Where to get help for pigeons or doves

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Baby pigeons and doves should receive care from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals. They are licensed to do so by provincial and/or federal governments.

Baby pigeons and doves need a specialized diet, species-specific housing, and medical treatment that you cannot provide at home.  A permit is required to care for wild animals and you are not permitted to keep an animal in your care for longer than 24 hours. Please contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away for help with the baby pigeon or dove you have found.

Help for baby pigeons and doves

If you have found a baby pigeon or dove, please fill out our online Request Assistance Form to leave us a message. Our hours are 9am-6pm, seven days a week (yes, even on holidays!) and our Hotline staff will either call you back or send you an email regarding your situation. Please be sure to check your inbox and junk folders regularly.

Please follow instructions on our baby pigeons and doves page if you are waiting for a call back from a wildlife rehabilitator. Please note that Toronto Wildlife Centre is sometimes at capacity for common baby species, like pigeons and doves, and you may need to seek assistance from another wildlife rehabilitator; if you have received an email message from us stating that TWC is currently full for baby pigeons or baby doves, please see the OMNRF list of authorized wildlife rehabilitators and/or the map on our website for more information.

If the baby you have found is not a pigeon or dove, please go back to our species selection page. 

If you cannot reach a wildlife rehabilitator right away

Keep trying. Wildlife rehabilitators are very busy, especially during the spring and summer. If you get an answering machine, leave a message and make it easy for them to reach you. Call around to others in the area. Be willing to arrange transportation for the animal once a rehabilitator is found. Remember that there is no government funding for wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario, and all rehabilitators are funded almost entirely by donations.

You cannot keep the baby pigeon or dove or care for it yourself – the baby needs specialized care that you don’t have the means to provide. Keep them in a cardboard box in a dark, quiet, place. Make sure they have a heat source, like a hot water bottle.  Don’t give the baby any food or water until you’ve spoken to a wildlife rehabilitator. Further temporary care instructions can be found here.