Pigeons
Don’t shoot
war heroes!
If you are going to shootpigeons, it’s vital
to make sure you can identifyall thespecies
before you head out, warnsSimonGarnham
T
he 75th anniversary of
D-Day has rightly seen
a wide variety of heroic
actions remembered.From
the landings in Normandy to theair
assaults on the occupied
Netherlands, you could
not fail to have been moved
by the huge eff orts and
endeavours of Allied forces.
One little-known action,
which was rewarded with the highest
possible award for gallantry, was
accomplished by an unassuming-
looking member of the RAF named
Gustav from Hampshire.
He travelled alone for more than
150 miles on the morning of 6 June
1944 to bring the fi rst news of the
beach landings in Normandy. Against
strong headwinds, with the fl eet still
under radio silence, Gustav brought
the message back to RAF Thorney
Island that the fi rst assault troops had
successfully disembarked. It was a
message that would bring huge relief
to Churchill and all of Britain.
Gustav was a carrier pigeon. Of the
67 PDSA Dickin Medals awarded —
Britain’s highest honour for gallantry
by animals in confl ict — more have
been received by pigeons than any
other species, with dogs a close
second. If ever there were a reason
to ensure we can identify our quarry
correctly, this is one of the most
compelling. It certainly was in 1944.
How can we tell which type of dove
or pigeon is fl ying across the face of
our hide? Which should we salute and
allow to fl y on its way? And which can
we legitimately take for the pot?“Gustav the carrier pigeontravelledmore
than 150 miles on the morningof6 June
GETTY IMAGES / ALAMY1944 to bring news of thebeachlandings”
54 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE
Woodpigeons are, of course,
legitimate quarry under the terms
of the general licences. They
are predominantly grey with the
distinctive white collar on the neck
of the adults and characteristic
broad white bar on the wing of
both adults and juveniles. Young
birds that have not developed the
white collar will normally be seen
with adults. Their call is the cooing
rhythm of phrases such as, “I hear/
I don’t know, do you?”
The woodpigeon is the largest
of the pigeon family, appearing fat
and pot-bellied on the ground but
surprisingly fast and agile in fl ight.
With a wingspan of approximately
75cm, they are nearly as large as
a crow and can easily be mistaken
for many different bird species in
silhouette. Their heads are small
for the size of bird and they have
relatively long tails.
My advice to novices is that
if you can’t see the white stripe
on the wing, don’t shoot.Thestockdoveis protectedand
should not be shot. It is easily
mistaken for the woodpigeon
as it is grey in colour,
it commonly feeds
with woodpigeons
and it is fast and
nimble in fl ight. It has
a similar, slightly larger,area
of green-purple iridescence on its
neck. However, it is signifi cantly
smaller than a woodpigeon, smaller
than the size of a jackdaw, and it
does not have the distinctive white
bars. It seems somehow neater in
appearance and has a faster wingFeralpigeonshave
developed from the
rock dove but are much
more varied in colour.
They can be shot only if
they present a risk to health
or to crops. They can bebeige,
white, grey or black, with varieties
of all colours. Their song is a rolling
caroo. Any odd-coloured pigeon is
likely to be a feral.
I don’t shoot feral pigeons, even
if they are grazing on my crops,
because it’s almost impossible to
be sure — unless you can see for
certain the bird has no leg ring —
that they aren’t owned for racing.
I wouldn’t eat a feral because of
their questionable urban diets.
Racing pigeons (protected) tend to
fl y more tightly, slightly faster andWOODPIGEON
STOCK DOVE
FERAL PIGEON
The woodpigeon is the
largest of the pigeons
and legitimate quarryRock doves are seen in
small fast-fl ying fl ocks
and are protected