Pigeon Feathers

Q. Is it safe to pick up pigeon feathers from the ground to use in craft projects? Will I catch or spread diseases?

A. The danger of getting a disease from pigeon feathers is small, said Dr. Mindy LaBranche, project coordinator for urban bird studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but there is a different reason for leaving stray feathers on the ground: federal law.

''If it is really a pigeon feather, it is legal to pick it up,'' because it is a nonnative species, Dr. LaBranche said. But it is illegal to possess the feathers of hundreds of native migratory birds of North America, she said, and it is very hard to tell pigeon feathers from gull feathers, for example.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 started such protection at a time when many species were threatened by hat makers and even quill pen users.

As for health problems, she said, the diseases that can be spread by some birds, like histoplasmosis or psittacosis, come mostly from inhaling particles from birds' feces, once they have been on the ground long enough for spores to multiply.

Even bird lice and mites are mostly specific to the species that carries them, Dr. LaBranche said, and are hard to spread to other members of the same bird family, let alone people. Once the feathers have been on the ground awhile, the parasites have probably gone, she added.

Project PigeonWatch at the lab encourages the public to observe pigeons, or rock pigeons, and suggests taking routine hygiene precautions like washing your hands after coming in contact with birds or their feathers, just as you would after handling any wild animals or even pets.


Drawing (Drawing by Victoria Roberts)