# What do wild pigeons eat in the wild ...



## Maria C

... as opposed to 'What's the best food that we can feed wild pigeons'?


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## Skyeking

*Whatever they can forage, and hopefully they are lucky enough to find someone who will feed them just enough pigeon seed to meet their needs. They will eat bits and scraps of left over foods they find in parking lots which is not an ideal diet.*


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## Maria C

I see them eating all kinds of things, even chicken. I just wonder what they'd eat in the wild if no humans were around. I know they eat the same grains and seeds that we do, and insects, but I'm not sure if they eat grass, or grass seed, for example, or leaves, or other natural things that we don't.


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## Skyeking

*They love spinach, marigolds and grass seed.*


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## John_D

If you mean what do they eat in their natural environment (as opposed to around human habitation) then yes, it would include grass seed. In fact, there are pigeons mixes which do contain specifically grass seed and various weed seeds, as that is part of their natural diet. They would eat some green leaf, cultivated grain crops if they can fly to it or else wild-growing grain. They would eat some insects and tiny snails in the breeding season (roughly March - October in a wild environment) and probably some berries too.


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## Maria C

Skyeking said:


> *They love spinach, marigolds and grass seed.*


What a relief! I see them pecking in the grass but I thought maybe they were just cleaning up after a picnic or something. Thanks.


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## Maria C

John_D said:


> If you mean what do they eat in their natural environment (as opposed to around human habitation) then yes, it would include grass seed. In fact, there are pigeons mixes which do contain specifically grass seed and various weed seeds, as that is part of their natural diet. They would eat some green leaf, cultivated grain crops if they can fly to it or else wild-growing grain. They would eat some insects and tiny snails in the breeding season (roughly March - October in a wild environment) and probably some berries too.


Thank you so much!


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## spirit wings

google rock dove there is all kinds of info on their forage and habits and species traits. I would say these can differ depending on if they get hand outs or not, ones who don't ,forage and fly out of the city to do so.


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## feralpigeon

Maria C said:


> ... as opposed to 'What's the best food that we can feed wild pigeons'?


Bandtailed pigeons will eat nuts, pine nuts, acorns, berries, seeds, flowers. They also can hang upside down from a tree branch while eating which is so pigeon different from their feral pij relatives.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Band-tailed_Pigeon/lifehistory

http://www.laspilitas.com/Californi...igeons/Band-tailed_pigeons_in_your_garden.htm

http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/band-tailed_pigeon

fp


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