In a strange turn of events, a mezzo-soprano who moonlights as a wildlife rehabilitator has absconded with Fred, a pigeon that had become a favorite source of amusement for police assigned to the 9/11 Memorial. Earlier this month Jennifer Dudley, a singer at the Met and City Opera, read about Fred in the New York Post, which reported that officers had been formally reprimanded for goofing around with the bird. After hearing reports that Fred had gone from landing on officers' shoulders to defecating on them, Dudley became concerned about Fred's state of mind, and spent ten days trying to catch the pigeon. more ›

Zen and the art of pigeon strolling: a reader sent us the below video of "one chill pigeon." Now usually, we tend to side with George Costanza when it comes to our fine feathered friends—they get out of our way, we look the other way on the statue defecation. But this zen pigeon has made us reassess. We don't suddenly have the urge to throw any punches or anything, but maybe pigeons can teach us something about this hectic, myopic world. more ›

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that some bird netting to reduce the amount of bird droppings at the Bronx Supreme Court was actually killing pigeons, because pigeons get caught there, and, in the words of a court employee, they "starve to death... The pigeons suffer, then they just leave their bodies in there to rot like garbage." Realizing that dead pigeon carcasses are bad publicity, the city now says they'll look for an alternative to the netting. more ›

A group of friends recently found two pigeons stuck in a mound of snow on the sidewalk, and did their best to rescue the one that was still alive (teenagers: they aren't all bad!). Okay, maybe they could have done better, and they didn't really need to make a comment about Chinese people eating the pigeons... but at least they didn't kick it or kill it or try to pour Four Loko on it (these are just some of the things we imagine teenagers do on the regular). Check out their video documentation below. more ›

We see your latest rat on the subway video, NYC the Blog, and we raise you pigeon on the subway. This freshly uploaded video shows one of New York City's flying rats strutting around the N train, and the man behind the camera says: "Once doors opened he walked out and walked back in the train.... He got off the train at 59th street." Not one straphanger was seen freaking out or trying to stomp on it, and one commuter even fed it some popcorn. According to the laws of natural progression, what this means is by next week we'll be sharing our seats with rabid raccoons. Probably. (Try to get it on video!) more ›

A Kings of Leon show in St. Louis was cut short last night due to a gross intervention by a mean bird. The Riverfront Times reports the band stopped playing after just three songs because a bird pooped in bassist Jared Followill's mouth! Fans were upset after the lights came on, chanting "Refund! Refund!" but drummer Nathan Followill tweeted, "So sorry St. Louis. We had to bail, pigeons shitting in jareds mouth. Too unsanitary to continue...Don't take it out on Jared, it's the fucking venues fault. You may enjoy being shit on but we don't. Sorry for all who traveled many miles" You're on alert, JellyNYC performers. more ›

1010 WINS has an amusing story about Upper East Side resident Pat Minietta's quest for a decent night of sleep—and how the MTA thwarts it: "Pat Minietta says he is often jolted awake by a sound that he describes as 'a bird or chicken being strangled.' A Metropolitan Transportation Authority supervisor says the sound is actually an alarm which is used to scare away pigeons. He says without it the bus depot at 100th Street and Lexington Avenue would be covered in bird droppings." To which Minietta suggests that the MTA trade up to a supersonic alarm. more ›

Some grifters were trying the old "pigeon drop" or "empty wallet" scam on elderly targets in Queens. You know the pigeon drop: It's when someone claims there's a wallet/bag/something full of money and another person suggests you all put deposits down to prove you're all (you and the other scammers) are committed to sharing the money. According to the Daily News, "Looking for marks on Queens Blvd., the grifters left a wallet that appeared to be stuffed with cash on the sidewalk last month. [A 78-year-old] senior was walking to a bookstore when she saw the wallet - and was accosted by two men who opened it and claimed it held $300,000." more ›

Like jaywalking on city streets, it seems that the anti-bird feeding rules in city parks aren't enforced. According to the NY Post, the people who are supposed to enforce park rules only gave out five $50 tickets last year for bird feeding... out of 18,876 summonses and violations issued in total. And the Parks Department allegedly told the paper, "It's OK to feed the pigeons as long as there are no signs saying you can't." more ›

An Upper East Side woman named Anna Dove loves birds. How much? She had her last name changed to Dove, from Kugelmas (she's also behind National Pigeon Day). That much. But while the 63-year-old Dove may love birds, her fellow humans don't love her. In fact, a neighbor recently caught her feeding pigeons near his apartment on East 93rd Street and became so enraged that he grabbed her bag of seeds and tossed it; the confrontation was allegedly violent enough for a passerby to call 911. more ›

A pigeon in Brooklyn was recently rescued by some animal lovers after being "dangled upside down from a piece of string that was caught around her leg and tangled on a tree branch two stories above a busy sidewalk." more ›

Will the pigeon bullying story be a plot line in an upcoming 30 Rock? The NY Post talked to Morgan Pitts, who rescued the baby falcon from the gang of birds in Greenpoint; he's an assistant prop master at the show, and his first course of action was to bring the little one over to Silvercup Studios, where a friend's wife at the Animal Medical Center was called. The American kestrel has been named Alice Cooper for the markings around its eyes (a moniker that's bound to toughen it up), and it's sex is not yet known—one of the vets saying, "I love this bird. He or she is so cute." Agreed. more ›

That's right, bird on bird violence is happening in our own backyard: Brooklyn. WCBS reports that a man recently rescued a falcon from a troupe of pigeon bullies! While an adult peregrine falcon could have taken them all out, this one was just a baby, being chased and pecked at by the larger birds. "Morgan Pitts says the falcon was either abandoned by its mother or fell from its nest in his Greenpoint. The frightened chick is now in the care of veterinarians at The Animal Medical Center in Manhattan." One day he'll encounter those pigeons again and the tables will be turned. Until that showdown, however, check out the baby falcons that were born at three different city bridges earlier this year. more ›

A pigeon painted purple picked up on a playground may not pull through what appears to be a pitiless prank. The four month-old bird remains flightless in Animal Care and Control after being rescued Thursday in Long Island City. Animal lover Joe Mora picked up the pigeon and tried feeding it while asking the group that had gathered around the strangely-colored bird if anyone knew how to clean paint from its beak and feathers. The dye job appears to be intentional, but no one yet knows for certain how the paint got there. more ›

This week’s New York Magazine is all about finding the cheapest eats in the city, but the most obvious source of cheap (illegal) food may be clumsily flying right before our eyes. “Eating pigeons is as American as eating pumpkin pie,” says Wired’s Alexis Madrigal, who's made a persuasive argument for pigeon as the next logical step in the locavore trend. He argues that all pigeons need “is a re-branding. Just as the spurned Patagonian toothfish became the majestic Chilean sea bass… pigeons can merely reclaim their previous sufficiently arugula-sounding name: squab.” Poach at your own risk! more ›

A street sweeper employed by the Doe Fund, a charity that employs homeless New Yorkers to clean city streets, picked up a $2,500 bonus last month by defending the pigeons on the Upper East Side. According to In Defense of Animals, Desi Stewart witnessed a man spreading bird seed on the ground and “netting a large number of pigeons.” more ›

Earlier this year Central Park crowds looked on in horror as a hawk dug his talons into a squirrel. Now the pigeons of New York are being targeted as the city considers bringing in robotic hawks to perch on rooftops. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: serious trauma on 51st St. in Brooklyn, a missing person on 90th St. and Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, and a large fight at 1087 Broadway in Brooklyn.
• A Brooklyn high school student was stabbed to death yesterday after school. The fatal injury occurred as he was attempting to rob another kid on a playground.
• Don Imus will be returning to the air with a "sidekick," who is black.
• The police are taking her at her word, but it appears that a woman may have faked a violent attack against herself as an excuse to not repay her mother $800. The allegedly faked assault involved using "Krazy Glue" to seal her eyes and mouth shut.
• Today is World AIDS Day, with demonstrations last night and this afternoon emphasizing prevention to halt the spread of HIV.
• Barack Obama tipped his waitress almost 60% on the $17 check he covered having lunch with Mayor Bloomberg.
• Customers who are owed refunds by the furniture chain are not lovin' it at Levitz. The company filed for bankruptcy and checks are bouncing.
• Some tourists are booking expensive rooms on the Upper West Side only to arrive and find out they've just rented space in some woman's apartment, and she has no idea what they are talking about. NYC scams are alive and well apparently.

After City Council member Simcha Felder announced he would propose legislation to ban feeding pigeons, bird lovers joined forces and, yesterday, held a rally at City Hall. Armed with posters like "Save Our Right to Feed Wildlife," "Have U Known Anybody Killed by a Pigeon?", "Pigeons are Beautiful Birds," and "Felder's Pigeon Bill is Poop!", the pro-pigeon protesters spoke out for their feathered friends. One demonstrator told City Room, "We are voices for the... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a fatal fire on Pennsylvania Ave. in Brooklyn, a train derailment on 41st St. and 1st Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on East Gunhill Rd. in the Bronx.
• Anthony Marshall's––Brooke Astor's estranged son––lawyer pleaded not guilty to forgery in the sordid case of her will.
• BestWeekEver.tv's Michelle Collins manages to compliment Tony Bennett, fling a t-shirt at Nick Lachey, stump Josh Groban on the definition of "Cougars", covet Sean Kingston's 14K Crayolas, and be disappointed by Celine Dion, all in one 4-minute segment. That's jam-packed talent.
• Community spokesperson Al Sharpton and mayoral hopeful Council Speaker Christine Quinn fell over themselves denouncing hateful speech yesterday.
• Pimping your motor vehicle rides is for LA suckers. New Yorkers pimp their bikes with mega stereo systems––really.
• Managing Editor Choire Sicha is flying the coop from Gawker.com.
• A construction worker was rescued after being buried alive in Morningside Heights up to his chest.
• Ray Kelly flips Councilman Simcha Felder the bird, literally. He gave him a plastic pigeon in recognition of his somewhat controversial bid to rid NYC of what the councilman described as "flying rats".

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a foot pursuit on West 50th St. and Broadway in Manhattan, a missing person on West 110th St. in Manhattan, and a stabbing on Grove St. and Seneca Ave. in Queens.
• The 57-year-old man shot to death by a federal agent during a grenade sting this week was a career criminal. Authorities believe the proposed sale of what turned out to be an inert grenade was probably just an attempt to scam a gullible buyer.
• On the heels of his attempt to curb NYC's pigeon population, Councilman James Oddo now wants to reduce the population of wild turkeys on Staten Island, which he claims are a nuisance to the town of Ocean Breeze.
• Dick Wilson, the actor who played the ("Don't Squeeze the") Charmin salesman Mr. Whipple, died this week.
• A firefighter featured in the 2005 Calendar of Heroes was arrested on misdemeanor assault charges yesterday.
• Contrary to popular opinion, it isn't the tryptophan in turkey that makes people tired after Thanksgiving dinner. The likely culprit is a combination of eating too much, alcohol, and a long day.
• Approximately 1,000 doctors at Columbia University are now at risk for identity theft after a healthcare provider published their social security numbers online.
• BoingBoing brings us the holiday krunk video "Turkey Wrap."

City Councilman Simcha Felder's proposed legislation to fine people $1,000 for feeding pigeons has struck a nerve. Felder and other elected officials claim that pigeons' poop is harmful to New Yorkers and, therefore, various ways to limit pigeons' eating and procreating should be explored. But some pigeon lovers are unhappy with the level of vitriol directed at the city's unofficial bird. Hence the video from Animaniacs, "Goodfeathers" (it's 10 minutes, so settle in to... more ›

Citing the unsightly damage that pigeon poop does to the city, City Council Member Simcha Felder announced a bill proposal to fine people $1000 for feeding pigeons. Some of Felder's key remarks and findings: "Stop feeding pigeons!" "If people like pigeons... feed [them] in your house and let them crap all over the place in your living room." A pigeon creates about 25 pounds of poop annually. "[The pigeons] may go elsewhere. Let them... more ›