Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Many people in Barcelona actively or passively contribute to feeding pigeons. This practice leads to a larger volume of nests and an oversized population of the species, which can pose public health issues. Because of this, and as part of its Pla Endreça, the City Council has stepped up its measures to avoid people feeding pigeons.

An information and awareness campaign has been launched in December in all city districts, making people aware of the importance of changing their habits when it comes to pigeons and avoid giving them food.

More than 230 people feed pigeons in the city

A study conducted in 2024 identified 234 highly active individuals who feed pigeons in 251 spaces around the city. These active feeders are people who give the birds more than two kilos of food a day. Based on this figure, an awareness campaign has been conducted with information staff.

The awareness campaign also targets spontaneous feeders, those who share their food with pigeons or let crumbs fall, and passive feeders, who leave food in the street for them.

The district of Ciutat Vella is where the most conflictive points are, and where the most measures have been adopted to avoid the proliferation of these types of activity, which also pose a problem for the birds themselves.

Consequences of excessive feeding

The pigeon population can increase threefold or fourfold as a consequence of overfeeding. This can cause stress among the birds to amass food, or possible fights and easier transmission of illnesses. In addition, feeding pigeons can be detrimental for hygiene in the city, generate dirtiness and lead to the presence of insects or murids such as rats.

Another step in effectively controlling the pigeon population

Reducing food provided by humans is one of the actions for the effective control of excessive pigeon populations. The municipal strategy consists of two further types of work to reduce pigeon fertility, through contraceptive methods using nicarbazin, and making nesting more difficult.

Finally, using falcons to drive away pigeons is another method being tested in the area around the Camp Nou stadium, offering an occasional dissuasive measure to avoid groups of pigeons returning to certain points by emulating the existence of a predator in the vicinity.