Agnes' feet showing swelling and severe restriction caused by nylon thread.

Agnes the pigeon

The past three days I’ve been trying to spot a brown pigeon with severe string foot. Someone shared a video on Facebook of it so I went Friday, Saturday and again today hoping to catch it. Unfortunately I had no luck with this bird but did catch a different one that was just as bad, possibly worse.

Look at the state of this poor bird’s feet.

Swollen and sore feet with black thread wrapped tightly around the toes.

After 30 minutes of struggling to remove it all Ben and I decided to bring her home where we have a magnifying glass and can properly clean and bathe the feet plus give her a place to rest and recuperate before facing the challenging urban environment again. We named her Agnes.

A close-up of her feet under the magnifying glass

Me sitting on a chair with Agnes on my lap

Agnes thanked me by pooping on my leg.

Her little feet are such a mess and will likely always be a bit deformed now but hopefully the swelling will go down after a few days of rest.

Pigeons are such good patients: put a towel over their head and they go into a sort of trance. We did breed them to be docile over thousands of generations and they have quite a strong bond with humans that cannot easily be undone. I’m glad we can help Agnes.

Posted

July 26, 2026

Journal

Rachel M

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3 responses to “Agnes the pigeon”

Katrina

July 26, 2026

I’m in awe of how you help these birds.

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1. Rachel M
  
  July 27, 2026
  
  Aww thank you!
  
  Reply
seadanse

August 29, 2026

Your description of Agnes’s feet really hits home — I’ve seen pigeons with string foot in my own neighborhood, and it’s heartbreaking how quickly the fibers wrap and cut off circulation. The towel trick is a solid tip; I’ve used it with a rescued starling, and it made handling so much calmer. Have you ever tried a tiny bit of coconut oil on the wounds after cleaning? I’ve heard it can help with healing, though I’m not sure if it’s safe for birds. By the way, if you ever want to document these rescue moments for others, tools like seedance can turn a simple photo into a short clip that might inspire more people to look out for birds like Agnes. Keep up the great work — it’s people like you who make a real difference.

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