Band-tailed Pigeon Population Status, 2022

Band-tailed pigeons are managed cooperatively by state and provincial wildlife agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Their management is guided by population specific (Pacific Coast and Interior) management plans (Pacific Flyway Council 2010, Pacific and Central Flyway Councils 2018). Maintenance of band-tailed pigeon populations in a healthy, productive state is a primary management goal. Management activities include population and harvest assessment, harvest regulation, and habitat management. Each year, counts of band-tailed pigeons heard and seen are conducted by state, provincial, federal, and other biologists in the western United States and British Columbia to monitor population status. The resulting information is used by wildlife administrators to set annual hunting regulations.