Why are there so many pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy??

Question

Why are there so many pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy??

Answer 1

cuz they like it there and they've been finding lots of dropped food and trash and stuff there that they like...

Answer 2

P. St. Marco is the one place in Venezia I avoid, for that reason.  The food vendors are all breaking the law.  But no one seems to care at council level.

Typical Italian indifference....

Answer 3

Like any other living thing, pigeons are going to go where the best eating opportunities are.  Piazza San Marco is the heart of Venice with throngs of tourists congregating there all day long.  And where there are tourists there are going to be food scraps.  There are several cafes with outdoor seating on the piazza; Quadri, Lavena, Florian;  which adds to the food availability for these birds.  Additionally there are vendors specifically selling food to people who want to feed the pigeons.  I have noticed during my two visits to Venice that many people love to have their pictures taken with pigeons flying all over them.  So they buy the food to attract them for their photo ops.  That personally wouldn't be my idea for having fun in Venice, but numerous people seem to enjoy atrracting the pigeons and then screaming as they land all over them.  

Once the sun goes down the pigeons dissipate, so if you are looking to enjoy an evening in the piazza to enjoy the music, (and maybe a gelato too!) the pigeons will not be there to bother you. A very early morning walk in the piazza before all the tourists come is usually fairly pigeon-free too.

Answer 4

This is one of the reasons I can't stand Venice...LOL.  One of the reasons is because a lot of dumb old people like feeding the pigeons, and the ugly things keep coming back for more.

Answer 5

because of all the food vendors. they have been there for years and have grown to like the publicity