Red buses. Black cabs. Buckingham Palace. Trafalgar Square. Pigeons.
An icon of the city, the feral pigeon is possibly one of the most under-appreciated birds in existence. Gathering in gangs on just about every street corner, their prolific nature and tendency to finish off abandoned McDonald's have given them a rather unfortunate reputation.
It was Woody Allen in his 1980 film Stardust Memories who popularised the phrase ‘rats with wings’, a phrase encapsulating all that people feel about pigeons. “Filthy, flying vermin”, “pests and disease carriers”, “ugly” - insults and accusations fly thick and fast.
But, despite definite issues regarding their faeces (pigeon detritus damages buildings and is, in fact, one of the reasons their feet are so mangy), these accusations seem a little unfair. A closer look at the pigeon reveals a clever, useful and rather beautiful little bird.
The feral pigeon, Columbia livia domestica, is actually a domesticated rock dove that, one way or another, has returned to the wild. Nobody would call a rock dove a pest - pale grey with a necklace of metallic green and purple, these beautiful birds now exist in the UK solely on the cliffs of West Scotland, Orkney and the Shetland Isles. Feral pigeons, in contrast, have swapped wind-swept cliffs for windswept buildings, perhaps used to human company after years of domestication. While rare rock doves are limited to small corners of the world, the feral pigeon now inhabits every continent, with the exception of Antarctica.
With the advent of modern technology, our original uses for the pigeon have been made almost redundant - but not quite. A select group of pigeons have been put back to work, wearing tiny backpacks that detect air pollution levels. Dubbed 'Pigeon Air Patrol', the birds aim to raise awareness about the dangerously high pollution levels in London. Flying low and fast, the birds can beat traffic and cover large areas far quicker than a human-powered sensor.
So why has this highly successful, trainable bird become the rat of the avian world? Perhaps they are too common, abundance in a city brings to mind plagues and infestations. They do carry disease, although they're unlikely to ever pass it on to you. Whatever the reason, that funny little bird has hidden depths. He's come to London for the big opportunities, and he might just help clean up our air.