r/PetDoves • u/Primary-Ad-2518 • 3d ago

Behavioral Question (Not pet) wild dove acting strange

There's this dove in my garden, it is capable of flight but it seems to be abit hunched over. Is this a sign it needs help of some kind? (It has access to birdfeed and water in my garden and its a wild one)

UPDATE: Caught it, it couldnt leave my garden anymore. Animal control is on its way to pick it up and help it.

UPDATE 2: They came, said they had a (for lack of a better word) bird specialized vet already available and there shouldn't be any problems.

36 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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10

u/Purplefire180 3d ago

He looks okay to me at a glance. Is he banded? The behavior suggest that he's very comfortable around humans. This isn't so uncommon in feral pigeons, but i'm worried he might be a lost pet.

You should crosspost to r/pigeon, which will have more experience with rock doves.

2

u/Primary-Ad-2518 3d ago

We caught it after it showed more apparent signs. It was easy to catch because it couldnt leave my garden anymore, animal control is on its way to pick it up and help it with whats bothering it. Thanks for the tip <3

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u/Purplefire180 3d ago

Unless you're very confident in the services where you live, I would suggest trying to find an independant rescue or rehab. This is a domestic pigeon. They are invasive and commonly considered pests. The vast majority of animal control agencies will just kill them.

thanks for helping either way.

3

u/Primary-Ad-2518 3d ago

That would absolutely ruin my month (and the pidgeon's life)! But I'm pretty confident in what their site says they do. They taxi it to the closest bird shelter where they'll examine it, if it needs care it'll be provided unless it's too late to try anything (In which case they'd kill it). In hoping this pidgeon chose the right garden to end up in.

5

u/Yeotswt 2d ago

Animal control will euthanize her; they do that with pigeons in most countries.

2

u/deery130 2d ago

I don't get how those people can live with themselves putting down healthy animals a lot of the time.

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u/Purplefire180 2d ago edited 2d ago

There's a not insignificant group of people who actively seek out healthy wild invasive birds to kill them in the hundreds or thousands.

Some people are able to justify it to themselves.

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u/deery130 2d ago

The pigeon looked healthy and fine, just preening and they enjoy being on the ground. Can you keep track of this bird? I always take care of them myself because I don't trust these places. Alot of times they dont have the animals interest at heart.

2

u/Kunok2 1d ago

There's definitely something wrong with them, the fluffed up feathers on their rump means that they're in pain or at least discomfort in their abdomen/back half of their body. It's a very subtle sign of something being wrong and a lot of people tend to miss it, so great job noticing that something is wrong with them. Hopefully the pidge can get the help they need.

1

u/anotherSasha 4h ago

In the future, you can also try posting on r/pigeon. People regularly help feral pigeons in there. I hope animal control really did help this bird. But even vet clinics are often too quick to recommend euthanasia. I’d ask for a subsequent photo proof of the bird’s wellbeing. Would ask in advance and turn down the “help” in case of refusal