Can You Catch Diseases From Pigeons?

If you have picked up a lost pigeon or keep a loft of them, the chance of catching anything is low. Washing your hands after handling birds, their dishes and their droppings deals with most of the risk. A few conditions are worth knowing about, though, especially if you are older, pregnant, or have a weakened immune system, or if you spend a lot of time in a loft.

Psittacosis

Psittacosis is caused by bacteria (Chlamydia psittaci) that many kinds of bird can carry, often without looking ill. People usually catch it by breathing in dust from dried droppings or feathers. Even a short exposure can be enough.

Symptoms tend to start one to four weeks later and feel like flu: fever, headache, aching muscles and a cough. Most cases are mild, but it can cause pneumonia, particularly in older people and anyone whose immune system is weakened. It is treated with antibiotics, so the important thing is to tell your doctor you have been around birds.

In pigeons, an infection often starts with a bird rubbing one watery eye against its shoulder. If you keep pigeons and see that, ask a vet to check the birds.

Salmonella

Pigeons can carry salmonella, which they shed in their droppings. The strain usual in pigeons rarely makes people seriously ill, but it can upset the stomach and is more serious for young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system. It spreads from hand to mouth, so wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking, and keep a found bird and its dishes out of the kitchen.

Pigeon fancier's lung

This is an allergic reaction, not an infection. A small number of people who regularly breathe in the fine dust from pigeon feathers and droppings become sensitised to it. Typically, a flu-like illness with a dry cough, breathlessness, a tight chest and a temperature comes on four to six hours after cleaning the loft or handling the birds.

Caught early, it usually settles once you stop breathing in the dust. Repeated exposure can scar the lungs permanently, so do not ignore symptoms that keep coming back after time with your birds. Good loft ventilation and a properly fitted respirator mask while cleaning reduce the amount of dust you breathe in.

Bird flu

Pigeons are rarely affected by bird flu, but they can carry the virus on their feet and feathers, which is why racing is restricted during outbreaks. If you keep pigeons, follow the current GOV.UK rules for racing pigeon keepers. If you find several dead wild birds, do not touch them: report them online or on 03459 33 55 77.

Simple precautions

• Wash your hands with soap and water after handling a bird, its box, dishes or droppings.
• Wear disposable gloves to clean up droppings, and dampen dry droppings first so you raise less dust.
• Keep a found pigeon out of kitchens and away from where food is prepared.
• Do not let children kiss or cuddle a pigeon, and supervise their hand-washing.
• Keep a found bird away from any pigeons, poultry or pet birds you keep.
• If you keep a loft, keep it dry and well ventilated, and wear a mask when scraping out.

If you have found a pigeon, our guide on what to do if you find a lost pigeon covers how to care for it safely.