# Found homing pigeon that can't fly



## MrMunchy (May 27, 2020)

Hello, my partner and I went on a walk and found a pigeon with two green bands on her feet that couldn't fly. We have a lot of feral cats in the neighborhood and didn't want her to die so we took her home for the night. We read online that she was a probably a racing pigeon and they usually get tired and dehydrated and need to rest for a couple days. So we gave her water and bird food and she was eating and drinking within ten minutes. We couldn't see any visible injures on her and seemed relatively healthy, she looked well fed with clean feathers and bright clear eyes. We let her rest for the night and two days later took her to the park so we could release her but she still couldn't fly so we brought her back home. 

We decided to do some research on the bands around her feet, they had numbers on them and we looked them up and found some racing club she belonged to and we left them an email and a voicemail to see if they would know what to do. We waited a few days and we left another voicemail but ultimately they never got back to us. 

We tried to take her to a bird sanctuary but they told us they only take wild birds and weren't allowed to take her in. We thought about taking her to an animal shelter but read that the odds are low for pigeons to get adopted there.

So we've had her for over a week now and she still cant fly. We got an unused dog crate for her to act as a temporary cage with some toys, perches, mirrors and a nest. We also take her in our backyard everyday for a couple hours so she can get some freedom, we bought her a little birdbath and she loves using it, shes very friendly and has never pecked or scratched us, but doesn't liked to be held to much. She doesn't trust us completely but she getting more used to us. We've decided that the best option for her right now is for us to keep her for the time being.

What is concerning is that she eats and drinks normally but for whatever reason she cannot fly, her wings don't looked clipped or broken, we've seen her stretch them out completely and they look fine. She even plays with toys and in her bath, I've also seen her groom herself. I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning but I'll add it anyway, she doesn't seem too active, I'm not sure if pigeons are a calm species but she very rarely makes sounds and can been in one spot just sitting for hours just lookin around. She does walk around in the backyard and bathe and loves interacting with herself in the mirror so I'm not sure if her sitting in one spot for hours is normal.

In conclusion, the pigeon we found seems perfectly happy and healthy except for the fact that she can't fly. Would anyone know any reasons for her inability to fly or what may be wrong with her?

I've also attached pictures if anyone wants to see her.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Looks like there's an injury in the front of her breast. This might affect her ability to fly. Does she flap her wings at all?

Why don't you just keep her, she seems happy with you. You can built her a small aviary in your backyard and adopt a mate (one that's unreleasable) for her.

In the meantime: Can you put her cage on a table or a spot higher from the ground? Pigeons like to perch on a high spot, that makes them feel safe. You can also provide her with a flat perch inside the cage. Also cover the area where the perch is with a blanket to give her some privacy.

Pigeons are less active than other birds, so if she spends the whole day in one spot there's no need for concern. As long as she is eating well, then it's a good sign.


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## MrMunchy (May 27, 2020)

Thank you very much for your reply! Do you know anything more about the injury on her breast? I noticed it but was not sure if that was normal for pigeons or not. The injury is not open or scabbed from what i saw, however early when she was in her birdbath she puffed her feathers out and i got a closer look and shes missing some feathers in that area. 

We found her in an area with a lot of feral cats, do you think she could have gotten attacked? And do you think her injury will heal or should we take her to the vet? 

To answer your question from earlier yes she does move her wings, I've seen her stretch them to full length and flap them once in a while when shes taking a bath. 

Thank you for your advice, we have a small side table that we can put her cage on for some height and I'll tie a blanket in her cage for some privacy. We are considering keeping her as a pet she is very sweet.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If she got attacked by a cat, then there would have been more missing feathers. Cat saliva is also deadly for birds, so I doubt she would still be alive if there was a cat involved. Maybe she flew into something, so many things can happen. At least she is not injured in a bad way, otherwise she wouldn't have survived.

If you know of a good avian vet, then you can take her for a checkup. Otherwise, she has survived up until now so she is no danger of dying on you.

You can just put the blanket over a third of her cage, (cover the top, sides and back) so she will have a nice sheltered corner.


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