Emergency Prep · Wildlife
Pigeon and Dove Rescue Guide
Urban Triage and Gentle Handling
The city's most ignored patient. 10 modules on the fright molt, PMV head-twisting vs. a broken neck, string-foot, canker, hidden hawk punctures and torn crops, the heat pad and towel donut, why pigeons drink differently and drown from droppers, reading a racing band to find the owner, psittacosis and the N95 rule, and the legal loophole that leaves feral pigeons without protection — and where to find a rescue that takes them.
About this course
Pigeons and doves are the birds everyone walks past, and the ones most likely to be hurt by human litter. This course treats them with the respect they deserve. You'll learn why a pigeon drops its tail feathers when grabbed and how to capture one with a towel instead, how to tell the head-twisting of paramyxovirus from a broken neck, what to do about a foot strangled by hair and thread (and when not to dig), what the yellow growths of canker mean, how to find the talon punctures and torn crops a hawk leaves behind, how to build a warm half-box with a towel donut, why a pigeon drinks by suction and drowns from a dropper, how to read a leg band and get a lost racer home, and why dried pigeon droppings call for an N95. It closes with the legal reality: feral Rock Doves aren't protected, many centers won't take them, and this course tells you who will. Every hands-on step is framed the way Paola frames them all: this is what licensed professionals do.
What you'll learn
- The fright molt and towel capture, and the 4–6-week regrowth
- PMV (head-twisting, spinning) vs. head trauma, and supportive triage
- String-foot: the tourniquet effect, the never-pull rule, and when to leave it to a rehabber
- Avian canker, hawk-strike punctures and crop ruptures, and why they need antibiotics
- The heat pad, the towel donut, and why a dropper drowns a pigeon
- Reading racing bands, psittacosis and the N95 rule, and finding pigeon-friendly rescues
Who this is for
City dwellers, café and shop owners, cyclists and commuters, kids who found 'a pigeon that can't walk,' and rescue volunteers who want to help the species most centers turn away.
Course outline (10 modules)
Quiz & Certificate
Knowledge quiz
After completing all lessons, take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Go to quiz →Completion certificate
Pass the quiz and earn a shareable certificate of completion.
View certificate →Frequently asked questions
Ready to get started?
$9.99 · Lifetime access · 10 lessons