What should I do with a pigeon after I catch it in my house??

Pigeons will not go into your house unless they find a good place for their nest. This will probably be in the attic, so if you have any openings on the roof or under the roof, this is where pigeons will get into your attic and will probably consider it a good place for their nest. Pigeons like a nice, warm, secure space for their nest where they will lay eggs and raise their chicks.

Once you have pigeons in your home, it will be very difficult to simply get them out of your home, especially if they have laid eggs – then roosting has happened and now you only can try to catch the birds and move them from your home.

How to do that? If you have pigeons with small chicks that still don't fly, you can catch the adults in a live trap and the chicks can be taken by hand and removed. In order to catch an adult pigeon in the trap, you will have to put bait in it that will motivate the pigeon to go inside. The best food to put is corn or some bird seed. Pigeons will always look forward to finding readily available food without a need to scavenge for it. Put the bait into the trap for several days so that pigeons get accustomed to going into the trap without fear or insecurity. Pigeons are very fast, so there is not much point in trying to capture them from an ambush – just be persistent and patient and then you will be able to catch it in the trap.

Once you have caught a pigeon, the question you have to ask yourself is: What to do with it? There is not much point in trying to relocate it. Pigeons have excellent memories and handle space orientation amazingly well, so they are capable of coming back to their home from across far distances.

Another option is to either give the bird to animal rescuers or kill it. Before choosing the kill option, you have to check the local laws to be sure that it is not forbidden to kill a pigeon. Laws are different from one state to another and you surely don't want to face a penalty for a crime. If killing is a valid and legal option, make sure that it is fast and efficient – animal cruelty is a crime everywhere. Shooting a bird is efficient in this sense. Don't go for poisoning because it can cause unnecessary suffering for the bird.

Giving the bird to animal rescuers is probably the best solution after you catch a pigeon in your home. They will know the best way to take care of the caught bird.

Go back to the How to get rid of Pigeons page or email us if you have any other questions about What should I do with a pigeon after I catch it in my house?