<p>Urban areas and human populations are growing. Cities provide highly modified habitat for species that can adapt their feeding and other behaviours. The growth of urban landscapes and human populations may result in an increase in human-wildlife conflict. Businesses which prepare and sell food (food establishments) may be more likely to encounter conflict with urban wildlife, which may lead to negative attitudes towards urban wildlife. Negative attitudes towards wildlife could create polarised communities and possibly affect the success of environmental initiatives. This study sought to understand (1) how feral pigeons use urban environments and the resources key to their distribution and congregation; (2) whether feral pigeons are food limited in Wellington City; and (3) how the interactions of owners and managers of food establishments with feral pigeons influence their attitudes to feral pigeons. I used 8 transects through the central City which covered a representative sample of urban habitats, including the central business district, green space, and waterfront to estimate resource selection. Bird capture and banding were used to determine feral pigeon condition at a range of sites across the City and included a mix of high, medium and low anthropogenic fed sites. A written survey of owners and managers of food establishments in Wellington was conducted to evaluate attitudes to feral pigeons (n = 62). Feral pigeon resource selection is mainly influenced by people and where they choose to eat (∆AIC ≤ W = 0.999), such as sites with outdoor seating where people may directly feed feral pigeons. However, once a site has been selected, areas with tertiary vegetation and disposed food (W = 0.324 and W = 0.297) are the most likely to attract larger flocks of feral pigeons (although a number of other variables also influence flock size, such as availability of freshwater). Feral pigeons do not appear to be food limited in Wellington as condition was not significantly different between sites (n=48, body condition, (body mass/tarsus length) Kruskal-Wallis = 2.06, p = 0.36; keel condition, Kruskal-Wallis = 0.7283, p = 0.6948; feather condition Kruskal-Wallis = 2.7943, p = 0.2473). Attitudes of food establishment owners and managers towards feral pigeons are most influenced by how often they see feral pigeons (∆AICc ≤ W = 0:465). Therefore, direct experience rather than knowledge, engagement, action or socio-demographics has the most influence on attitudes of owners and managers of food establishments. These results suggest that feral pigeon populations are largely dependent on the availability of anthropogenic foods. Reducing the food provided by people may limit feral pigeon populations. Reductions in pigeon populations are also likely to change attitudes of business owners and reduce conflict because they will be less likely to encounter pigeons. Limiting feeding and access to food waste is probably the most effective way of managing pigeon populations.</p>
Ecology of Feral Pigeons: Population Monitoring, Resource Selection, and Management Practices