April 28, 2026, 12:50 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Feeding pigeons–yes or no? This question not only sparks fundamental debates in small discussion circles but also prompts Deutsche Bahn to create campaign posters that leave animal rights activists with more questions. The reason: According to the poster, feeding pigeons causes them to lose their instincts to search for food on their own. PETBOOK asked Deutsche Bahn and the German Animal Welfare Federation about the validity of this claim.
Deutsche Bahn and the Pigeons
For Deutsche Bahn, the issue of pigeons is primarily a matter of cleanliness and safety in high-traffic areas.
A railway spokesperson emphasized to PETBOOK that the company wants guests to feel comfortable at the station. To prevent travelers and station visitors from being bothered by pigeons or pigeon droppings, Deutsche Bahn (DB) tries to curb the spread of the birds in stations–including through intensive cleaning measures. The company spends a significant double-digit million amount annually for this purpose.
A Clear Feeding Ban in Stations
In addition to cleaning, the company claims to use other measures to control the population. They employ every animal welfare-friendly method to keep the pigeon population within a reasonable range. This includes setting up pigeon houses–but only if suitable areas are available and certain conditions are met, such as sufficient distance from overhead lines.
Moreover, the flight paths should not be over customers to prevent travelers from being soiled by bird droppings. Another requirement is regular and sustainable care of the animals, such as by animal welfare organizations. Under these conditions, pigeon houses can enable species-appropriate feeding–as opposed to feeding leftovers by travelers.
At the same time, there is a clear feeding ban in stations. Deutsche Bahn refers to its house rules. “To avoid attracting pigeons, feeding birds is prohibited in stations according to the house rules. Stations are not suitable places for pigeons and especially young animals due to public traffic and the dangers of rail traffic. The posters are meant to make travelers aware of this,” said a railway spokesperson.
Controversial Core of the Campaign
The main criticism focuses on the justification on the poster: the claim that feeding causes pigeons to lose their instincts.
“The text of the posters and linked website is based on Haag-Wackernagel, Murton, Hudec, and conversations with ornithologists, such as pigeon breeders,” Deutsche Bahn told PETBOOK. According to a railway spokesperson, science and general expert opinion conclude that feeding causes pigeons to unlearn their instincts. “This can be observed in the different behaviors of city pigeons in areas with varying feeding practices. It is also noted that the constant feeding is what causes the population increase in the first place,” Deutsche Bahn further explained.
While it is undisputed that feeding can influence the behavior of city pigeons–for example, by causing them to congregate in certain areas–whether they lose their basic instincts to search for food is not scientifically proven.
Animal Welfare Federation Strongly Disagrees
This is precisely where the German Animal Welfare Federation’s criticism comes in. When asked if the portrayal aligns with current scientific knowledge, the association clearly states: “We are not aware of any studies on city pigeons that support this claim.”
The German Animal Welfare Federation also rejects the conclusion: “Pigeons instinctively search for food out of sheer survival instinct. Therefore, we find this conclusion at least questionable. This would imply that city pigeons that have been fed would immediately die after feeding bans are introduced.” According to the German Animal Welfare Federation, this is not the case: “The animals continue to search for (unsuitable) food on the street in the form of waste and leftovers.”
In other words, the instinct to search for food remains–only the quality of the food deteriorates.
Feeding Is Not Just Feeding
In principle, the Animal Welfare Federation does not categorically reject feeding pigeons but makes a clear distinction: “The feeding bans for city pigeons still in place in many German cities are no longer considered timely from an animal welfare perspective.”
The German Animal Welfare Federation further emphasizes: “While we cannot generally endorse uncontrolled feeding of city pigeons, as often no species-appropriate food is used (and irregular feeding leads to further problems) and uncoordinated wild feedings can hinder the work of animal welfare workers when they try to acclimate the animals to a (new) pigeon loft or another approved feeding site, a feeding ban without offering animal welfare-friendly alternatives is not effective and sustainable for controlling the city pigeon population.”
The problem is less about feeding itself–but how and with what they are fed.
Shift Instead of Solution?
According to the Animal Welfare Federation, a pure feeding ban can even exacerbate the problem: “Starving or emaciating city pigeons is relevant to animal welfare and leads to significant suffering for the animals.”
The German Animal Welfare Federation explains that with insufficient food supply, adult animals suffer from emaciation and weakness due to inadequate nutrition. The poor nutritional and general condition also increases susceptibility to disease.
Due to a feeding ban, the animals are also forced to search more intensively for food waste on the streets, gathering more frequently in public places and in front of restaurants.
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What Should Help in the Long Term
As a sustainable solution, the German Animal Welfare Federation primarily advocates for supervised pigeon projects: “In the long term, establishing supervised pigeon houses, towers, and lofts is the only sustainable and animal welfare-friendly way for city pigeons and people to coexist peacefully in cities.”
These are intended to solve several problems simultaneously. The German Animal Welfare Federation explains that by binding the site-loyal pigeons to a shelter, feeding them in the loft with species-appropriate food, and exchanging eggs with plaster replicas, the number of animals at city hotspots can be reduced or kept at a tolerable level.
Central Justification Remains Controversial
Deutsche Bahn pursues understandable goals with its campaign: less pollution, improved quality of stay, and a controlled pigeon population in high-traffic areas.
However, the central justification of the poster–that feeding causes pigeons to lose their instincts–is not scientifically proven and is clearly rejected by the German Animal Welfare Federation.
There is only agreement that uncontrolled feeding with leftovers is problematic. How a sustainable solution for dealing with city pigeons should look remains controversial.