Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Advice on feeding pigeons and ducks

Pigeons 

Much of the damage caused by feral pigeons arises from their infestation of buildings. Fouling of buildings and monuments frequently occurs at places where the birds nest or roost. This is not only unsightly but may have a destructive effect as the acidic droppings can erode the surface of stonework.

Why you should not feed pigeons

Pigeons are wild birds capable of finding their own food. Feeding them makes them dependent on people. If they were less dependent they would arguably be less susceptible to disease and other health risks. Human food does not contain the ingredients that the birds require for good health. This is an unhygienic and anti social practice. Food left out for pigeons can attract rats and other vermin to the area. Additionally feeding pigeons:

• Attracts them to areas that are not natural to them and exposes them to risks of injury
• Feeding results in all year breeding that causes overcrowding. The birds become stressed and disease and parasites spread quickly within the flock
• Large flocks of pigeons can drive smaller birds away from feeding sites. The pigeons can also spread disease to other birds, reducing their populations
• Waste food left down for pigeons can attract rats, mice and foxes
• Pigeon droppings are not only unsightly, but their acid content can erode soft stone and vehicle paintwork causing long term damage. Nest debris, including feathers, can block gutters and rainwater pipes
• Pigeons droppings foul the pavements, ladders and fire escapes making them slippery and dangerous especially for the elderly
• Diseases, such as salmonellosis, tuberculosis and ornithosis (a mild form of psittacosis – pneumonia like symptoms), can be carried in their droppings and while there is no direct evidence that these illnesses have been directly passed on to humans, the risk cannot be discounted.

If you care about pigeons you can help restore the natural balance of the pigeon population by not feeding them or leaving any food remnants of take-away food lying around. Remember to bag it and bin it instead.  

Ducks

If you care about ducks, do not feed them. Many people enjoy feeding ducks and waterfowl. It feels good and brings the ducks closer for both children and adults to see them. But, this seemingly generous act is extremely harmful. By feeding wild or feral ducks and waterfowl you may be shortening their lives, contributing to an early death through disease and malnutrition while causing infighting and over breeding. The ducks will also become easy targets for predators. The decaying food, often left on the ground, attract rats. People may think that just a bit of bread won’t hurt, but for every person feeding the ducks there are dozens of people that have been before or will come afterwards.

For more information please view or download the duck welfare leaflet from the right of the page.