Why do pidgeons appear to peck the ground even when there’s no obvious signs of food/crumbs?
In: 6775
They eat tiny pebbles to help with digestion. The rocks help grind up food in their stomach.
Many birds swallow sharp pebbles and grit (*gastroliths*) and hold these rocks in a muscular part of their stomachs called the **gizzard**. The **gizzard** contracts and grinds the *gastroliths* against each other and against the food that the bird has swallowed (remember that birds have to swallow each bite whole). The rocks grind down the food — essentially, the bird is using the *gastroliths* to chew the food in its **gizzard** — and the rocks grind each other down, too. Eventually the sharp, jagged chunks of rock become smooth, rounded pebbles, and they are not much good for grinding anymore. So the bird will vomit them out and find new, sharp rocks to swallow.
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/verts/archosaurs/gastroliths.php
The rock/pebble thing is true. I asked a similar question to a bird expert. When I went to Edinburgh Zoo I saw they had a Rhino and there was a bird perched on it pecking at ticks and parasites.
I asked “Why in Scotland does a bird know it’s safe to peck a Rhino. It makes sense in Africa since the birds have evolved alongside Rhinos, but why here in Scotland?” The bird expert replied that birds have an in built instinct to peck at spots and dots. If an animal reacts and shoos the bird away, or the bird understands an animal might be dangerous, this will overwhelm that instinct. However, if an animal is docile towards the bird, the instinct will lead the bird to to peck at the dots (parasites and ticks) on the animal.
So no matter where you move these thick skinned animals like Rhinos and Elephants, the local bird population will quickly learn that they are a good source for a meal of ticks.
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Pigeons are highly adaptable birds, and they have learned to forage for food in a variety of environments. Pigeons are known to eat a wide range of foods, including seeds, berries, fruits, and even small insects. When foraging for food, pigeons will peck at the ground in an effort to find any edible items that might be hidden in the soil or among the debris on the ground. Additionally, pecking at the ground is a natural behavior for pigeons, and they may do so even when they are not actively searching for food.
Pigeon pecks are pretty precise (bit of a tongue twister). I have a few regular visitors to my windowsill, some will eat from my palm, others scour the windowsill for tiny bits of seeds, they’re close to the action and well attuned to things that might be tasty, so they may recognise things where you don’t. For instance the crumbs I’ve seen them picking at can be like 0.5mm!
They are likely swallowing pebbles, since they use them in the GI tracts to help crush food. If you think about it, they don’t have teeth to chew with, so the pebbles are useful.
Birds also use their tongues to feel, grasp and examine things. Imagine everything that you do with your hands – birds mostly do all of that with just their mouths. So if a pigeon sees something of interest on the ground, they will go over and peck at it.
Things are more apparent when your hovering 2″ above the ground…it also kicks up and uncovers other potential food
In addition to the answers that some have posted, they may be after the [concrete mites](https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1588). Unless you’re close to the ground, you aren’t going to see them. We have them here in Ohio but I thought this was something that was everywhere. If I leave my garage door open in the summer, the finches will fly in and peck at the concrete. I assume that’s what they’re eating as there’s usually nothing else on the floor but sawdust.
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