# Pigeon just sitting in the rain?



## name pending (Feb 14, 2014)

some background: A little while ago, I found a homing pigeon (i think its one, it had a band on its leg, but it was just a zip-tie, no numbers etc..) in my back yard near night time, I assume it was too hot for him (that day was about 113 degrees Fahrenheit where i live). So I caught him for the night, and let him go the next day.

He has stayed around my house ever since (probably because I put LOTS of food out everyday for the doves). he is pretty friendly, doesn't fly away when the rest of the doves when i walk past (he does fly tho as he sometimes does fly away with the rest and circles around). 

But today it has been raining a lot, and he has just been siting on my pool decking the whole day in the rain. I have not seen him come down for any food the whole day, except just now he came down, and I quickly put food out in case he was really hungry. (he might have come down before, but I havent seen and i have been checking every few hours)

Should he be OK? Is it normal for them to just sit in the rain? I will probably know tommorow if i see him, but I still want to make sure. Thanks.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hi name pending,
Welcome to PT and thanx for caring for that bird!
Coincidence,raining here too for past 2 days, here we have winters now but I guess its pretty hot there in Australia??? If its hot there then its ok if he sits in rain. Since he's a domestic bird as you say and don't have a place to call it his home,where would he go?
Where does your pigeon stays usually in day time and where he spends night???


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

name pending said:


> some background: A little while ago, I found a homing pigeon (i think its one, it had a band on its leg, but it was just a zip-tie, no numbers etc..) in my back yard near night time, I assume it was too hot for him (that day was about 113 degrees Fahrenheit where i live). So I caught him for the night, and let him go the next day.
> 
> He has stayed around my house ever since (probably because I put LOTS of food out everyday for the doves). he is pretty friendly, doesn't fly away when the rest of the doves when i walk past (he does fly tho as he sometimes does fly away with the rest and circles around).
> 
> ...


pigeons do like the rain, mine seek it out in their aviaries if not released out to fly. if it is hot there and summer I would not worry about him being in the rain. if he does sit in one spot and acts lethargic or puffed up then he may be sick. from your description he sounds normal to me.


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## name pending (Feb 14, 2014)

Thanks for the replies He is fine today It isn't raining today and he has been to a few different spots around my house (he has a few spots he sits). and flying down when i put the food down

Also, yesterday I noticed that he was still grooming himself. Also I noticed that when he came down and i put food for him (like i said in my origional post), when I came back out after a while he was sitting on the decking again (so that means that he proabably was eating throught the day and just went back to the decking, which is good). 

Yes, it has been very hot this Summer in Australia. here in Adelaide we have been getting MANY 107 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (even a 115 day), Yesterday was the first rainy day in a long time (and it was quite heavy), so he probably liked that. But summer is finished the end of this month, and the forecast is predicted to be pretty low till the end thankfully ( around the 86 degree mark)

I actually see the other pigeons flying around all the time in large circles, but I think he preferes to stay here (he does leave sometimes when i don't see him for a few hours, but he always comes back). When I caught him, I did go to a few neighbours to see if they owned any pigeons but couldn't find anyone. Perhaps they were just left out and live wild now? (he did have a band, but it is just a zip-tie so I doubt they are competetive racers)

I have a lot of other birds come around for the food, spotted turtle doves, crested pigeons, murray magpies, and house sparrows. (probably about 30 birds total everyday come down lol, I just love seeing them)


I also have plenty of water for all them too, not just food (esspecially in this heat)

thanks for the help again!


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## name pending (Feb 14, 2014)

He is a very pretty pigeon, he looks like this (this isnt him, but he looks very similar to these colors)


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

He looks so beautiful! A t-pattern ash red bird for color.

Do you hawks there where you live?
Have you ever tried to catch him?
He's a domesticated bird which has made himself comfortable at your property. Would you like to catch him to keep him as a pet cuz he's not safe out there...!


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

As I was reading your post I was wondering if you were from South Australia , your second post confirmed this.... It has been pouring down , infact 87 mm in two days , after the heat wave it's been glorious !

My birds have been loving the rain also and have been sitting in it , but it does get to a point where they seem to have had enough . I had a regular stray turn up that looked like a drowned rat during the down pour and he seemed happy to rest under my pergola for a few hours and dry off.

I had a stray that looked like that hanging round my loft some weeks ago .... I wonder if you might be from the Nth West suburbs in Adelaide ?


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## name pending (Feb 14, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> He looks so beautiful! A t-pattern ash red bird for color.
> 
> Do you hawks there where you live?
> Have you ever tried to catch him?
> He's a domesticated bird which has made himself comfortable at your property. Would you like to catch him to keep him as a pet cuz he's not safe out there...!


There are definately no hawks where I live, thankfully. All the other birds have never had any problems, and I see the baby ones survive just fine and grow up. I probably won't catch him as he seems very safe and happy. I do see the other pigeons fly around most days, and sometimes see them all sitting on the powerlines ( I am still not sure if they are still someones pets or have become wild). he has been here a few months since i caught and released him that first day, and he is still doing good. But yeah, there are pretty much no predators here.


whytwings said:


> As I was reading your post I was wondering if you were from South Australia , your second post confirmed this.... It has been pouring down , infact 87 mm in two days , after the heat wave it's been glorious !
> 
> My birds have been loving the rain also and have been sitting in it , but it does get to a point where they seem to have had enough . I had a regular stray turn up that looked like a drowned rat during the down pour and he seemed happy to rest under my pergola for a few hours and dry off.
> 
> I had a stray that looked like that hanging round my loft some weeks ago .... I wonder if you might be from the Nth West suburbs in Adelaide ?


the heat waves have been dreadful I was pretty shocked that he and the other birds coped so well in it ( I made place where there was lots of shade so they could sit under when the sun was at full blast during the days). I live around Mawson Lakes


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

Yes.... there are only so many days that 40 degrees and above can be tolerated , but I suspect there is more to come yet .

I believe that someone close by you may have pigeons as pets since they sit on powerlines , a lot of ferals would normally chose buildings ect , but a bit odd someone has banded with a zip tie tho... haven't heard of that one before .

btw... I am from the Port Adelaide area and welcome aboard !


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