We have a lot of animal and bird lovers in our society and one of the growing trends is to feed birds. Bird feeders also add to the beauty of urban gardens where just the thought of feeding a flock at the hanging feeder paints a beautiful image in our minds. Facebook and Instagram add to the charm. Many well-meaning residents also spread grains like Bajra on the ground. But the reality is far removed from the intention behind it. Most voracious urban feeders are either squirrels or the ubiquitously disliked feral pigeons. Occasional Jungle Babblers also feed on it in a noisy flock.
Feeding of birds has scientifically been proven to be of little value in sub/tropical regions like ours where birds have abundant supply all around. But even if we ignore that aspect and decide to feed them on aesthetic and compassionate grounds, the reality is that a lot of our pigeon population benefits from it and continues to thrive in our urban neighbourhoods. It’s well established that pigeons are vectors and reservoirs of human diseases like salmonellosis and tuberculosis. Lung infections, although not conclusively proven, have been found to have a strong correlation with pigeon proximity and the ill.
World over, one of the effective ways to reduce pigeons is by deprivation. Venice, Italy has banned pigeon feeding and many other countries are trying to ensure safe garbage disposal (no littering) and stop feeding. And results have been encouraging. While it may not be possible to eliminate this in our society, we should encourage more native fruiting and flowering trees to be grown as a permanent and more natural source of feed for our birds. Also, leave some open topsoil for ground creepers to spread and harbour some insects. Caterpillars and other small insects are the natural grub that birds love. Oleander flowers in our parks attract sunbirds like moths to light. These are some of the measures we should take and slowly try to move away from feeders. A Water bowl in summer is still a gracious decision and we should keep it in our yards.
Figure 1 Indian Pitta feeding on insects.
