When it comes to living in New York City, pigeons are just something that we all have to deal with. From entire flocks walking on the sidewalk, to droppings all over the statues, we have all seen how much of a nuisance these pests can be. But one thing that many New Yorkers do is feed the pigeons, especially in parks. People should not be feeding pigeons, for a variety of reasons. It is important to understand why it is not good for anyone to feed wild pigeons, if you live in a city like New York where populations run rampant. Feeding pigeons can lead to a number of problems, including malnutrition in the birds; and the further spread of diseases, whether just to the other pigeons, or cross-species.
Feeding wildlife of any kind can create a dependency. Why would an animal seek out food if they know they can receive it for just being near a certain park bench? When pigeons, or any other wild animals, find out about a specific spot to get food consistently, they generally stay near that source, and they don’t look elsewhere. That means that more animals will tend to hang around that area. By feeding a pigeon, you are forcing other people who visit the area to deal with a higher concentration of them, and the side effects of that, like higher concentrations of bird feces in the area.
Feeding pigeons can also lead to malnutrition in the animals. Pigeons, while we may not like them, do provide many a service to the city. Some of the seeds that pigeons tend to favor are weeds that could otherwise crop up all over the city. They also eat pest bugs. They clean up our streets by eating food litter.
Pigeons, no matter how urbanized they are, are still a part of the wildlife here. Wildlife should be (as long as it is not on our property) respected, and from afar if possible. You should not want to disturb wild pigeons if possible. It is there city as much as it is ours. It is only when they become a problem or compromise the health of the people that they should be excluded from the ecosystem of the city.