title: Reducing the availability of food to control feral pigeons: changes in population size and composition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As feeding by humans is one of the main food resources to pigeons (Columba livia), there is general agreement that public education that aims to reduce the food base may be the most feasible way to reduce pigeon abundance. However, except for the classic example of Basel, the method has rarely been tested or implemented. We provide results from a 1 year study in the city of Barcelona where we tested the effect of public education on pigeon population abundance and composition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The quantity of food provided by people to pigeons was significantly reduced during the study. Feral pigeon density was reduced by 40% in the two experimental districts, but no variation was detected in the control district. Detailed analyses in one of the districts showed that the reduction was mainly related to the reduction in food availability but not to culling. Pigeons captured at the end of the experiment were larger than at the start of the study, but body condition was reduced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results show the effectiveness of public information to manage feral pigeon populations in a large city, and that control operations can exert important selection pressure on the population, leading to changes in population composition. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Senar
authors.affiliation: Servei de Vigilància i Control de Plagues Urbanes, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Montalvo
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|Servei de Vigilància i Control de Plagues Urbanes, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pascual
authors.affiliation: Servei de Vigilància i Control de Plagues Urbanes, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peracho
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002947:Cities; D010856:Columbidae; D003256:Community Participation; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods*; D011156:Population Density; D013030:Spain
keywords: culling; feral pigeon; food reduction; population size; public information