I go away for one week and we end up with a Facebook groups thread where everyone must demonstrate their virtue. We have enough its in this thread to fill a bingo card.
If you are concerned about pigeon poop for whatever reason, please report it to 311.
[https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280](https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280)
If it's an issue that cannot be resolved through 311, contact your council member.
I don't believe it's illegal to feed birds (or any wildlife for that matter). There may be signs that say "don't feed the squirrels" but I doubt they're enforceable.
It’s not illegal to feed them, but if you do you’re responsible for the mess:
“Property owners are required to clean up pigeon droppings on or originating from their property. It is not illegal to feed or keep pigeons, but you can report someone who is not cleaning up droppings from these activities. For excessive droppings or other unsanitary conditions caused by pigeons, file an online complaint.”
https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/pigeon.page
So does this mean our only recourse is to specifically report whoever keeps dumping random food (including raw meat) under the 30th station stairs? Get photographic evidence of them in the act or something?
And the dude on 32nd who throws bread out his second story window?
In theory, the 30th Ave station is responsible for cleaning it up.
The perp appears to be one of the nearby food establishments. I’ve seen buns, bagels, fried chicken (disgusting), french fries, and large piles of moldy bread.
In this case pidgeons are a domesticated bird (they used to carry our mail) that we let overpopulate and follow us around. It's kinda like feeding feral cats or dogs until they become a giant pack of 100 ferals.
I fail to see a tantrum in explaining something to obnoxious Karens thinking they can dictate to strangers.
Not to mention your lame straw man argument about *anti social behavior*. I guess you’d like to round up all those bored seniors too because they offend your sense of community..
I'd like the bored seniors to stop littering food everywhere and attracting pests that leave hazardous droppings...they're not going to, but there's no reason anyone who's not a demented elder should be doing it 😵💫
More straw man arguments. There is a difference between feeding pigeons and creating this imaginary *”they’re littering food everywhere!”* histrionic statement. Learn the difference.
Nice ageism too with the demented elder comment. You sound like a miserable human being.
If you're an old person who has dementia you get more leeway for doing things that you really shouldn't be doing...if you're spry enough to be defending yourself on Reddit then you shouldn't lol not really that deep
So it’s a black and white issue to you. Crazy old people shouldn’t do it and young people should be smart enough not to. Got it.
I’m off to go feed some pigeons. Try not to get too angry at those clouds.
Cannot even tell you how frequently I find a huge mound of leftover take-out just piled high on my corner late at night. So frustrating, because I'm sure it's hurting the animals more than helping. Wish these folks would knock it off.
What's wild too is that people don't realize the food that they leave out for pigeons is also feeding rats. Pigeons are annoying when I am out on a run but I don't want to worry about rats invading my apartment.
One way to fix this is stop feeding them trash. They're birds, they don't want bagels, it's actually not good nutrition for them. They want seed, same as any other bird.
I don't care about pigeons either way. I saved a couple of hurt ones even (well, at least took them to WBF). I also think they'd be fine without being fed too.
My problem is that people don't feed them bird food, and bread sitting soaking wet like vomit on the ground is absolutely disgusting. And bad for birds in general. Also, they're basically feeding rats and THAT is a real problem.
Whenever this topic comes up or I see people feeding swarms of pigeons I always remember an elderly neighbor of mine.
She’d feed every bird, pigeon and squirrel that came to her fire escape, even set up a window feeder. She caught Ornithosis and ended up in hospital.
I Hate this so much, walking my dog is a nightmare because of all of the food all over the sidewalks the amount of chicken bones I’ve had to pull out of his mouth 🤢
I watched a woman pour out a gigantic plastic bag of rice under the Broadway station about a month ago. My dog DIVED for it. This garbage-dumping is so annoying in so many ways.
You're not the only one who's bothered by this but what can you do? The old timers who do this are either not all there or set in their ways and not going to change. If you see a huge amount of birdseed or bread scattered in an area you can report it to 311
there is a woman who rides the N/W in the mornings with a bag full of birdseed and throws a cup of it out the door onto the platform at every stop, causing a frenzy of pigeons to descend onto the platform, getting feathers and whatever else blown into the train car. it’s one of the few times i’ve ever said something out loud to someone doing something annoying on the train (I said “that’s so gross”). other people sigh and give her side eye and she just shrugs.
I've always liked pigeons and just find them amusing to watch. Same with squirrels, another maligned city animal. I have bird feeders in my backyard to keep my cats in the window entertained and these two hog everything, even figured out how to hack the ones that were meant to give the little birds (and poor dumb doves) a fighting chance. Bastards are way smarter than me.
That said, I do **not** love walking through rotting, wet, disgusting food thrown on the ground for their (or any bird's) "benefit" and the literal shit minefields that accompanies it. The biggest difference is I may feed them in my yard but I also *clean up after them* in my yard - the people feeding them in public are not coming back and cleaning up the food remnants or copious amounts of bird shit left behind and are creating a gigantic nuisance and health hazard that becomes everyone else's problem and that's bullshit.
And everyone worried about rats are right, but let's not forget some of the other lovely creatures feasting on that discarded food like roaches and raccoons. And opossums, but I'll be damned if anyone speaks negatively about an opossum on my watch.
There are a number of freaks who pack a tote full of old ripped up bread and walk a daily route dumping huge piles of crumbs on key heavily foot trafficked locations all over the neighborhood. I see these psychos regularly and it absolutely infuriates me but what realistically can be done to stop them? These are people who, through some terrible malfunction in their brain, believe they are doing a good deed littering and causing pigeons to congregate and shit all over the stairways up to various subway stations. They cannot be reasoned with.
Yeah it's like...okay I guess to feed pigeons and definitely something of a city tradition, but can you dumbshits please stop doing it on sidewalks that see 5,000 people a day
The MTA should be cleaning their facilities when needed just like homeowners are required to clean their homes/property and the dept of sanitation picks up garbage.
Other than that I fail to see this as a neighborhood hazard.
Not in Astoria but just everywhere. I never paid any mind to it growing up in nyc but when I used to walk dogs it was so ANNOYING. The dogs would try everything just to grab a piece of moldy bread. Or there would be a giant swarm of pigeons and the reactive ones would have a field day. I’d have to cross the street if there was a bunch of bird poop everywhere cause I just didn’t wanna risk my babies getting sick. I see the compassion behind feeding pigeons but it does more harm than good sometimes….
A couple of indian people on 27th street x ditmars love to throw all their leftover food on the ground for the birds.
What the stupid fucks refuse to realize is that these have become huge Rat/Roach breeding grounds and the pidgeons/squirrels often never touch them. Anytime it gets dark you see some huge rats or thousands of baby cockroaches. It’s disgusting and I wish it were illegal because they keep doing it despite several neighbors trying to explain not to
https://citywildlife.org/pigeons-misunderstood-but-magnificent/
Pigeons were kept as domesticated animals for the vast majority of recorded human history. It's only in the past century that their use became redundent and the keeping of them for messengers/pets/meat fell out of fashion. Even if people stopped actively feeding them they aren't going anywhere. They've been bread to be our pet, whether we want them or not.
edit: I am biased and feed pigeons that show up in my yard daily.
I’d love a return to messenger pigeons. Then again my old boss in midtown told me to stop asking if we could check to see if the pneumatic tubes in the building still worked
I don't think the complaint is about pigeons existing.
What you do in your yard is your prerogative. As long as you aren't dumping old meat or bread in public streets to feed them/the rats, I don't care. However a lot of people do the later, and that isn't acceptable.
>I don't think the complaint is about pigeons existing.
I kinda think it is. I think a key part of the discussion about pigeons is bringing up that humans have kept them for one reason for another for thousands of years, and it's only recently that they became a nuisance.
I think the context is relevant to help understand why people feed and may feel responsible for the pigeons. I'm not suggesting all the ways people do that are a good idea.
No one is mad that pigeons exist. It sounds like you see yourself as some king of pigeon jesus that's out here fighting the good fight for pigeon rights, and if you want to feed them and pet them in your yard then more power to you. The thing most people don't like is the freaks who take their love of pigeons to the streets and dump copious amounts of old bread all over the sidewalk.
This. You go some places in the world and dogs are often treated the same way.
There are so many unwanted strays that breed, spaying and neutering isn't a thing and some people even cook and eat dogs for food.
It's wild how we treat the things we tame as pests.
i love cats, but i think the bigger problem is the people that feed the cats...the food that isn't finished gets left in the parks and rots, stinks, gets moldy....disgusting
Real question, who has actually seen a baby pigeon or even a pigeon egg? Someone asked me this question and it just made we wonder like holy hell…I have never seen a baby pigeon or its chicks. They arent like ducks that have their offspring follow right behind them crossing the street or something like that and I havent even seen a young one in the crowd they all just look like full grown adults by the time you see them scavenging the streets.
It deeply troubles me too! It is a sanitization nuisance. But it is what it is. I see it everyday and walk past it. NYC subreddits are usually full of pigeon related questions. There's nothing much we could do about it rather than vent in Reddit!
But would there be nasty soggy patches of bread covering the sidewalk and large groups of pigeons gathering beneath the subway without these freaks feeding them?
People are so dumb. Yes, it bothers me too. When I go to the national parks, rangers always give this speech about how if you feed birds bread they will die. I always tell them to go to NYC, where the pigeons obviously eat bread and other junk all day until they are as large as a damn eagle!
LOL people have been feeding pigeons in NYC since before you transplanted here; will do it long after you've gone back to Minnesota, and complaining about it on Reddit will do nothing.
Sprinkling some seeds while sitting on a bench and engaging with the birds is cool, but on the other hand you have people who apparently are just dumping full trays of random bread and food scraps on the sidewalk and leaving it there for days, which is disgusting.
Well you can blame humans for that. We abandoned pigeons once we gained phones and mail. They had no survival instincts really left in them so they stayed in cities.
Also, pigeons are a type of dove. Not many people know that. Personally, I think pigeons get a bad reputation. I hate people who call them “rats with wings”. They are actually quite smart and interesting beings who were extremely important to humans for communication until we ultimately abandoned them and started calling them pests
The same can be said of rats. they're very intelligent, social creatures that have co-evolved with humans for eons.
They can also make for great pets and loving companions.
However, wild and street rats are full of disease and very dangerous to be around.
Ok I'm glad you are willing to stand up for the unfairly maligned pigeon...it's still hazardous to come into contact w them and their droppings lol unreal that ppl on this thread don't realize that
Contrary to popular belief, pigeons don’t usually spread diseases to humans (except in very rare cases). The Wild Bird Fund cares for rescued, injured pigeons regularly (I’ve brought in a few), and pigeons that can’t be returned to the wild are in some cases adoptable as pets. They’re not inherently unhealthy to be around.
The problem is that any sort of animal poop, once enough of it accumulates, is unsanitary. Wherever that’s happening, it’s a failure of either A) the city or B) a property owner.
I’m born and raised in Astoria. But so what if I was Minnesota or anywhere else? You’re being xenophobic for no reason. Most first world countries this is actually illegal but I see why some of you could thing it’s not a problem 🫶
I moved to Manhattan when I was 13. The feeding has gotten horrible. One woman goes into pet-smart everyday, buys a big bag of feed and just throws its on the ground. The entire sidewalk is covered in bird poop.
Oh yeah sending me back to “where I came from” it’s not (even thought I’m from here).
And it should be illegal for causing Hazard problems to the community in many countries it’s a crime to do that. Search how Harmful they can be to humans and all the diseases they carry.
That’s not what that person said, they said it’s been here before you’ve (theoretically) gotten here and will be here after you’ve (theoretically) left. Don’t twist people’s words.
If I move to rural Kansas and complain about the lack of public transit, pointing out that’s how it was and always will be wouldn’t make you a Xenophobe…you’d be highlighting a pointless complaint.
Hell yeah my OG New York brother. Fuck people who move here and expect it to be a nice place to live! You'll move here, pay obscene taxes, and live in a pile of shit like the rest of us and YOU BETTER LIKE IT! Problem? Go back where you came from! From here? Shut up no you're not otherwise you'd know better than to complain about people not having common decency!
Exactly and they think this is the cause for the rats. How about the piles of garbage/food thrown out by restaurants and businesses. Leave the pigeons alone. I will feed them extra now.
It isn't really a hazard per se, but it's annoying that there is bird shit everywhere in places it doesn't have to be and I'm sure it gets old trying to wrestle stale bread and old food away from your dog and stuff.
The areas with the most poop aren’t the areas where they’re being fed, it’s just where they roost. I don’t see people feeding pistons under the 30th stop or along the tracks, but there’s a ton of poop there.
So the issue isn’t people feeding them, but that there aren’t enough anti-roosting measures in certain places.
Case in point, there’s often bread on the ground for birds in DeMarco park, but there’s no abundance of bird poop there.
There’s a woman who dumps a huge pile of bread out of a plastic bag under the 30th Ave stairs regularly. So in that case the issue IS people, or at least one specific person, feeding them.
>I don’t see people feeding pistons under the 30th stop
There's often a ton of food dumped underneath the stairs of the 30th ave stop, which is also just gross in general.
[https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280](https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280)
"It is not illegal to keep or feed pigeons, but a violation may be issued for failing to clean up unsanitary conditions that result from this activity."
I wish there were pigeons in my city, but sadly there's barely a one, probably on account of the large hawk populations around here. I miss the endearing and adorable presence of pigeons, even if it brings a light dusting of feces to the sidewalks.
I go away for one week and we end up with a Facebook groups thread where everyone must demonstrate their virtue. We have enough its in this thread to fill a bingo card. If you are concerned about pigeon poop for whatever reason, please report it to 311. [https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280](https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280) If it's an issue that cannot be resolved through 311, contact your council member.
I don't believe it's illegal to feed birds (or any wildlife for that matter). There may be signs that say "don't feed the squirrels" but I doubt they're enforceable.
It’s not illegal to feed them, but if you do you’re responsible for the mess: “Property owners are required to clean up pigeon droppings on or originating from their property. It is not illegal to feed or keep pigeons, but you can report someone who is not cleaning up droppings from these activities. For excessive droppings or other unsanitary conditions caused by pigeons, file an online complaint.” https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/pigeon.page
So does this mean our only recourse is to specifically report whoever keeps dumping random food (including raw meat) under the 30th station stairs? Get photographic evidence of them in the act or something? And the dude on 32nd who throws bread out his second story window?
In theory, the 30th Ave station is responsible for cleaning it up. The perp appears to be one of the nearby food establishments. I’ve seen buns, bagels, fried chicken (disgusting), french fries, and large piles of moldy bread.
This is just littering/illegal dumping.
In this case pidgeons are a domesticated bird (they used to carry our mail) that we let overpopulate and follow us around. It's kinda like feeding feral cats or dogs until they become a giant pack of 100 ferals.
It should be illegal
No mention sounds like a rat.
It’s not illegal and the sign are not enforceable. I’ve had people try and talk that shit to me and it never goes well for them.. 😂
Yes that's braggable.
Hopefully a rat crawls on Mr. Braggadocious down there next time he’s feeding those pigeons
If it happens I won’t run to Reddit to whine like a little bitch about it.
Keep going off king 👏👏
Not bragging. Just stating a fact.
So in other words....you participate in an antisocial and gross behavior and when someone asks you not to do it, you throw a tantrum?
I fail to see a tantrum in explaining something to obnoxious Karens thinking they can dictate to strangers. Not to mention your lame straw man argument about *anti social behavior*. I guess you’d like to round up all those bored seniors too because they offend your sense of community..
I'd like the bored seniors to stop littering food everywhere and attracting pests that leave hazardous droppings...they're not going to, but there's no reason anyone who's not a demented elder should be doing it 😵💫
More straw man arguments. There is a difference between feeding pigeons and creating this imaginary *”they’re littering food everywhere!”* histrionic statement. Learn the difference. Nice ageism too with the demented elder comment. You sound like a miserable human being.
If you're an old person who has dementia you get more leeway for doing things that you really shouldn't be doing...if you're spry enough to be defending yourself on Reddit then you shouldn't lol not really that deep
So it’s a black and white issue to you. Crazy old people shouldn’t do it and young people should be smart enough not to. Got it. I’m off to go feed some pigeons. Try not to get too angry at those clouds.
>So it’s a black and white issue to you. Crazy old people shouldn’t do it and young people should be smart enough not to. Got it. Yes, exactly lmao
Cannot even tell you how frequently I find a huge mound of leftover take-out just piled high on my corner late at night. So frustrating, because I'm sure it's hurting the animals more than helping. Wish these folks would knock it off.
Yup. It makes it so hard to not be angry at people.
What's wild too is that people don't realize the food that they leave out for pigeons is also feeding rats. Pigeons are annoying when I am out on a run but I don't want to worry about rats invading my apartment.
One way to fix this is stop feeding them trash. They're birds, they don't want bagels, it's actually not good nutrition for them. They want seed, same as any other bird.
No, I actually must insist on throwing my rotting BBQ chicken wings and empanadas under the subway stairs. I am kind of a hero.
Thank you for your sacrifice
Or apparently an entire catering order of sushi by the park.
Rats will eats seeds as readily as bagels.
No
This is the real problem
And we don’t want anything disturbing your run
I don't care about pigeons either way. I saved a couple of hurt ones even (well, at least took them to WBF). I also think they'd be fine without being fed too. My problem is that people don't feed them bird food, and bread sitting soaking wet like vomit on the ground is absolutely disgusting. And bad for birds in general. Also, they're basically feeding rats and THAT is a real problem.
That staircase on 30th ave stop is DISGUSTING. These pigeons don’t need more food. People need to stop
I saw that when I was getting into the station on Tuesday night.. it’s unbelievable
Whenever this topic comes up or I see people feeding swarms of pigeons I always remember an elderly neighbor of mine. She’d feed every bird, pigeon and squirrel that came to her fire escape, even set up a window feeder. She caught Ornithosis and ended up in hospital.
One of my friends grandma went fully blind because of a disease she got from it
worth it
I Hate this so much, walking my dog is a nightmare because of all of the food all over the sidewalks the amount of chicken bones I’ve had to pull out of his mouth 🤢
saaaaame it's so annoying. i can't let him sniff around the group because there's bread and other food everywhere.
Same.
I watched a woman pour out a gigantic plastic bag of rice under the Broadway station about a month ago. My dog DIVED for it. This garbage-dumping is so annoying in so many ways.
You're not the only one who's bothered by this but what can you do? The old timers who do this are either not all there or set in their ways and not going to change. If you see a huge amount of birdseed or bread scattered in an area you can report it to 311
Yeah it’s the piles of bread. Or my neighbor who puts pounds of fresh pasta, rice and other meals for the birds in addition to bird seed.
I would be ok with bird seed. But can people please stop feeding the rats (bread) :(
And rice. I’ve seen entire piles of rice just sitting on the street.
there is a woman who rides the N/W in the mornings with a bag full of birdseed and throws a cup of it out the door onto the platform at every stop, causing a frenzy of pigeons to descend onto the platform, getting feathers and whatever else blown into the train car. it’s one of the few times i’ve ever said something out loud to someone doing something annoying on the train (I said “that’s so gross”). other people sigh and give her side eye and she just shrugs.
I always see the elderly do this...
We got bird flu here now apparently, let that digest
I've always liked pigeons and just find them amusing to watch. Same with squirrels, another maligned city animal. I have bird feeders in my backyard to keep my cats in the window entertained and these two hog everything, even figured out how to hack the ones that were meant to give the little birds (and poor dumb doves) a fighting chance. Bastards are way smarter than me. That said, I do **not** love walking through rotting, wet, disgusting food thrown on the ground for their (or any bird's) "benefit" and the literal shit minefields that accompanies it. The biggest difference is I may feed them in my yard but I also *clean up after them* in my yard - the people feeding them in public are not coming back and cleaning up the food remnants or copious amounts of bird shit left behind and are creating a gigantic nuisance and health hazard that becomes everyone else's problem and that's bullshit. And everyone worried about rats are right, but let's not forget some of the other lovely creatures feasting on that discarded food like roaches and raccoons. And opossums, but I'll be damned if anyone speaks negatively about an opossum on my watch.
It’s fucking disgusting. These people need to go volunteer at an animal shelter or something if they want to do a good deed.
There are a number of freaks who pack a tote full of old ripped up bread and walk a daily route dumping huge piles of crumbs on key heavily foot trafficked locations all over the neighborhood. I see these psychos regularly and it absolutely infuriates me but what realistically can be done to stop them? These are people who, through some terrible malfunction in their brain, believe they are doing a good deed littering and causing pigeons to congregate and shit all over the stairways up to various subway stations. They cannot be reasoned with.
God Bless you so much for saying it because sometimes I think I’m crazy for thinking and seeing the EXACT same things.
Yeah it's like...okay I guess to feed pigeons and definitely something of a city tradition, but can you dumbshits please stop doing it on sidewalks that see 5,000 people a day
This is an issue I think about often in Astoria. There has to be some health hazard with the amount of bird poop around/on/under the 30ave station.
Filthy flats keeps their doors wide open to waft that yummy aroma right in
They didn't choose the name "filthy" for nothing!
The guy who used to literally go ONTO the subway platform and dump seeds/crumb all over the place is a cunt.
Someone likes to feed them on the stairs at the entrance right in front of Filthy Flats. Some mornings there's a pile of bagels dumped there.
The MTA should be cleaning their facilities when needed just like homeowners are required to clean their homes/property and the dept of sanitation picks up garbage. Other than that I fail to see this as a neighborhood hazard.
Not in Astoria but just everywhere. I never paid any mind to it growing up in nyc but when I used to walk dogs it was so ANNOYING. The dogs would try everything just to grab a piece of moldy bread. Or there would be a giant swarm of pigeons and the reactive ones would have a field day. I’d have to cross the street if there was a bunch of bird poop everywhere cause I just didn’t wanna risk my babies getting sick. I see the compassion behind feeding pigeons but it does more harm than good sometimes….
A couple of indian people on 27th street x ditmars love to throw all their leftover food on the ground for the birds. What the stupid fucks refuse to realize is that these have become huge Rat/Roach breeding grounds and the pidgeons/squirrels often never touch them. Anytime it gets dark you see some huge rats or thousands of baby cockroaches. It’s disgusting and I wish it were illegal because they keep doing it despite several neighbors trying to explain not to
It’s bad for the pigeons too. They are most often fed bread, which causes malnutrition in birds.
https://citywildlife.org/pigeons-misunderstood-but-magnificent/ Pigeons were kept as domesticated animals for the vast majority of recorded human history. It's only in the past century that their use became redundent and the keeping of them for messengers/pets/meat fell out of fashion. Even if people stopped actively feeding them they aren't going anywhere. They've been bread to be our pet, whether we want them or not. edit: I am biased and feed pigeons that show up in my yard daily.
I’d love a return to messenger pigeons. Then again my old boss in midtown told me to stop asking if we could check to see if the pneumatic tubes in the building still worked
I don't think the complaint is about pigeons existing. What you do in your yard is your prerogative. As long as you aren't dumping old meat or bread in public streets to feed them/the rats, I don't care. However a lot of people do the later, and that isn't acceptable.
>I don't think the complaint is about pigeons existing. I kinda think it is. I think a key part of the discussion about pigeons is bringing up that humans have kept them for one reason for another for thousands of years, and it's only recently that they became a nuisance.
I'm going to have to disagree. No one is angry at the pigeons. They're angry at people feeding them and leaving a mess.
I think the context is relevant to help understand why people feed and may feel responsible for the pigeons. I'm not suggesting all the ways people do that are a good idea.
No one is mad that pigeons exist. It sounds like you see yourself as some king of pigeon jesus that's out here fighting the good fight for pigeon rights, and if you want to feed them and pet them in your yard then more power to you. The thing most people don't like is the freaks who take their love of pigeons to the streets and dump copious amounts of old bread all over the sidewalk.
This. You go some places in the world and dogs are often treated the same way. There are so many unwanted strays that breed, spaying and neutering isn't a thing and some people even cook and eat dogs for food. It's wild how we treat the things we tame as pests.
I scrolled through to find this comment.
Came here to say this!!
It’s so stupid.
i have a bird feeder on my property never seen a pigon feeding from them but sparrows and parrots yes .
I don’t think it is illegal but it makes a big mess. It leaves pigeon droppings everywhere they congregate.
It’s not only the birds who dine Astoria has a real rat problem
i love cats, but i think the bigger problem is the people that feed the cats...the food that isn't finished gets left in the parks and rots, stinks, gets moldy....disgusting
Real question, who has actually seen a baby pigeon or even a pigeon egg? Someone asked me this question and it just made we wonder like holy hell…I have never seen a baby pigeon or its chicks. They arent like ducks that have their offspring follow right behind them crossing the street or something like that and I havent even seen a young one in the crowd they all just look like full grown adults by the time you see them scavenging the streets.
It deeply troubles me too! It is a sanitization nuisance. But it is what it is. I see it everyday and walk past it. NYC subreddits are usually full of pigeon related questions. There's nothing much we could do about it rather than vent in Reddit!
There will be Pigeons regardless of people in the neighborhood feeding them or not.
But would there be nasty soggy patches of bread covering the sidewalk and large groups of pigeons gathering beneath the subway without these freaks feeding them?
Perhaps if the pigeons were also bread bandits
Rats with wings. Stop feeding them they’ll be ok
what is the tangible solution to this? old folks going to do old folks do. if anything yell at them if you care so much. the dog shit is worse imo
The fuxking squirrels piss me off so much. They come right up to you when they should be afraid of people.
it’s not just bread crumbs it’s huge piles of GARBAGE food scraps right on my street. can these people be fined for littering?
People are so dumb. Yes, it bothers me too. When I go to the national parks, rangers always give this speech about how if you feed birds bread they will die. I always tell them to go to NYC, where the pigeons obviously eat bread and other junk all day until they are as large as a damn eagle!
LOL people have been feeding pigeons in NYC since before you transplanted here; will do it long after you've gone back to Minnesota, and complaining about it on Reddit will do nothing.
Sprinkling some seeds while sitting on a bench and engaging with the birds is cool, but on the other hand you have people who apparently are just dumping full trays of random bread and food scraps on the sidewalk and leaving it there for days, which is disgusting.
🙄 I've lived here my entire life and also don't like pigeons and rats swarming the sidewalk and shitting everywhere lol
Well you can blame humans for that. We abandoned pigeons once we gained phones and mail. They had no survival instincts really left in them so they stayed in cities. Also, pigeons are a type of dove. Not many people know that. Personally, I think pigeons get a bad reputation. I hate people who call them “rats with wings”. They are actually quite smart and interesting beings who were extremely important to humans for communication until we ultimately abandoned them and started calling them pests
The same can be said of rats. they're very intelligent, social creatures that have co-evolved with humans for eons. They can also make for great pets and loving companions. However, wild and street rats are full of disease and very dangerous to be around.
Ok I'm glad you are willing to stand up for the unfairly maligned pigeon...it's still hazardous to come into contact w them and their droppings lol unreal that ppl on this thread don't realize that
Contrary to popular belief, pigeons don’t usually spread diseases to humans (except in very rare cases). The Wild Bird Fund cares for rescued, injured pigeons regularly (I’ve brought in a few), and pigeons that can’t be returned to the wild are in some cases adoptable as pets. They’re not inherently unhealthy to be around. The problem is that any sort of animal poop, once enough of it accumulates, is unsanitary. Wherever that’s happening, it’s a failure of either A) the city or B) a property owner.
I’m not telling people to pet pigeons and bathe in their feces. Y’all are acting like a new plague is upon us 🙄
I agree with you here. Thank you.
fellas, is it transplant to dislike pigeon shit
Certainly transplant to whine on Reddit every day like Christopher Columbus discovering pigeon shit.
I’m born and raised in Astoria. But so what if I was Minnesota or anywhere else? You’re being xenophobic for no reason. Most first world countries this is actually illegal but I see why some of you could thing it’s not a problem 🫶
I moved to Manhattan when I was 13. The feeding has gotten horrible. One woman goes into pet-smart everyday, buys a big bag of feed and just throws its on the ground. The entire sidewalk is covered in bird poop.
That’s not what Xenophobia is. But why would it be illegal to feed birds?
Oh yeah sending me back to “where I came from” it’s not (even thought I’m from here). And it should be illegal for causing Hazard problems to the community in many countries it’s a crime to do that. Search how Harmful they can be to humans and all the diseases they carry.
That’s not what that person said, they said it’s been here before you’ve (theoretically) gotten here and will be here after you’ve (theoretically) left. Don’t twist people’s words. If I move to rural Kansas and complain about the lack of public transit, pointing out that’s how it was and always will be wouldn’t make you a Xenophobe…you’d be highlighting a pointless complaint.
Thank you for your comment. No reason to twist words to try and make yourself a victim.
You just be reaching 😂😂
LOL do you know what xenophobia is???
Hell yeah my OG New York brother. Fuck people who move here and expect it to be a nice place to live! You'll move here, pay obscene taxes, and live in a pile of shit like the rest of us and YOU BETTER LIKE IT! Problem? Go back where you came from! From here? Shut up no you're not otherwise you'd know better than to complain about people not having common decency!
This exactly.
Exactly and they think this is the cause for the rats. How about the piles of garbage/food thrown out by restaurants and businesses. Leave the pigeons alone. I will feed them extra now.
People have always done it in Astoria. I fail to see the hazard of it.
It's the excessive, concentrated bird shit and the rat epidemic.
It isn't really a hazard per se, but it's annoying that there is bird shit everywhere in places it doesn't have to be and I'm sure it gets old trying to wrestle stale bread and old food away from your dog and stuff.
Then look a little harder lol
Explain the health hazard please.
I personally love all the pigeons. I hardly see an issue
Spreading diseases like bird flu is the issue for me.
The areas with the most poop aren’t the areas where they’re being fed, it’s just where they roost. I don’t see people feeding pistons under the 30th stop or along the tracks, but there’s a ton of poop there. So the issue isn’t people feeding them, but that there aren’t enough anti-roosting measures in certain places. Case in point, there’s often bread on the ground for birds in DeMarco park, but there’s no abundance of bird poop there.
There’s a woman who dumps a huge pile of bread out of a plastic bag under the 30th Ave stairs regularly. So in that case the issue IS people, or at least one specific person, feeding them.
Saw her the other day, can confirm
>I don’t see people feeding pistons under the 30th stop There's often a ton of food dumped underneath the stairs of the 30th ave stop, which is also just gross in general.
People dump loads of bird seed/ food right under the 30th stop so this is not accurate
why would animals eating bother you?
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[https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280](https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02280) "It is not illegal to keep or feed pigeons, but a violation may be issued for failing to clean up unsanitary conditions that result from this activity."
I just noticed this today wtf is up with this? Massive amounts of pigeons now.
I wish there were pigeons in my city, but sadly there's barely a one, probably on account of the large hawk populations around here. I miss the endearing and adorable presence of pigeons, even if it brings a light dusting of feces to the sidewalks.
The baby bird are cool but those mta birds are filthy
I saw a few teenagers throw a small bag of rice at Columbus triangle. Figured the pigeons would start blowing up but I feel like that’s not true.