Toronto is fighting the pigeons—and losing

Pigeons are everywhere. They’re viewed as both a beloved icon of the city and a pest plaguing residents’ balconies, defecating on the unsuspecting humans down below. In 2022, concerns about pigeon overpopulation, the spread of disease and their impact on property led the city to take on the feathered menace. But, just like in the famous Hitchcock film, the birds are winning.

The city’s plan of attack was pigeon birth control. Late last year, building off a 2022 pilot program, city workers installed automatic feeders up on rooftops—away from pedestrians who could interfere—filled with pigeon food laced with OvoControl, a drug that prevents birds from fertilizing their eggs. City staff used cameras to diligently monitor the population and see if the birdie birth control was working.

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It seemed promising at first, with early results showing a decline in pigeon populations. But it now seems the project isn’t going as planned. For one thing, the pigeons aren’t taking the bait. When people feed pigeons, they tend to throw food on the ground, so the birds aren’t used to looking for food on rooftops.

Another problem: it turns out that counting pigeons is hard. The staff assigned to the task didn’t agree on a common method, meaning numbers varied from person to person. They were also duped by construction noise scaring the birds away, making it seem like there were fewer pigeons. When construction would end, they’d flock back to the feeders again—uncounted. Where the city thought it was measuring a decline in bird populations, it was actually just measuring skittish flocks. Making matters worse, the automatic feeders weren’t being maintained properly: when they broke down from the cold or the rain, they wouldn’t get repaired quickly enough.

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And thus, the accursed birds continue to rule the skies. While the city may have lost this battle, the pigeon war rages on. A spokesperson for the city told Toronto Life that they will now be adjusting their strategy. This fall, the city is going to put up three new bait traps at new locations, including at ground level, while continuing to monitor the situation. Hopefully they count the pigeons properly this time.

One day, our balconies may be free from feathers and feces. But that day is not today.