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pegothejerk t1_iu5828x wrote

Reply to comment by t4ct1c4l_j0k3r in Zombie pigeons in the UK: Mystery bird illness turns living birds into zombies by AugustWolf22

It does work and is suggested by experts every time this happens with other bird pathogens of concern.

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t4ct1c4l_j0k3r t1_iu5d4zb wrote

In an environment where a species is contained (ex: poultry farm), segregation of species is possible. In the wild, all bets are off. If one bird sees another feeding, it will approach, and another, and so forth. Same with water.

Now if you keep domesticated pigeons and you also set out food/water for your flock and wild birds to intermingle, it's a bit different. It seems that this is the only place where this could have an impact on spread, but only for each flock in question.

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pegothejerk t1_iu5e25x wrote

The advice is to not add to the free roaming bird population yet another social space to gather, as birds by nature stay in fairly isolated groups, but will co-mingle outside their flocks with even other species when food sources are extraordinary rich compared to those they’re used to otherwise in more natural settings. This isn’t a new idea, it’s well established and accepted by experts. Don’t add to the problem. Birds don’t just go around greeting every bird in their city/state.

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