Wildlife, flora and fauna: Common Pigeons / Haustauben / Columba livia domestica...

Common Pigeons / Haustauben / Columba livia domestica

Making out in front of the Euregia / Tete-a-tete vor der Euregia

9 comments so far...

Fizgig January 31, 2018, 04:32 PM

Here in the US, I've heard them called "flying rats".... Some of them are kinda pretty, though (unlike rats) ;). Nice capture!

Sonja January 31, 2018, 06:52 PM

Who could possibly resist the very rare sight of the wiggly pointy nose and long tail of Rattus norvegicus hushing away deep below? In 14 years I had 3 encounters in assorted Lake Constance harbours...
The Domestic Rock Dove or Common Pigeon however is always and everywhere very noticable, especially if you walk below some rafters or bridge underpass and get showered with all the dirt that goes the way of newtons law...

Fizgig January 31, 2018, 08:47 PM

Rare sight? LOL! Good one....

Sonja February 01, 2018, 01:45 AM

Why? Do you have rats that are easyly observed?

Here they are really not often seen, unless they are pets from stores running all over their human.
The recycling department insists wild rats are plentiful enough and asks not to pour food leftovers down the loo, but rats just do not sit on the sidewalks looking for spoils or handouts like pigeons. If they really exist in more than a few sparse individuals they are far wiser than the winged counterpart.

Fizgig February 01, 2018, 06:22 AM

In NYC -- Manhattan; especially within the underground subway system --- the rats are downright famous ;) Not to mention bold & big. There are plenty of videos on the internet of their antics --- dragging whole slices of pizza, climbing on sleeping subway passengers, etc.... The rats in Manhattan's restaurant heavy areas are the size of wild rabbits -- the really big ones are particularly fond of Chinatown.... LOL! They're not particularly afraid of humans either... There haven't been any documented instances of them sitting up and begging -- yet --- but, I think that's 'cause by their nature they're more nocturnal. If it weren't for that, they might beg.... hehe.... Though, they seem to be more like seagulls in their eating habits... They'd sooner take it from you than beg for the scraps of food ;)

Sonja February 01, 2018, 01:47 PM

Wow, rats that climb people that have not raised or tamed them? That is bold!

"Seagull" is a wide term. We got Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls by the lakeside promenades that are more than "friendly" amusing their many fans with antics for food, fighting regulations on the promenade by enticing the families -- and we got wintering larger gulls (Lesser Blackbacks and Yellow-footed mostly) that are proud and aloof but impressive thives, the kind that can carry huge pieces in the bill but only take them when left seriously unattended, with no larger lifeform standing nearby. They more often steal from the smaler gulls, coots and ducks what was given to them intentionally but they also take carelessly thrown away fastfood from the lawns or break up carcasses of anything ship propellers mangled or that died of other causes in the water. Generally quite useful clean up trooper almost like vultures, those big gulls. The smal ones are naughty and bold little things, crapping everywhere and driving the poor servers in the better outdoor eateries nuts as they think they are entitled to the trays, ocassionally they assault folks for stuff they want not to share but eat themselves, but they make the easier photo models as they have less of a minimum distance. ;o)

Fizgig February 01, 2018, 05:24 PM

Can check out the "pizza rat" video here if you want a good chuckle =D I'm sure there are others out there as it's a fairly common sight, but this one is the most famous ;)

Our "seagulls" --- of which quite a few species frequent the beaches on NYC and Long Island -- can be downright scary big.... Some of them are the size of chickens! They'll swoop in and steal your sandwich just as you're about to take a bite of it ;)

Sonja February 02, 2018, 11:59 AM

LOL -- really weird, that smal critter with the huge pizza.

I have taken pics of House Sparrows on our promenade, doing the same with ice cream wafer cups.
They drag them as soon as they fall down all amongst human feet into sheltered places where people cant step on them eating or gulls can see from midair what they got and steal it from them.

Those two are the best I ever managed of that behaviour:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89543661@N00/3617266085/in/album-72157606749373411/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89543661@N00/3617267311/in/album-72157606749373411/

Fizgig February 02, 2018, 01:10 PM

LOL =D We see stuff like that with sparrows, too.... Never fails to amuse, though.