Comparative study of feral pigeon abundance in relation to feeding inputs across urban and rural landscapes

The present study investigates the abundance of feral pigeons in the city of Anand, India. Data for the feral pigeon population research were collected over a year-long period from March 2023 to February 2024. The feral pigeon population was assessed through point surveys and systematic monitoring of preferential feeding stations across the city. This study also examined the impact of different climatic conditions on their abundance. A total of 20 feeding stations were classified as either urban or rural. The results indicated a substantially greater abundance of feral pigeons in urban areas (mean ± SE: 2976.25 ± 74.22) than in rural areas (mean ± SE: 1127.16 ± 20.56). Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed a significant disparity in the number of pigeons visiting feeding stations located in urban areas compared to those in rural areas. Observations during the whole study from January 2023 to April 2024 confirmed that urban areas consistently receive a greater number of people and larger quantities of food grains regularly. This indicates that urban environments offer a higher availability of food, which is sufficient to support large pigeon flocks. Additionally, an investigation into the impact of climatic conditions on pigeon abundance found no significant seasonal variation in their population across the feeding stations. Although there is a notable difference in pigeon abundance between rural and urban areas, sufficient food is provided in both environments to support large flocks in all seasons. The results suggest that pigeons rely on human-supplied food for their daily nourishment, with supplementary food serving as their primary food source.