Ever Get the Feeling Pigeons Watching Cat Postcard

A line of pigeons on a rooftop, watching the cat, who is looking a bit paranoid. His name is Traveller and he's young, so his pigeon experience is limited. The birds just want him to go away so they can con me out of some bread crumbs. Pigeons today are descended from wild rock doves. Feral rock doves are grey with black wing bands, often a patch of white on the lower back. Due to much interbreeding there are few true feral rock dove colonies within the domain of people. They're Old World birds who first arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada, with explorers and settlers in 1606. Pigeons mate for life and take turns incubating and feeding the babies or squabs. The parents have two squabs per brood, and they can breed almost any time but usually during spring and summer. Natural predators include falcons, hawks, owls, opossums, raccoons and ... cats. Although pigeons have been blamed for various health issues, the risk for humans is minimal. Just don't play in the pigeon poo. Pigeons are hardy and resistant to disease. They don't transmit avian flu to people, or even chickens they've been raised with (pigeons love haylofts and barns!) and are not susceptible to diseases such as West Nile Virus. They are fast fliers with good homing instincts and some pigeons have been used during wartime to deliver messages, several even receiving medals for bravery! Wild rock doves prefer life along cliffs and escarpments, building haphazard nests on ledges. City pigeons are happy to live on tall buildings, such as apartment buildings, rousing the wrath of tenants who dislike their messy housing attempts and their soft cooing calls. A friend once brought my attention to a curious matter, which I later noticed when I lived in Germany for a while. In North America, pigeons gather and roost on buildings. In Europe, they roost in trees. Just a small thing, but a funny observation. Original cat and pigeons photo artwork by M Sylvia Chaume, Canada. Happy blessings!