abandoned pigeon. For the safety of the pigeon, you can lure the bird into a birdcage to avoid any physical contact that will injure the bird.
To help the abandoned pigeon, the first thing you need to do is to look nearby for the nest of the pigeon. Unlike other animals, pigeons don’t neglect their young that have been touched by humans.
Perhaps you were unable to find the nest of the abandoned pigeon, then your best course of action is to contact a wildlife rehabilitation center near you to take care of the pigeon. That way, you will be sure that the orphaned or abandoned pigeon is safe and free from any possible danger.