How do I keep pigeons off my bird feeder?

The short answer

• Pigeons feed by walking. Rake up spilled seed every evening, take the tray and ground feeding away for two to three weeks, and stop offering millet, corn and cheap mixes. That removes most of what they came for.
• Weight does the rest. A Rock Pigeon weighs 12 to 17 oz (about 340 to 480 g), seven to eleven times a 45 g cardinal. A weight-activated feeder set to close near 70 g shuts every pigeon out. Left at a squirrel setting near 500 g, it lets most of them feed.
• Check which bird it is. Rock Pigeons and Eurasian Collared-Doves are introduced and have no federal protection. Mourning Doves, White-winged Doves and the western Band-tailed Pigeon are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
• Some towns ban feeding pigeons, including on private property. Allen Park, Michigan treats a tray or open container as evidence that you meant to feed pigeons. San Carlos, California covers every member of the pigeon and dove family.
• Plastic owls, flags, balloons and ultrasonic devices have little or no effect on pigeons, according to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. Remove the food and the roost, not the view.

Take away the food a pigeon can reach while walking, then let weight do the sorting. Rock Pigeons feed on the ground and on flat surfaces, so raking the spill, removing the tray and dropping millet and corn ends most visits. For the feeder itself, a pigeon weighs 12 to 17 oz, about 340 to 480 g, which is seven to eleven times a cardinal. A weight-activated feeder set to close near 70 g shuts every pigeon out. Then check two things that change the answer: which pigeon you actually have, and whether your town bans feeding them.

Two answers circulate: pigeons are unprotected pests, or they are protected like any songbird. Both are half right. The city Rock Pigeon has no federal protection, but the bird under your feeder may be a protected Mourning Dove, and some cities fine you for feeding pigeons regardless.

Pigeon or dove: identify it first#

A feeder "pigeon" is usually one of five birds, and they differ in weight and legal status.

Weights are from Audubon, except the Rock Pigeon, which is from the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (ICWDM), which notes it is larger than the tawny-brown Mourning Dove, which Audubon says often eats on the ground under elevated feeders. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is pale with a thin black collar.

The three native birds are on the protected list at 50 CFR 10.13. The Rock Pigeon and the Eurasian Collared-Dove are not, and both are named on the 2020 federal list of introduced birds the Migratory Bird Treaty Act does not cover. A revised protected list proposed on 1 October 2026 keeps all three natives and still excludes introduced species.

What brings pigeons in#

Audubon's account is short: the Rock Pigeon "forages mostly by walking on the ground" and "often feeds in flocks." ICWDM calls pigeons "primarily grain and seed eaters" that "subsist on spilled or improperly stored grain," and says they are "highly dependent on humans to provide them with food and sites for roosting, loafing, and nesting."

A pigeon problem has three parts:

1. Food on the ground or a flat surface. Spill under the feeder, a platform tray, or seed scattered for ground feeding.
2. Grain. Millet, cracked corn and the wheat in cheap birdseed mixes.
3. A place to sit nearby. A roof ridge, a ledge or a gutter line where the flock waits between visits.

Size settles the hardware#

That setting costs you the doves too, because a Mourning Dove weighs 85 g or more. A 1.5 in wire cage is the other mechanism. It stops pigeons completely, but the cage comparison shows it stops cardinals too.

Shape helps as well. Audubon says the Rock Pigeon climbs "awkwardly" in shrubs, and a tube feeder with short perches and the seed tray removed gives a 340 g bird nothing to stand on. A wide hopper ledge does. The exception is in the West: Audubon says the native Band-tailed Pigeon can climb with "great agility" in small branches, "even hanging upside down to reach berries." There, rely on the weight gate, not the perch.

What pigeons eat, and what to change#

Our preference data has no pigeon row. The Mourning Dove is the nearest bird we track, and we use its row as a stated proxy alongside the birds you want to keep.

Top top-tier favorite Yes eats readily Some takes occasionally Rare rarely No not a feeder food

The dove row puts millet and corn at the top, which fits the grain diet both Audubon and ICWDM describe. It also rates safflower as eaten readily and nyjer as taken occasionally. So no seed switch closes the feeder to pigeons the way safflower closes it to grackles. No source we read says pigeons refuse safflower, nyjer or sunflower hearts. What works is removing the grain and removing the spill. Hearts make the second part easier, because there is no hull for birds to throw down with the kernels.

Then the ground. Rake the seed under the feeder every evening, and take trays and ground offerings away for two to three weeks. That clean ground also takes away the food that brings rats and mice.

Where they wait: the roof and the ledge#

If a flock roosts on your house, it will keep watching the feeder. ICWDM's exclusion advice is built for buildings, and the parts that suit a house are:

• Change the angle. A ledge sloped to 45 degrees or more stops roosting.
• Close openings. Block vents, eaves and gaps with 1/4 in rust-proofed mesh so pigeons cannot nest inside.
• Put strips on sills. Spike, coil or tensioned-wire strips on sills, ledges and roof peaks. Wire runs at 2, 5 and 7 in above heavily used surfaces.

Nesting raises the stakes. ICWDM reports 1 or 2 eggs per clutch and 5 to 6 broods a year, mostly in spring and summer. By our arithmetic, that is as many as a dozen young per pair per year from a roof that offers a safe ledge.

What does not work#

ICWDM says revolving lights, waving flags, balloons, rubber snakes, owl models and similar devices "have little or no effect," and that ultrasonic sound "is not effective on pigeons." Noisemakers, it adds, "are usually disturbing to humans but have little permanent effect on roosting pigeons."

Droppings and health, in proportion#

Pigeon droppings are a cleaning job before they are a health risk. ICWDM says soil contaminated with droppings encourages the fungus that causes histoplasmosis, though the birds do not appear to excrete the fungus themselves. Toronto Public Health told the city that droppings become a danger only with "a significant accumulation of feces in a small and confined space." Clean the patio under the feeder regularly and wear gloves, the protection ICWDM advises for clean-up. Doves and pigeons are also classic hosts of one feeder disease, covered in diseases at feeders.

What your town allows#

ICWDM says feral pigeons "are not protected by federal law and most states do not afford them protection," but tells readers to check state and local law first, because "some cities are considered bird sanctuaries." Local rules cut both ways, and three we read show the range.

Search your own municipal code under animals or nuisances. If you feed from a balcony, read the lease as well.

Where this page stops#

• Federal law is US only. We did not check Canadian federal rules. The Toronto row is a city bylaw.
• Three towns are a sample. Many cities have pigeon feeding rules we did not read, and the wording varies.
• The food ratings are a proxy. They come from the Mourning Dove row, not a pigeon study.

For the next heavy bird that arrives in a flock, see the crow page. The problems section has every other visitor.

Frequently asked questions#

What bird feeder can pigeons not use?

One with nowhere for a 340 to 480 g bird to stand. Rock Pigeons forage by walking and climb only awkwardly, so a hanging tube with short perches and no tray gives them little to work with. A weight-activated feeder set to close near 70 g shuts the ports under any pigeon, and a 1.5 in wire cage keeps them out completely. Both of those also exclude doves, and the cage excludes cardinals. None of it helps if seed is still piling up on the ground below.

Is it illegal to feed pigeons in my backyard?

It depends on your town, not on federal law. Rock Pigeons have no federal protection, and some cities ban feeding them anywhere, including on private property. Allen Park, Michigan fines $250 for a first offense and treats food scattered on the ground or in an open tray as evidence of intent. San Carlos, California makes it a nuisance to feed any bird in the pigeon and dove family. Toronto bans feeding wildlife other than songbirds, which pigeons are not. Look up your municipal code under animals or nuisances.

Are pigeons protected like other birds?

Rock Pigeons are not. They are introduced, are missing from the federal list of protected species at 50 CFR 10.13, and are named on the federal list of nonnative birds the Migratory Bird Treaty Act does not cover. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is on that list too. Mourning Doves, White-winged Doves and the Band-tailed Pigeon of the West are native and protected. State and city rules still apply to all of them.

Do fake owls or shiny tape scare pigeons away?

Not for long. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management says revolving lights, waving flags, balloons, rubber snakes, owl models and similar devices have little or no effect on pigeons. It says ultrasonic sound is not effective on them, and that noisemakers bother people more than roosting pigeons. Spraying a roost with water works only if you keep doing it until the birds settle somewhere else. What works at a feeder is removing the food they can reach from the ground.

Will pigeons leave if I stop feeding for a while?

Removing the food is the step that matters. ICWDM calls pigeons highly dependent on people for food, roosts and nest sites, and says eliminating feeding, watering, roosting and nesting sites is important in long-term control. Take every tray and ground offering away, rake the spill, and keep it that way for two to three weeks while the hanging feeders stay up. If a flock is roosting or nesting on your roof, deal with the ledge too. Otherwise the food is gone but the reason to stay is not.

Sources and further reading

1. Pigeons; Pigeon Biology; Pigeon Damage Identification; Pigeon Damage Control and Prevention Methods Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management Not protected by federal law, most states do not protect them, some cities are bird sanctuaries; about 12 in long, 12 to 17 oz; grain and seed eaters, dependent on people; 1 oz of water a day; 5 to 6 broods, 1 or 2 eggs; frightening devices little or no effect, ultrasonic not effective; 45 degree ledges, 1/4 in mesh; Avitrol restricted use; histoplasmosis fungus grows in dropping-contaminated soil
2. Rock Pigeon; Band-tailed Pigeon; Eurasian Collared-Dove; Mourning Dove; White-winged Dove, Guide to North American Birds National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon 13.5 in, forages mostly by walking on the ground, climbs awkwardly, introduced; Band-tailed 300 to 400 g, can hang upside down for berries; Collared-Dove 150 to 200 g, introduced via the Bahamas in 1974; Mourning Dove 85 to 170 g, often eats on the ground under feeders; White-winged 140 to 160 g
3. 50 CFR 10.13, List of Migratory Birds Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Lists Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon; Rock Pigeon and Eurasian Collared-Dove are absent
4. List of Bird Species To Which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply (85 FR 21262) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register Names Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) and Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) as nonnative species the Act does not cover
5. General Provisions; Revised List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (proposed rule) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register Published 1 Oct 2026, comments to 30 Nov 2026; proposed list still includes Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon and restates that nonnative species are excluded
6. San Carlos Municipal Code, Chapter 8.26 Feeding Pigeons City of San Carlos, California Wild pigeon means any bird of the family Columbidae; feeding on public or private property is a nuisance; fines up to $50, $100 and $250
7. Ordinance 03-2025, Feeding of pigeons and sea gulls prohibited; feeding of wildlife City of Allen Park, Michigan Adopted 25 Feb 2025; pigeon feeding banned citywide; ground, open container or tray is prima facie evidence; feeders 48 in up, opening no more than 2 in, 2 lb, five per property; $250, up to $500, $1,000
8. Feeding Wildlife; Updates to Chapter 349, Animals (staff report, 13 May 2022) City of Toronto Feeding wildlife banned on public and private property; songbird feeders allowed if sanitary and not attracting other wildlife; report defines songbird as oscine, requires spilled food removed, rule in effect 1 Apr 2023; Toronto Public Health on pigeon droppings