We’ve changed the diet of pigeons, they’ve lost their basic instinct: BNHS director

Feeding pigeons in Mumbai is harming local bird populations, pushing smaller species away. Experts urge a scientific approach to wildlife management.

Mumbai: The widespread practice of feeding pigeons has, over the years, changed their dietary habits and altered the city’s bird population, pushing smaller birds away to the safety of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) director Kishor Rithe said amid the ongoing row over the Bombay High Court’s recent order regarding the closure of kabootar khanas.

The Bombay High Court recently ordered the closure of kabootar khanas (Raju Shinde)

“Human beings should not decide their (pigeons’) diet. But here, human beings have started deciding their diet and luring the birds with foodgrains,” Rithe told Hindustan Times. He said pigeons are both granivores and insectivores. “It is affecting the health of the pigeons as well as other species like crows and kites.”

The BNHS, a leading organisation for conservation research, has advised various administrative bodies across the country, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on tackling the pigeon issue, among other things.

Creating imbalance

Columba Livia or Blue Rock Pigeons are among the most commonly encountered birds around the world, especially in India, North Africa and Europe.

According to the BNHS director, the pigeon population in and around Mumbai was increasing because people were feeding them, whereas the death of pigeons due to frequent collisions with vehicles was providing a steady supply of carcasses to crows, in turn increasing their population. Crows and kites were also increasing because of the proliferation of human waste, kitchen waste and other garbage.

“In Mumbai, if you look at the bird population, it’s pigeons, kites and crows dominating…They are dominating because of human-induced problems,” said Rithe. “That actually creates an imbalance in nature,” he added.

Smaller birds like flower peckers and fly catchers cannot roam freely in such an environment as they are unable to breed. “If they nest, crows will spoil their nest,” he said, explaining why such birds could only be found in the SGNP.

Need for solutions

The closure of kabootar khanas will not lead to pigeons going hungry, the BNHS director said.

“In the SGNP, pigeons nest in cavities of trees and feed on whatever larvae they get. They find their own food. Here (in kabootar khanas), they are getting readily available foodgrains, so they lose their basic instinct,” he said.

In the June edition of BNHS’ publication, Hornbill, Rithe wrote: “BNHS emphasises that misplaced compassion is not conservation. Instead of feeding pigeons, citizens should focus on planting native trees that provide natural shelter, food and nesting sites for birds.”

The solution to the pigeon feeding row has to be scientific, not sentimental, Rithe said.

“Population dynamics is part of wildlife science. In population dynamics, we assess the population and see the trend. If it is decreasing, we suggest some conservation measures and if it is increasing, we suggest some controlling measures. They are accepted practices in wildlife science. So it should be left to wildlife scientists and people should not interfere,” he said.