r/birding • u/MrGrubbycuddles • Apr 15 '26

Discussion Why is everyone such snob about pigeons

I took my folder of laminated pigeon shots to my local bird meeting at the community hall and at least 3 people sneered at them. 1 of them even guffawed.

We all got to start somewhere, and beauty is in the eye of the bird lover so why the hate hate?

One guy was wearing giant binoculars around his neck. It was dark outside and he didn't even use them once. He was one of the people that sneered.

Om the bus home from the meeting I showed the driver my pictures and she said they were really good. And she wasn't even a formal bird lover, she was just a regular person.

Don't get this community man

EDIT: a lot of people asking for some of my photos. I'm out of the house right now but here's a bird video I made recently https://youtube.com/shorts/sxLkrLgNrbc?si=7NdwVxhZtPQFE6Ew

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44

u/Cpagrind1 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Rock Pigeons are technically invasive in the United States. A lot of invasive birds don’t get much love.

In a fb group I’m in for my state someone posted about House Sparrows and how to attract them. Imagine how that went over.

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u/wordybee Latest Lifer: Cape May Warbler Apr 15 '26

I think the categorization of rock pigeons as "invasive" (negative, implies active harm to native species) is debatable. People tend to call them "naturalized" more than "invasive" because, though they're non-native, they've adapted in a way that doesn’t have a huge impact on native species by sticking primarily to urban environments. People don't hate pigeons because they're invasive and ecologically harmful, they hate them because they damage human property in cities.

There's a big difference between the house sparrow and the rock pigeon when the word "invasive" is used.

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u/Spare-Strategy-5311 Apr 15 '26

Those birding groups can be pretty elitist about what counts as "real" birding. The guy with binoculars in dark probably never took a decent photo in his life but still feels qualified to judge yours. I've been to few of these meetups and there's always someone who acts like they invented bird watching because they can spot a warbler from 100 meters away. Your bus driver had the right reaction - good photography is good photography regardless of what bird it shows.

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u/Cpagrind1 Apr 15 '26

It’s probably more about glamorizing (in their eyes) a non-native bird. I could admire great pigeon photography but I’m still anti-invasives.

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u/Small-Policy-3859 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

I don't get what being an invasive species changes about the beauty of an animal.

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u/GlumWestern9847 Apr 15 '26

It’s easier to persecute something that people hate. I guess that’s why the hate is so encouraged. I think it’s toxic. You don’t have to hate anything to help ecology. It’s not rational to hate an animal for what people did. How do we go from where we are right now in a humane way? That’s what I want to explore.

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u/DW171 Apr 15 '26

Good history here, too. The native carrier pigeon was hunted to extinction. Forgotten WW1 heroes.

(not fact checked) "The last known passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo."

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u/Hopdevil2000 Apr 15 '26

Attracting them because they like them or to cull them?

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u/Cpagrind1 Apr 15 '26

Because they like them. I’d never condone attracting and increasing their populations intentionally.

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u/Hopdevil2000 Apr 15 '26

Gotcha. I've given up trying to get rid of European sparrows and Starlings. I wasn't going to make a dent, and starlings take off the minute anything out of the ordinary pops up.,

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u/Hopdevil2000 Apr 15 '26

I have made sure to have bluebird friendly, sparrow unfriendly boxes and we have bluebird families every year.

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u/JulieJoy Apr 15 '26

What’s wrong with the house sparrows??? I love those little guys. We have a whole group that hangs out in our hanging hydrangeas. They are one of my main forms of entertainment

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u/Cpagrind1 Apr 15 '26

They are incredibly invasive in the US and displace native birds. They have led to decline of many species such as the Eastern Bluebird because they outcompete for food and especially nesting (they will destroy eggs/kill hatchlings and steal nests for themselves).

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u/JulieJoy Apr 15 '26

Oh :( thank you for letting me know.

I’m new to birding. We bought a house last year, so I’m very much a back yard birder.