As generalists, pigeons use urban food waste.

As generalists, pigeons take advantage of urban food waste. With an organ in their throats called a crop, they can gorge themselves when food is available and store some for later. They provide “crop milk” to their young instead of having to fetch them live food. Chicks grow quickly with this fat and protein-rich meal. If conditions are right, pigeons breed year-round and produce new offspring every six weeks. They actually have higher breeding rates in cities because of the abundance of food and shelter. These booming populations attract predators. New York City is home to a million pigeons, which support large populations of raptors.