Despite the pigeons' prevalence, some of their species are already at the brink of extinction and even some of them are already extinct. That simply implies that even their multitude; they still need to be given importance and care. Vulnerable species as they are, they are in the risk of being wiped out from the planet simply because they can be easily destroyed. Considering the level of technology we have at present, destroying the rest of their species can virtually be done with just one click of the button.
Even if pigeons are considered as pests, it is still utterly outright to kill them right on. One would have to understand the important role that pigeons play in the entire ecological balance. Killing them, would simply gradually disrupt that balance and would eventually lead to certain catastrophic consequences. That's why instead of employing lethal methods of getting rid of pigeons, one would instead simply use the approaches that will safeguard the wellbeing of the species and at the same time get rid of them efficiently. This is perhaps the most viable way to give importance to the pigeon's role and existence, as well as giving importance to the general environment.
Another way to appreciate the existence and role of pigeons in the ecosystem is to understand their biological nature. That would entail learning about their species and all that follows with it, i.e. habitat, diet, range, etc. All these things would have to be learned and understood to truly foster a sense of care towards pigeons and neglect them by using or employing methods that can definitely rear towards the destruction of a crucial species.
Learning about pigeons may be deemed as a waste of time to some people. They are over-reliant that since there is a massive population of them that thrive in the world, it's completely condonable to eliminate some or a few many of them. Thinking, that it wouldn't really affect anything in the end since there will still be enough left to pursue their species. However, that's a wrong understanding to how things really work in reality. One example is the extinction of the passenger pigeon species which took place not so long ago. People thought that they could just simply be trigger-happy in killing this species of pigeons since there's just too many of them to have around. Passenger pigeons were the largest population of birds in the North American continent. However, people started to hunt them down massively for their meat and eventually have lead to the extinction of the species. This sad reality that took place is not far from happening now. Especially with how convenient things are now with the introduction of advance technologies, killing them all would simply be just a walk in the park if humanity ever wanted to.
Pigeons Role in the Eco-Balance
(c) handr.co.uk |
The role of the pigeons is quite simple: they are a food source to many creatures that take them as a part of their diet. In short, they are viable preys to a lot of species of predators on the planet. Among the primary species that feed on pigeons are the hawks. Hawks favorite meal is pigeons since they are conveniently within the range of access of these predators. Also creatures such as owls, falcons, and certain species of cats also include pigeons as their primary source of diet. If you do take them out of the equation, imagine how many species of predators will lose a big portion of its diet. The deprivation of food source among these creatures will definitely lead to dire consequences. You can almost paint a picture of what will happen after if the deprivation would take place.
Another very important role of pigeons on the planet that we often do not know about is that they are crucial factors for plant pollination process. Without them, plants, especially flowers will find it difficult to reproduce sufficiently throughout the areas of the world. Pigeons often find themselves resting in forest areas wherein plants are dominant. The organic attachment between plants and pigeons will give the plants an opportunity to attach their pollens or reproductive seedlings to the pigeon feathers. As pigeons travel across places, they carry along with them nodes for plant reproduction. Imagine, if there would be no pigeons that exist, consider the amount of setback it will give to the reproduction process of plants.
There are quite a number of roles that pigeons play. Some of them are even very unique and specific. For example, a pigeon species found in Africa plays the hygienic role of cleaning up the dental area of alligators and crocodiles. It's some sort of a symbiotic relationship wherein, the pigeon can also benefit from cleaning up the crocs razor teeth by feeding on the food residues.