Can Pigeons Swim?
Pigeons cannot swim. They don't have the body for it, or the webbed feet for it, so finding pigeons swimming around in your backyard pool is not likely. They can float on top of the water, and will even flock to shallow waters to find a drink and also to shake and wash themselves down. If you have a very shallow end of the pool, you might find that the pigeons head there from time to time.
Pigeons do not have the right kind of body structure to help them in the water. The lack of webbed feet not only makes it difficult for the birds to get a paddle going, but it also makes life really difficult for them when trying to take off from water, too. Unable to get the traction they need, wings getting wet as they flap about, there is actually a greater chance that the pigeon will tire itself out, get itself too wet to be able to easily float, and then drown because of exhaustion. They don't have the same oil coating that the feathers of water-dwelling birds have, and this makes the bird less than suitable for a water habitat.
Pigeons are much better suited to a life inland, using humans to find food and places to shelter. Despite this, more homeowners are reporting pigeons swimming — physically swimming and using their wings to move around in the water — sharing their videos and images to social media and video sites like Youtube. There are actually a large number of these videos, all suggesting that the birds are not only capable of floating around quite happily on the water, but also manoeuvring their way around under the water, too. Does this mean that pigeons are adapting? Or is there just such a high number of pigeons on the planet that the ‘anomalies' are more obvious? We don't know the answer to the question, but we do know that pigeons surprise us the more we investigate and study them. Clearly, they are not an opponent to underestimate.
Also read our other bird tip:
What kind of damage do pigeons cause in an attic?