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pigeon eating mortar ? (1 Viewer)

marnixR

marnixR

WYSIWYG
the attached picture was taken a few days ago in the Bishop's Palace at St. Davids, Pembrokeshire

it set me wondering why a feral pigeon would be pecking at the mortar of the palace walls - could it be because of some nutrient deficiency, or maybe there's some particular tasty lichen growing on them ?
 

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There's more than likely some water?

'Pigeon eating mortar', pedantic I know but had an image of a bag of cement, swallowing a pigeon!


A
 
andyadcock said:
'Pigeon eating mortar', pedantic I know but had an image of a bag of cement, swallowing a pigeon!
Click to expand...

to be pedantic as well, that would be pigeon-eating mortar, with a hyphen

but seriously, i didn't see any water + the mortar didn't appear in the right position to contain much if any at all
 
Hi,

Nutcracker said:
Calcium to aid with egg production.
Click to expand...

Ah, that makes sense!

I made a similar observation once, with pigeons and European Goldfinches picking at the sandstone walls of a medieval castle in France.

In some places, there were small round holes in the wall, big enough for a pigeon to put its head into and pick away. I suppose these holes were created by the picking birds over the centuries ...

Regards,

Henning
 
presumably the mortar used by the likes of Cadw for the historical buildings in their care is of a different composition from the type used in normal houses of today

does it contain more calcium ?
 
marnixR said:
presumably the mortar used by the likes of Cadw for the historical buildings in their care is of a different composition from the type used in normal houses of today

does it contain more calcium ?
Click to expand...
It'll be softer, easier for a bird like a pigeon to peck bits out without significant bill damage. Modern mortar is tough stuff!
 
Looks like a lime mortar - which I believe may be toxic? They’re well known for needing grit in their gizzards to aid with digestion - it may be that some of the tiny bits of stone in the mortar have been washed out and they’re eating them.
 
Torchepot said:
Looks like a lime mortar - which I believe may be toxic? They’re well known for needing grit in their gizzards to aid with digestion - it may be that some of the tiny bits of stone in the mortar have been washed out and they’re eating them.
Click to expand...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_mortar

Not toxic (it's just calcium carbonate + sand), and yes, softer than modern mortar. So it'll be good minerals for birds forming eggs - they do need a lot of extra calcium for this :t:
 
Nutcracker said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_mortar

Not toxic (it's just calcium carbonate + sand), and yes, softer than modern mortar. So it'll be good minerals for birds forming eggs - they do need a lot of extra calcium for this :t:
Click to expand...

Having seen someone taken to hospital because they breathed it in and got it in their eyes I believe it’s quite dangerous stuff - but that may be when it’s in it’s fresh powdered form? As far as I remember it’s calcium hydroxide?
 
Torchepot said:
Having seen someone taken to hospital because they breathed it in and got it in their eyes I believe it’s quite dangerous stuff - but that may be when it’s in it’s fresh powdered form? As far as I remember it’s calcium hydroxide?
Click to expand...
When it's new, yes, it is calcium hydroxide which is caustic (burns skin, because it is very alkaline), but it soon (within hours, or days at most) absorbs carbon dioxide from the air to turn into harmless calcium carbonate.


Fraulein ash said:
How do the birds know there's calcium in the walls?!
Click to expand...
No idea, ask them!!
 
Nutcracker said:
When it's new, yes, it is calcium hydroxide which is caustic (burns skin, because it is very alkaline), but it soon (within hours, or days at most) absorbs carbon dioxide from the air to turn into harmless calcium carbonate.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nutty

Didn’t know something so caustic could end up as something quite harmless (or even beneficial!).

Don’t think I’ll be snacking on any soon though ;)

When I was a kid one of my mates who kept pigeons gave them stuff like this, which I remember contained oyster shells (for the calcium) - he gave it to both sexes of birds and also tiny flint chips! but I don’t remember bits of red brick (as in this stuff). Who knew pigeons are flying around full of masonry? 8-P

http://www.pallatts.com/natural-grit-3kg/
 
Could it be taking the grit to assist with gizzards, in the way woodpigeons are currently de-gritting rural roads at the moment?

Its good to see them taking time away from sex, which is rife in our local pigeon population (again) now.

Harry
 
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