Recently I noticed Wood Pigeons feasting on the holly berries in an adjacent garden. This is the first year I have seen this. Although I watch the garden birds every day I've never seen pigeons eating berries before.
There is plenty of food around still and so our holly tree has not been targeted yet. However, a pair of Wood Pigeons has been feeding on the heavily-berried Pyracantha outside our sitting room. I'm accustomed to seeing blackbirds and thrushes gobbling the fruit here and in the holly tree, but it's something of a novelty to see pigeons feeding on them. Blackbirds and thrushes feed rapidly and greedily but the pigeons are slower, as though the berries are an acquired taste or the habit of eating them is only just being established.
The juvenile lacks the white neck flash of the adult.
I noticed that one pigeon was an adult and the other a juvenile. Maybe the youngster is an adventurous adolescent whose mother is saying, 'I don't think you'll like them, but try them if you must. Mind the thorns, dear.'
Thank you to Misty Dawn who hosts this weekly meme. Click here to see more critters around the world.
