End the W. 96th St. Pigeon-to-Rat Food Pipeline, Brewer Says

A plaza across from the 96th St. 1/2/3 line subway station has been occupied by a devoted swarm of pigeons for years, seemingly due to people who feed them on a daily basis. More concerningly, rats understandably swoop in later to snag leftovers. A “Don’t feed animals” sign nearby, with a pigeon in the signage, is pointedly ignored.

Now, City Council Member Gale Brewer wants the plaza—and an empty building, now owned by the Parks Department, atop which the birds congregate—to be reclaimed by Upper West Side residents, preferably ones who aren’t dead set on passing out bird feed and bread crumbs to their feathered friends.

In an Aug. 1 letter sent to the city’s Health and Parks departments, Brewer wrote: “The pigeons are fed by over a dozen people daily starting at 6am. The pigeons have become familiar with the routine and congregate at set times throughout the day. They create a major health hazard at this location.

“Needless to say, this is an issue that has been ongoing for decades. Renovating and repairing the building would be an asset to the community and could include measures to prevent the feeding and the pigeons. Please update me on this project, as well as any ideas for stopping the feeding,” the letter concluded.

Health Department Deputy Commissioner Maura Kennelly responded to Brewer in an Aug. 20 letter, acknowledging that feeding the birds is not illegal, but that “feeding pigeons or other wildlife contribute to the feeding of rats.”

Kennelly pointed out a Health Department flyer that can be found in printable form online, which quite simply states: “Feed a pigeon, feed a rat. Do not feed birds or other wildlife. If you do, you’re helping to feed rats too.”

In an interview with The Spirit, Council Member Brewer said that “people feed pigeons in many places . . . but that site seems to have more pigeons. We see them on top of each other. It’s really gross.”

She pointed out that the pigeon-roosting building now owned by the Parks Department was under nonprofit management for some time. “It needs repairs, I think on the roof. It’s not thousands of dollars, but it needs funding allocated. There used to be an art gallery there.”

As far as what could get the pigeons to up and leave, Brewer expressed hope that making the building active again could perhaps dispel them. “You could have concerts and everything,” she said. She clarified that she didn’t expect uprooting the birds would starve them. “There’s plenty of garbage around for them to eat.”

As for next steps, Brewer said that she was working on getting together with a host of agencies and officials—the Parks Department, Department of Health, and City Hall’s “Rat Czar,” and Community Board 7.

”It’s a great plaza, especially if it were power-washed. That site needs attention, so that the pigeons aren’t being fed,” Brewer emphasized.