What is a pigeon’s natural diet?

Introduction
Pigeons have always been very social animals and hence live in flocks. This makes the easy to find a shelter since dozens of birds share common living area such as some abandoned building or houses’ chimneys. Living together makes it easy to find food and water. Most commonly they are seen eating food from the ground which mainly includes some grains and invertebrates but there are some species that eat some different foods.

What Pigeons like to eat?
Grains and seeds have always been favorite food for pigeons as well as doves. But a lot of seeds may result into calcium deficiency in them. So only 50% of seeds are best and suitable for pigeons! Barley is also included in natural diet of pigeons and has quite good effect on their health in winter season. Moreover, some corns and wheat are also considered as natural diet of pigeons. Finally chopped vegetables and some fruits are also part of their daily diet. Many pet pigeons are likely to eat some specific fruits and vegetables such as ice berg or berries. But vegetables with high water composition are not suitable since they offer very les nutritional value. Pigeons also pick insects from the ground. But they are not a large part of their diet. Since they are not herbivorous, they also eat some snails and worms but prefer vegetables over meat. Since pigeons live near human beings, they usually pick from what humans have left such as small scraps of food. From bread crumbs to large portions, pigeons are most likely to eat all of them. Many governments in different countries have banned purposely feeding to pigeons and other birds because of unnatural growth of population. This may turn into fight amongst pigeons over food and resources.

Final Verdict
Water is main source of bird’s life. Fresh and hygienic water is basic necessity of all living beings. For pet pigeons, bottled water may be used due to some hygienic issues of tap water. But for stray birds, water quality may not be perfect. This may lead to many diseases and rapid cause of death. It is preferred to install some bird platforms where food and clean water is available all the time.