Why did we stop eating pigeons?

Pigeons are a familiar sight in cities around the world. These birds are descendants of domesticated pigeons that were originally bred for food. For centuries, pigeons were an inexpensive and abundant source of meat. However, pigeon consumption has steeply declined over the past century. So what caused this drastic change? Why did pigeons fall out of favor as a food source?

A Brief History of Eating Pigeons

Pigeons have been consumed as food by humans for over 5000 years. Archaeological evidence indicates that pigeons were domesticated by Mesopotamians and Egyptians as early as 3000 BCE. These societies selectively bred pigeons for desirable traits like size, color, and temperament.

Pigeon keeping spread throughout Europe and the Middle East during the Roman era. Pigeon lofts were common sights in medieval villages. The birds provided a reliable protein source that could be harvested year-round. Medieval cookbooks contain recipes for roasted, baked, or boiled pigeon.

When Europeans colonized North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, domestic pigeons traveled with them. Squab (young pigeon) dishes were menu staples in the early United States. The squabs were harvested from large pigeon lofts in major cities.

New York City was once considered the “squab capital” of North America. At the turn of the 20th century, over 1 million pigeons were bred for squab meat annually in NYC. Street carts selling roasted and boiled squab could be found across the bustling city.

WWI Era Decline

Pigeon consumption in the United States began its decline around the time of World War I. A combination of factors contributed to plummeting demand for squab:

  • Wartime austerity and rationing programs
  • Soaring pigeon feed costs
  • Increasing availability of cheaper protein like chicken
  • Growing public association between pigeons and rats – pigeons were seen as “rats with wings”

By the 1920s, only the wealthiest Americans were eating squab regularly. The general public viewed pigeons as unfavorable urban pests.

Wild Pigeon Hunting

For millennia, wild pigeon hunting supplemented domestic pigeon breeding as a food source. One species, the passenger pigeon, was hunted in such extreme quantities that it became extinct in 1914.

Flocks numbering in the billions would darken American skies during migration in the 19th century. Entire train cars were filled with pigeon carcasses hunted each day. The passenger pigeon’s demise contributed to growing disdain for pigeon meat. Consequently, wild pigeon hunting was banned in many states.

20th Century Decline

By the 1930s, squab was an uncommon luxury. Only 5% of pigeons raised in the U.S. were slaughtered for food. As evidence of the dramatic change, the New York restaurant Delmonico’s removed squab from its menu in the 1920s due to low customer demand.

Pigeon breeding was mainly sustained by pigeon racing enthusiasts and fanciers interested in rare breeds. Following World War II, even pigeon racing declined. With the advent of automobiles and telephones, carrier pigeons were no longer essential for communication.

The remaining pigeon breeders struggled to stay in business supplying birds to magicians and zoo feedings. Pigeon breeding hit rock bottom in the 1970s, with an estimated 230,000 pigeons in the U.S. – down from over 100 million in 1920.

21st Century Revival?

In the early 2000s, some American restaurants tried reviving squab on their menus. Celebrity chefs promoted it as a tasty and tender meat. However, the efforts never caught mainstream interest due to continued negative perceptions of pigeons.

Over the past decade, a few specialty pigeon breeders have emerged to supply squab to high-end restaurants. For instance, one California farm provides squab to French Laundry, Alinea, and other exclusive eateries. The farmers describe squab as “the heritage meat of Kings”.

While squab enjoys minor niche demand today, it seems unlikely pigeon meat will ever return to mass popularity. The birds soared during antiquity but crashed over the 20th century. For most people, pigeons provoke disgust rather than hunger. The era of pigeon pie is long gone.

Why did perceptions change?

How did pigeons go from widespread livestock to reviled urban pests over a few centuries? Several cultural shifts contributed to the declining appetites for pigeon:

Disease Outbreaks

By the early 20th century, pigeons were associated with spreading disease. Flocks swarmed cities and left behind large amounts of droppings. People worried about exposure to diseases like psittacosis, histoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis. Pigeons were viewed as flying rats spreading illness.

Better Understanding of Parasites

During the 1800s, microscopes improved and allowed scientists to detect parasites like ticks, mites, and lice on pigeons. The visibility of these pests turned people off from eating pigeons.

Urbanization

As cities grew larger, pigeon overpopulation became more apparent. Dense urban flocks were linked to noise, droppings, property damage, and higher risk of illness. Pigeons went from signifying livestock wealth to a nuisance that cities tried controlling.

Advance of Poultry Farming

Chicken farming scaled up dramatically in the early 20th century. Chickens matured quicker, had higher meat yield, and were safer to eat than city pigeons. Concurrently, refrigerated transport enabled affordable distribution of fresh chicken nationwide. The rise of commercial poultry farming supplanted pigeon demand.

Dirtier Cities

During rapid 19th century urbanization, cities struggled to manage sanitation, sewage, and waste disposal issues. As cities became dirtier, people stereotyped urban pigeons as disease-ridden pests.

Better Transportation

Passenger pigeons migrated in massive flocks because they were the most abundant food source found en route. As transportation improved, chickens and other options could be carried further distances. People didn’t have to rely on hunting wild pigeon migrations for meat.

Pigeon Dung Everywhere!

Pigeon droppings damaged property and were impossible to fully clean in busy urban areas. The visible mess created an “ick” factor from being surrounded by pigeon poop.

War on Rats

Cities campaigned against rats in the 1910s and 1920s. As pigeons were viewed as “rats with wings”, they got caught in the crossfire of vermin eradication programs. Pest control companies expanded from targeting rats to include pigeon and sparrow killing services.

Century Pigeon Perception
18th century Valuable livestock
19th century Cheap protein source
Early 20th century Flying rat/pest
Late 20th century Urban nuisance

Pigeon Breeding Decline

As demand for squab evaporated in the early 1900s, pigeon breeding plummeted:

  • Over 1 million pigeons raised for squab in NYC in 1900
  • Around 35,000 NYC pigeons raised in 1927
  • 230,000 total US pigeons raised in 1970s

Pigeon breeding became a niche hobby for bird enthusiasts and pigeon racers. The profitable pigeon breeding business of the 1800s disappeared.

Squab on Menus Over Time

As pigeon meat became less popular, it disappeared from American restaurant menus:

  • Squab was a delicacy in early 1800s
  • Featured on 1880s NYC luxury hotel menus
  • Delmonico’s removed squab from menus in 1920s
  • Not found on 1930s-1950s menus
  • Some upscale restaurants re-added squab in 1990s
  • Very rare on menus today

Pigeon Population Changes

The pigeon population changes reflected the drop in managed breeding:

Year Estimated US Feral Pigeon Population
1870 27 million
1930 80 million
1970 150 million
Today Around 300 million

As domestic breeding collapsed, feral urban pigeon populations boomed from escaped or released birds. Estimates suggest urban feral pigeons increased more than 10-fold over the past century.

Culinary Extinction

Once kept by the wealthy in dovecotes and pigeon houses, passenger pigeon flocks disappeared from American skies in the early 1900s. Billions of birds were shot annually to sell in city markets. Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

Passenger pigeons had been a staple of the American colonial diet. But railroad expansion enabled hunters to profitably ship millions of pigeons to cities daily. Unrestricted hunting proved ecologically disastrous.

Overhunting passenger pigeons to sell cheap meat seemingly contributed to Americans developing an aversion to the birds. The abundant passenger pigeon was wiped out before the close of the 19th century.

Revival Challenges

For those trying to revive squab as a menu item, many barriers remain:

Pigeon Perceptions

In modern times, pigeons are viewed negatively as dirty urban pests. Overcoming negative public perceptions and re-associating pigeons with high quality meat poses a steep challenge.

Specialty Breeding

Currently, specialized breeders produce squab on a small-scale for upscale restaurants. Scaling up sustainable breeding would require substantial investment and time. Competitive pressure from established poultry and game bird industries makes large-scale squab production unlikely.

Higher Cost than Chicken

The price per pound of squab remains higher than chicken. As chicken prices dropped over the 20th century, pigeon meat became far less economical. Making squab cost competitive again would require major efficiency improvements.

Lack of Culinary Familiarity

Few people today have experience eating or cooking with squab. Recipes and cooking methods haven’t been passed down. Restaurants would need to educate patrons unfamiliar with squab as a menu item.

Cultural Association with Birds

Symbolically, birds became more associated with freedom and wildlife conservation in the 1900s. Eating a bird strikes many as less appetizing than livestock mammals like cows or pigs.

Conclusion

In the early 20th century, a combination of factors turned public opinion against eating pigeons. Disease outbreaks, urbanization, chicken farming advancements, and passenger pigeon overhunting all played a role.

Today, pigeons suffer from cultural stigma as dirty urban pests. The birds are no longer viewed as quality food. While niche demand for squab remains, pigeon meat has become a culinary curiosity rather than staple.

The pigeon’s reputation appears too soiled for widespread resurrection as a food source. While once synonymous with inexpensive protein, the pigeon has seemingly completed an extraordinary arc from livestock to pest over the past century. For the foreseeable future, pigeons can rest easy that their meat is off the menu.

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