Are Pigeons Dirty?

Pigeons have been given a rather unpleasant nickname — vermin of the sky — and this gives you some idea of the sort of animal you're up against. In some senses, there are very few differences between this animal and the rat; both being pest animals that are remarkably difficult to get rid of, and both being animals that will scavenge through garbage bags, gardens, bird feeders and more.

All wild animals are dirty. Every single animal that you have hanging out in your backyard is going to be dirty. And, by dirty we mean not to the same standard of cleanliness that you would deem acceptable within your home.

Pigeons, like most other wild and pest animals, are responsible for the spread of disease in a number of ways. Droppings can contain disease spores that are sent airborne when the material dries out and turns into an almost dust-like consistency. Not only that, the body of the pigeon can be contaminated in some way, causing injury or harm to those that feast on it, such as predators. This happens a lot when pigeons are poisoned (and other wild animals, too, including rodents), and then other animals attack and then feast on them. If there was poison in the pigeon's body, the predatory animal can suffer the effects of secondary poisoning as a result. Even if poison wasn't used to kill the animal, diseases, spores — bacteria and viruses, etc. — can still be spread from meat to predatory animals.

More than sixty different diseases have been studied on and around birds, many of which can be passed over to humans — zoonotic diseases. Those that can't be passed along to humans could still be passed along to pets, including cats, dogs and outdoor rabbits, as well as other livestock — cattle, horses, chickens, etc.

Pigeons aren't responsible for the spread of H5N1 as previously thought, but do still pass along diseases such as Cryptococcosis, St. Louis Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, Histoplasmosis, Candidiasis, and E.coli.

Not only are these birds responsible for the spread of diseases, they're also responsible for the spread of parasites and bugs that ALSO spread diseases — different and new diseases from the pigeon entirely. These can include chicken mites (can cause encephalitis and chicken/bored-related dermatitis), bed bugs (can cause anemia and weakness in humans), mosquitos (causing West Nile Virus [rare]), and even mealworms. Yellow mealworms, to be exact, and this can cause other afflictions — hymenolespiasis and canthariasis being just two of them.

Pigeons are dirty animals, and this extends to their nests, their young, unpatched eggs, and even droppings. We recommend proceeding with extreme caution when removing the birds, bird-proofing, and cleaning up the mess that this flying beast leaves behind.



Also read our other bird tip: What should I do about pigeons in my chimney?