King pigeons, rescued from animal shelters throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, make great pets. They're sweet, smart, calm and full of personality, but because people aren't aware of them, they often can't find good homes. King pigeons are domestic pigeons bred to be eaten as squab, but some escape or are set free. King pigeons can't survive in the wild and the lucky ones end up in shelters where they are at very high risk of being euthanized. But they are lovely, sweet, charming birds who do beautifully outdoors in a coop or an aviary, or indoors in a large flight cage or kennel.

So many king pigeons wind up in Northern California animal shelters and are euthanized for lack of homes, that I teamed up with Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue who expanded their mission beyond parrots to create MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue. 

MickaCoo is an all-volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)3 that has found homes for more than 300 domestic pigeons and doves in the past 2.5 years.  Currently we have more than 50 pigeons and doves in foster homes and are so full that we are unable to help the many birds piling up in Bay Area shelters.  I am located in San Francisco but help birds throughout the Bay Area and place birds throughout the continental US.

We take in birds who need a safe place to live, provide avian veterinary care and rehabilitate them if necessary, and find them good homes. We also educate people about how to live with companion birds and inform them of the level of care necessary to provide the birds a safe, healthy, permanent home.

While MickaCoo's focus is on pigeons and doves, we also do our best to find homes for the many chickens, roosters, quails and chukars who wind up in Bay Area shelters as well.

Potential adopters are screened for appropriateness (through an application, interview and home visit process) and improper homes are declined.

For more information about MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue and to see the birds who are available for adoption, please visit www.MickaCoo.org.

To read stories about the birds who have been rescued, please visit my blog www.RescueReport.org.