The rock pigeon is gray in color, often with two black bars on its wings. They can be found in many places, resting and sleeping on a variety of structures. A pigeon couple, which mates for life, may raise several broods of one to two squabs, or baby pigeons, each year. Pigeons in the wild can live 15 years, although the urban pigeon’s lifespan is more like three to four years. These birds gravitate toward flat surfaces, like rooftops, for feeding, and they like seeds, grain, fruit, and green feed but, they will eat garbage, insects, spiders, manure and other menu items.  Pigeons become a problem when their numbers explode, because the resulting bird droppings can carry a number of disease pathogens, including three kinds of encephalitis, plus histoplasmosis, Newcastle disease, chlamydiosis and salmonellosis, along with various mites and ticks.