The Invasion of Pigeons

Just when you think personal space is necessary, a bird comes flying and starts walking close to you. With the smell of oily fumes, and the noise of New York City, the breeze hints of what is supposed to be “fall”- but, mom this is the planet we live in where global warming is becoming a worldwide commodity. When you go out, beware of the pigeons – yes, those creatures that fly, the ones that tend to come too close to getting hit by your Honda Civic car when they are stationed as a herd in the middle of the street. The same creature that has spread nightmares through human kind with their “droppings” (Pigeon Related Diseases). Although the diseases they carry are very rare, they have caused sickness and are seen as the rats of the sky.

So, then there’s me, walking through the streets of New York City where sparrows, rats, and pigeons are seen more often than not scavenging for scraps of food. Food is a magnet to these creatures to they tend to be seen in herds at parks, their numbers double through March and July which their season to breed. 

    Sitting in a very uncomfortable chair, at a small park, sparrows surround me with their small bodies following each other and fighting each other for the pieces of litter on the floor. Out of nowhere, a bigger body lands near them, this is a pigeon. Walking proudly and uttering grunting sounds while enlarging at the nape, making rolls with the neck. This is how they attract a mate, and not even a few feet from this pigeon was another pigeon, thinner in size with a slimmer nape that seemed smooth at touch yet dirty from the lack of a good shower/bath like domestic animals. This wild animal in the city is trying to find a mate and breed, although the season they tend to mate has passed, this male does not cease to stop from attracting this feral female pigeon. The sounds are carried through the pitching the sparrows are making, now battling to get the bread crumbs I’m throwing. Imagine being a pigeon, a female pigeon being cat called by male pigeons showing off their napes to you while making grunting sounds, hungry for your attention, it’s not far from the reality human females live. Men and women tend to show off their best attributes to catch a mate themselves, this is seen in the animal kingdom as well with the example of the pigeon. After a while, the grunting stops, the male accept defeat, I proceed to throw bread crumbs at him. However, in great comparison to the sparrows, the pigeon looks unfazed to the food. A pigeon in the midst of a dozen sparrows that are acting like caffeinated beings, jerky when thrown food, and fast to get the piece of bread. This pigeon stands out in the masses of the brown sparrows. The nape glows green at the certain angles of the light, the iris glowing bring red making the bird look more feral, the nostril cere contrasting with the dark colors of the feathers and beak. Once the other pigeon left, the one that was receiving the attention from this pigeon, the nape and hackle decreased in sized making the pigeon look normal. The inflammation of the nape reminded me of the frigatebirds, without the vivid red color, like the red lipsticks i would borrow from you and never return. 

References

Pigeon-Related Diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/pigeon.page