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Hello. I have two bird feeders, one for wild bird food and one for finches. I have been getting alot of golden finches that I love to watch. Well, sometimes when the seeds fall to the ground in my grass I get 1 or 2 pigeons and I found out my neighbors called the ward office on me but the ward did nothing about it. I was wondering how this pigeon law works. I mean, sometimes the pigeons just come. I am not feeding them. Can I get in trouble for this? Thanks for your time.
Really? Your neighbors called your alderman's office based on one or two pigeons eating some leftovers? Is your neighbor Tippi Hedren? We aren't the biggest fans of pigeons either, but that seems a little excessive. You wouldn't lie to Chicagoist and under-represent the number of pigeons chowing down at your buffet, would you? We should hope not.
Our first bit of advice would be to try to keep the pigeons from coming in the first place. Just be diligent and keep on top of the messes the finches are leaving behind (perhaps on purpose?) for their pigeon friends. Don't let the fallen seed pile up, luring more and more pigeons to your yard. And if you're really serious it's just a couple of pigeons, maybe have a quick chat with your neighbor and explain you're doing everything you can to keep the pigeons away all while still feeding and watching the more socially acceptable birds.
Secondly, assuming you don't have a big sign up proclaiming "All Pesky Pigeons Please Eat Here," you're not likely to actually get into trouble. Intent does mean something, and we're pretty certain that law enforcement officials know that pigeons sometimes don't follow directions and are going to eat things lying around on the ground, and you can't completely alter your lifestyle in order to starve a particular species of bird. We talked to a representative at our alderman's office, and they insisted that any accidental feeding really wouldn't be a problem.
But in terms of the oft-quoted rule about feeding pigeons, when we started doing research we were surprised that we couldn't find any official reference to this ordinance. Could rumors of this so-called law have been perpetuated by the anti-pigeon underground?
There is a section in Chicago's Municipal Code (7-12-387) all about the restrictions on pigeons. However, while the code bans owning, harboring, or otherwise aiding pigeons -- "it shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, own, keep or otherwise possess any live pigeon ..." (otherwise possess?!) -- there is nothing that specifically calls out feeding (without said possession). It even goes so far as to call out the construction or maintenance of "... any coop or cote that is, or may be used for the storage, maintenance or sheltering of any live pigeon within any area designated as a residence district." But for all this anti-pigeon sentiment, there's still not a word to be found about feeding them.
Again, the diligent workers at our alderman's office came through with some information. They pointed out section 7-28-020 in the Municipal Code, which states that "... all necessary control measures shall be used to effectivly minimize, or eliminate when possible, the presence of rodents, roaches and other vermin and insects ..." Pigeons being considered (by most, anyway) a general nuisance, this may be the key to the rumor. However, once we looked a little closer, we noticed that section was very specifically referring to "food establishments, ... food-transporting vehicles and vending machines." Well, that has nothing to do with the little old lady feeding the pigeons in Grant Park, although we can see how the ordinance could be stretched to include any aiding and abetting of pigeons.
Currently, we're not completely convinced there actually is an ordinance banning the feeding of pigeons, and we've been diligently searching for weeks now. We just can't find anything specific telling us that it does exist, so unless an astute reader can point out something we've missed, we're going to say the casual feeding, while probably not the best idea, isn't actually illegal in Chicago.
So pull up your favorite bird-watching chair and a well-worn copy of A Field Guide to the Birds, and keep filling those feeders, pigeons be damned.
Image via Zesmerelda
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Near my old apartment there was a neighbor who set out about half a gallon of bird seed in their front yard every week for the pigeons.
The city posted a sign saying that there was a fine ($250?) for feeding pigeons - right in their front yard.
The feeding continued, probably to this day.
i just don't hate pigeons. i don't hate dandelions, either. has anyone ever seen that pigeon man over at lawrence and western?
the other thing about feeding pigeons --- they're already in the city. i suppose that makes them congregate, but i doubt it's attracting any *new* pigeons. i definitely don't consider them "vermin" or par with rats or roaches, despite people calling them "rats with wings."
i've never seen a pigeon try to bite someone.
Actually your reference to Tippi Hendren may not be particularly apropos. In actuality she probably wouldn't mind if you fed the pigeons since she is well-known as an animal activist.
BTW, what is a *golden* finch? Do you mean goldfinch?
I feel sorry for pigeons. It's not their fault they're pigeons. But I despise people who purposefully feed them loads of food so that they congregate in places. At the Jewel by my house these wackjobs feed the pigeons so they're always in the parking lot. There's nothing more disgusting than seeing a big fat pigeon whose body literally popped and exploded under the wheel of a car. Every spring a couple of pigeons roost on my back porch. I chase them away and knock down their attempts to build a nest but they just fly off up to the roof, stare at me with their innocent and shocked gaze and then return to the same spot when I go back inside. By early June, they mysteriously disappear. Then they're back the following year. Bizarre. My neighbors say it's happened since as far back as they can remember.
People who feed and talk to squirrels are also wack jobs. Squirrels are closer to being rats than pigeons.
Dear commenter #4 "m," a big reason why pigeons are hated in the city is for their poop. They poop everywhere. Now squirrels... you never see a squirrel poop. They are smart. They must use the squirrel bathroom in their nest.
Squirrels are smart. And yeah, pigeon poop's gross. Squirrels poop all over my back porch. It's pretty much like rat poop, which I know from having a pet rat when I was younger. My neighbor had a squirrel get into her place when she was gone (he tore through her screen) and the scared, industrious little fella pissed and shit ALL over her place. Another squirrel was living in the attic above another neighbor and we had to pay a trapper to catch him and relocate him (squirrels are considered wildlife in Chicago, not vermin or rodents - - i.e., illegal to kill). We had other squirrels going crazy on our porches. We saved some $$$ and trapped them ourselves and relocated them to Lincolnwood. They told us the bar scene there blows but the public schools are much better, so it was worth it.
New technology is in development to help bring the pigeon population (and their poo)under control. Already approved for resident Canada geese, pigeons are next. Stay tuned
yeah i heard about that technological development...it's called a pellet gun.
you know i've heard of that technological development...it's called a pellet gun.