London Underground: Pigeon gets on Tube, does a poo then gets off at the next stop

A pigeon has been spotted getting on the Tube to do a poo. A video has surfaced on TikTok showing a wild, fare-dodging pigeon commuting via the Tube.

Posted to the social media app, the video also reveals that pigeons aren’t quite as polite passengers as most Londoners, with the bird very publicly doing his ablutions on the train before hopping off at the next stop. But whilst this appears to be an entirely unique encounter with British wildlife, this isn’t the first time that a pigeon has been spotted riding the lines.

In 1995, the New Scientist received what was described as “a flurry of correspondence” about pigeons travelling on the Tube. It would be to say they just wandered on in search of food, and that’s certainly the conclusion drawn by the BBC Two show, The Unnatural History of London.

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But in her letter to the New Scientist, Lorna Read said, “I feel quite sure that travel, not food, was their purpose. Pigeons are intelligent and easily trained and I see no reason why they should not have cottoned on to the fact that travel by Tube saves their wings – especially as there are so many deformed and crippled pigeons in the city.”

Another letter speculated that it is possible that the pigeons, with their exceptional navigational abilities, actually knew where they were going. Sabiha Foster also shared a story that suggests they do it often enough to know the route, “About a year ago, a pair of pigeons hopped onto the Circle Line at Aldgate, stayed by the door and alighted with purpose at the next stop, which was Tower Hill.

“How did they know the platform for Tower Hill was on the same side of the carriage as that for Aldgate?” Have you seen a pigeon commuting on the Tube? Let us know in the comment section below.

Got a story we should be covering? Email alicia.curry@reachplc.com.

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