r/interesting • u/I-T-Y • Jul 14 '26

NATURE Pigeon walks into falcon's nest

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u/tomatotomato Jul 14 '26

Suicide by falcon. A common and sad theme in pigeon community.

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u/Pristine_Currency_77 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26

In actuality it’s because (rock) pigeons are actually descendent from abandoned doves (why we don’t release them anymore) and have zero survival instincts because they’re literally domesticated.

So they’re invasive and have 0 defense against predators. It’s why you can get so close to them compared to any other bird.

Just like feral cats, an ecological disaster and tragedy created by us. I always feel like we as a society abandoned them once they were no longer white and pure in our eyes.

Edit: this applies to rock pigeons, not all pigeon species.

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u/Theraimbownerd Jul 14 '26

While this is true for rock pigeons, the one in the video is a wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) which is and always has been a wild bird. It's possible that the one in the video was born in captivity, but they aren't a feral species.

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u/Pristine_Currency_77 Jul 14 '26

Nice! Thanks for the clarification! ❤️