Feed the birds

Some people see them as rats with a street presence. Love or loathe there is no doubt the pigeon has adapted quite well to its surroundings. The humble Rock Dove and its feral population have exchanged their roosting rock ledges and cliff faces for the world of capitalism.
Pigeons may harbour a diverse parasite fauna. They often host the intestinal helminths Capillaria columbae and Ascaridia columbae. Their ectoparasites include the Ischnoceran lice Columbicola columbae, Campanulotes bidentatus compar, the Amblyceran lice Bonomiella columbae, Hohorstiella lata, Colpocephalum turbinatum, the mites Tinaminyssus melloi, Dermanyssus gallinae, Dermoglyphus columbae, Falculifer rostratus, and Diplaegidia columbae. The hippoboscid fly Pseudolynchia canariensis is a typical blood-sucking ectoparasite of pigeons, found only in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Personally I just worry about the pooh!