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Pigeons and Ring Necked Doves

chloeturner

Warren Veteran
Would they go for a bunny?

Last couple of days have been beautiful so Lola has been outside and grazing.

I don't ever leave her out there alone, but I've noticed quite a few pigeons and doves sit on the garden fence when she's out. We have a bird table so it could be purely innocent and as soon as you stand up the birds fly away but the flapping makes her nervous. Would they go for a bunny?
 
That's a relief! Thought they were eyeing her up as their next meal or something :roll:

The grass is at the bottom and the bird table is at the top of the garden so safe distances away from each other.
 
Iv always thought of pigeons and doves being gentle kinda nervous birds. We have some wood pigeons and collared doves around here and they are so shy but I can understand how the flapping of the pigeons would scare a bun !!!

It's magpies I would watch out for. They are such bullies :(

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:lol: Pigeons and doves are like the bird equivalent of bunnies. Everything eats them, and they are scared of everything. They are also strictly vegetarian. They never "go for" other animals, apart from each other during breeding season. Even my local ratties chase them off the seed even though they are about 10 times bigger than rats. :lol:

Magpies would not go for a rabbit. They may be curious about them, and might give them a "test peck", but why would a magpie try to attack a rabbit when there's a million other things that they can eat that don't fight back. Corvids (crows, magpies etc) are scavengers, and won't attack a perfectly healthy animal the size of a domestic rabbit unless they were desperate and stupid. Having said that, I wouldn't leave them out with corvids about (not that a bun should ever be left unsupervised without being in a secure run) because they are very smart, and may find it fun to torment a bun. :lol:
 
We have about a dozen pigeons and 3 doves who come daily for food to our garden. They all happily cohabit with the buns if they're out. If anything, if one of the buns does a spontaneous binky, it'll spook all the birds and they'll fly off.
 
Pigeons should be fine :)

Crows, ravens and magpies you have to look out for, there have been cases of them ganging up on rabbits. I haven't heard of them being injured, just pecked and generally tormented, usually by groups of the birds.
 
Kestrels are often seen in my neck of the woods."..gotta be cautious.
Pigeons and doves are prey as much as bunnies are.
 
Kestrels are often seen in my neck of the woods."..gotta be cautious.
Pigeons and doves are prey as much as bunnies are.

Kestrels would never go for a domestic rabbit. :wave: They generally eat voles and mice, and are certainly no where near powerful enough to take a rabbit.
 
Kestrels would never go for a domestic rabbit. :wave: They generally eat voles and mice, and are certainly no where near powerful enough to take a rabbit.

Yes, they would, especially if it was only a small rabbit.

If they were hungry enough they'd go for a large bunny too; they would be quite capable of killing it on the floor and then tucking in.
 
Yes, they would, especially if it was only a small rabbit.

If they were hungry enough they'd go for a large bunny too; they would be quite capable of killing it on the floor and then tucking in.

Kestrels are NOT capable of taking anything bigger than a rat (and they'd probably struggle with that) they are simply not powerful or heavy enough. Have you ever seen the size of a kestrel? They are not much bigger than a collared dove and weigh nothing. A kestrel is a falcon, they are not designed to take large prey.

Even a sparrow hawk would struggle to take a rabbit (and it would have to be a very small rabbit) , they are not designed to take larger mammals. The only bird I would seriously worry about in this country would be a buzzard, and that's because you are very, very unlikely to get an eagle flying around your garden. :lol: Even red kites are pathetic (although I wouldn't let my buns free range unsupervised with them around just in case). They would prefer to eat worms than actually hunt. :lol: Despite their size, they are not very powerful birds and often rely on buzzards to open up prey. :thumb:
 
Kestrels are NOT capable of taking anything bigger than a rat (and they'd probably struggle with that) they are simply not powerful or heavy enough. Have you ever seen the size of a kestrel? They are not much bigger than a collared dove and weigh nothing. A kestrel is a falcon, they are not designed to take large prey.

Even a sparrow hawk would struggle to take a rabbit (and it would have to be a very small rabbit) , they are not designed to take larger mammals. The only bird I would seriously worry about in this country would be a buzzard, and that's because you are very, very unlikely to get an eagle flying around your garden. :lol: Even red kites are pathetic (although I wouldn't let my buns free range unsupervised with them around just in case). They would prefer to eat worms than actually hunt. :lol: Despite their size, they are not very powerful birds and often rely on buzzards to open up prey. :thumb:

Let's agree to disagree Hun. I've seen it with my own eyes....:wave:
 
I had a bun a few years ago get attacked by a group of magpies so I wouldn't be relaxed about them. Pigeons are harmless though, we have Percy Pigeon who struts around and is often joined by his "wife" Priscilla (NO idea if it's a girl :lol: ) on the fence or sitting on the playhouses. I have a soft spot for Percy, he's lovely and chubby :love:
 
Well this is good to know! Don't get my different birds around here.. The odd little blackbird and very rarely the odd magpie but I haven't seen one around the houses for months. Definitely nothing larger than a fat pigeon :lol:
 
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