Many of America’s major cities, such as Boston and New York City, are chock-full of wild pigeons. Some people enjoy the birds’ company, while others despise it; but have you ever wondered why these birds are so plentiful in those large cities in the first place?
First of all, pigeons aren’t native to North America; they originated from the Eastern hemisphere, and it wasn’t until Europeans brought their domesticated pigeons over to the new world that they began escaping and making themselves right at home. Not long after, their populations exploded.
In modern-day North America, cities are teeming with trash and litter, much of which consists of human food waste. Perhaps unsurprisingly, pigeons thrive on this sort of food abundance, and this is why American cities have so many pigeons in them.
In addition to the perfect food source, cities also have lots of tall buildings, which mimic the birds’ natural sea-side cliff habitat. With that in mind, pigeons spend very little time foraging for food, and a lot more time reproducing.
