# Help needed in saving a wild pigeon.



## Phoenix77 (Oct 13, 2012)

Hello everyone,
About 5 days ago I was driving down a busy street in Los Angeles. I noticed a Raven flying unusually low and then realized it was holding a pigeon by the feet. The Raven was having a hard time holding the pigeon and dropped him head first onto the busy street. A car immediately ran over him, but luckily missed him as he went between the tires. I looked back and noticed he was limping to the curb. I immediately turned the car around and ran in front of traffic to get this poor baby.

I have now had him for 5 days. He has been eating sunflower seeds and peas and parakeet seeds. He is drinking his water. According to the pictures of age he is about 28-30 days old. His leg is fine now. it was probably originally sore from being carried by the Raven upside down. Still has a few yellow hairs on his head. 

The other day I thought I saw some weird bug on him so I put him in a sink with a little water to try and see if I could find the bug. It was then that I scoured over his feathers and found a deep cut/wound (which was healing) in his chest, probably from the Raven's talons or beak. This could have actually been the reason he was limping at first. I put some alcohol on it. But it seemed to be healing. It was still quite gnarly to see. 

I don't know exactly how I am suppose to soft release this bird. I feel like if I go to a park to feed other pigeons, he may fly away and I will not get a chance to make sure he is learning pecking, and where water, food, and shelter are. He is just starting to fly. I don't know whether his wings are strong enough yet. If he flys to a low branch and I can't get him, we're pretty much screwed. I was thinking of putting a band around his leg and tying string to it so that he can learn a few times before actually releasing him for good. 

What are you guy's thoughts on this? I really want him to survive. He is suppose to live because he literally escaped 5 deaths in a 30 second time frame.
He doesn't like me either so I'm sure he's ready to go. I'm not trying to get him used to people. Unfortunately, People are not so nice to animals especially pigeons. 

Please help!
Thanks,
-Amy


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## Phoenix77 (Oct 13, 2012)

Let me re-phrase. What I mean by putting a string on the band is not to have him fly like that. It's to be able to let him peck food with a flock, and feel safe that he won't go far. There won't really be a lot of slack in the string. So he won't even be able to attempt to fly. I just don't want him leaving pre-maturely, and then dying from starvation or an attack by another predator because he hasn't found a flock, etc. I don't know of a bird leash. If anyone does, let me know.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

First of all thank you for rescuing the pigeon.

You cannot release a pigeon who cannot fully fly. You will have to make sure is exercising his flying ( if he's in the cage, i hope you allow him out of cage 1 hr a day).
When you decide to release him you don't just release him in the flock..as you said you want to make sure he survives. For that he has to join the flock. So raising his interest into being part of a flock is to bring him to the flock for 30 min ( the longer the better ) everyday if possible for at least 2 weeks. you do not tie him, You just get a small wire cage and put the cage on the floor where the flock is and so you feed the pigeons. He will notice their behavior when feeding; he will take interest to want to be with them ( he may get agitated in the cage wanting to come out)...that way after 2 weeks or so he is ready to want to be part of the flock and stay with the flock.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Chances of him surviving if he's part of the flock are very high. A single bird will die of starvation, sickness which come with stress or most likely attacked by a predator. Poor pigeon that's what happened to him. Next time he will know to fly away from the Raven and follow the flock in case of Hawks. Well, i hope there will never be a next time.


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## Phoenix77 (Oct 13, 2012)

Thank you! He has free range all day in my spare room. He is flying and strengthening his wings. He usually sits on the window sill and peeps at the birds outside. i will go buy him a cage tomorrow so that I can take him to the park and get him used to other Pigeons. I appreciate your help


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

I took some of my young rescues to a local flock to watch them eat, but held onto them the first few times. When the rescue was eating okay on his own, and all other systems were "go." then I considered release.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Larry_Cologne said:


> I took some of my young rescues to a local flock to watch them eat, but held onto them the first few times. When the rescue was eating okay on his own, and all other systems were "go." then I considered release.


You didn't make a video of their release?


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