Pigeons are often seen as dirty birds or “rats with wings”, but they do several useful things for the world and for people. Five of them are:
1. They Help Disperse Seeds
Pigeons can help spread some seeds. Most seeds they swallow are ground up in the gizzard, but a few pass through or get carried off and dropped, and their droppings add nutrients to the soil.
Fruit-eating pigeons in the tropics are important seed dispersers for many forest trees. City pigeons mostly eat seeds rather than spread them, so their role in urban plant life is probably small.
2. They Help Control Insect Populations
Pigeons mainly eat seeds and grains, but they will also eat some animal food.
While the best food for them is seeds and grains they will happily eat insects too given the chance.
Insects can be far more irritating than pigeons, thankfully they play an important part in the diet of many animals.
City pigeons do eat some insects, worms and snails, though these make up a small part of their diet.
Their effect on insect numbers is likely modest, but every bug eaten is one fewer flying through your window.
3. They Remove Food Waste From Our Streets
If you ever accidentally drop a sandwich, burger or any food type in your local city center it will only be a few seconds until a swarm of pigeons (possibly seagulls too depending on where you live) descend on it and make it disappear.
City pigeons will eat pretty much anything. Having pigeons clean up our food waste means that there is less left for rats to consume.
Some people argue that pigeons are just as bad as rats, but pigeons rarely sneak into homes, kitchens or offices, chew through cupboards or get a restaurant closed down the way a rat infestation can.
In our opinion a plethora of pigeons is far more preferable to an overabundance of rats!
4. They Make Great Pets
Unlike many other birds that people keep as pets, such as parrots and cockatiels, pigeons make small cooing and chuckling sounds, rather than the loud, harsh squawks that other bird species make.
Pigeons are attractive birds so they’re nice to look at. They are docile and friendly and enjoy interacting with humans and other pigeons.
You will enjoy spending time with your pet pigeon and it will enjoy sitting on your shoulder or talking back and forth with you.
Food is relatively inexpensive and your pigeons won’t need a lot of toys and other accessories.
A constant water supply, a perch and cage and few things to play with are all they need to be happy.
5. They Can Be Used For Homing
One of the most incredible things about pigeons is their sense of navigation.
With a bit of training pigeons can find their way back home from well over 500 miles away.
The longest pigeon flight usually cited started at Arras in France and ended in Saigon, Vietnam in 1931. The reported distance was 7,200 miles and the journey took 24 days.
The pigeon’s homing ability has also been used to send vital messages during WW1, WW2 and throughout history.
Last updated 3 November 2026 · Facts