If you live in a town or city, there’s one particular resident that is very hard to avoid and that’s the Columbia livia… or the pigeon, to you and me.

Pigeons are here, there and everywhere in urban environments, perhaps unsurprising since they have such a ready supply of food on a daily basis. Why would they go anywhere else? 

It’s thought, in fact, that there are over 400 million pigeons in the world and most of them live in cities… but it seems that pigeon numbers are actually increasing as time goes on, driven in large part by climate change and increasing urbanisation.

Global warming and rising temperatures are creating the perfect conditions for pigeons (and other pests like rats) to reproduce more quickly, which is something that local governments will need to take into account in the future.

In Brussels, for example, pigeon populations are now booming because of milder winters, which means authorities are now trying to find new ways to keep numbers under control, Politico reports.

Because it’s illegal to capture or kill pigeons in the region, the city has found other ways to keep bird numbers down, including installing feeders with contraceptives to make female birds temporarily infertile.

According to Zoubida Jella, alderwoman for green spaces and animal welfare for the city of Brussels, this has seen pigeon population numbers fall by up to 50 per cent in places like Square Clementine in the Laeken district.

Of course, this is a long-term strategy and if you’ve already got an infestation on your hands, you are likely to want some assistance in dealing with your pigeons sooner rather than later. If you’re looking for a pigeon removal company right now, get in touch with The Exterminator Pest Control team today.