Project: LOOP

Chicago is full of pigeons. Their numbers might even rival that of humans living in the city. Some people like them, some simply tolerate them, and the rest utterly loath them. However you may feel about Chicago pigeons, one must admit that they have adapted remarkably to living in a man made environment.

Pigeons can be spotted eking out an existence nearly anywhere. Some have even built nests beneath the raised tracks of the L train. The noise and proximity to the thundering machines don’t seem to bother them at all. And it’s not just the tracks- pigeons can even be found walking around inside the train stations! When they’ve scavenged enough crumbs from the floor, these pigeons wait patiently for someone to open the door and scuttle on out. A bum can get thrown out of a train station, but I’ve never seen anyone bother the pigeons.

Pigeons have grown so accustomed to living alongside humans that they’ve nearly lost their fear of them. Unlike most birds, when approached by a person Chicago pigeons usually just calmly move to the side. They only fly away if you look like you’re actually intending to catch them. I’ve nearly walked into a whole flock of pigeons sitting on the sidewalk before they moved away.

The most common cause of death for Chicago pigeons seems to be disease. It is rare to see a skinny pigeon in a city full of human leavings- so it most certainly is not starvation. I’ve noticed a strange illness in a lot of pigeons that seems to affect the legs. The skin gets all grey and dead looking and the toes either fall off or curl up into a useless ball. The ones I’ve seen have it in only one leg- but I suspect that is because any pigeon stricken with the disease in both is quickly killed by lack of mobility. There are also pigeons with pink healthy looking legs but are missing their toes. It seems more likely this is the result of accidents, predators, or even fighting with another pigeon.

A last note about Chicago pigeons- if you get the idea into your head to feed them prepare for an enormous pile of birds to descend upon you, jostling for position closest to the food source. In other words, don’t do it if a large amount of pigeons in close proximity bothers you.