Eating wild birds.

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

We can eat chickens, we know that but my pop back in the day use to catch and eat wild birds too, mostly pidgeons, just your typical pidgeons, I'm not sure if he ate other species like crow, seagull ect.. but I wouldn't be suprised if he did. He grew up as a poor farmer from Europe, so had to find ways to save money and generate food. When he eventually moved to this country he still kept some of his old ways which included eating wild birds, growing his own food, his whole yard had things growing at all times, making his own wine and his own tools. Instead of buying a shovel for $20 he would weld a pole and some steel together to make his own. He was a great man.

Anyway what are your thoughts about eating wild birds like that, I guess people do it when they hunt for ducks ect.. it's the same thing. But do any of you eat other birds? Is it ok?

 

[svh]

As the saying goes, anything with fins, fur or feathers, are edible in the continental United States. This doesn't count in the ocean though .....

The only wild bird, besides goose, duck, pheasant, quail etc., that I've eaten was a robin I shot with my BB gun about 50 years ago. My dad saw me make the shot, told me "you killed it, you're gonna eat it" !!!

He then made me and my brothers pluck and gut the poor little thing, and cook it on a stick over a fire he made.

Tasted like chicken !

Just kidding, it was dry and stringy, and stunk a bit, BUT I've been hooked on hunting ever since !!!

Absolutely true story.

 

[saysfaa]

Many birds are protected; I wouldn't eat them.

Pigeons and starlings are fair game. I would eat them if I hunted (someday I might take the time to get into that) or someone hunted for me. Pigeons are particularly delicious according to people I know who have eaten them fairly often.

 

[Hermits Garden]

When we lived in North Texas, a quail had the bad luck to hit our patio door in flight (reflection makes it look like sky) and break his neck. My son asked if he could dress it and eat it, so of course I said yes. It was a tiny bird, and verrry little meat, but it satisfied his curiosity. That said, if I needed to eat wild birds (or squirrels, possums, etc.) to have meat on the table, hell yeah I would.

Your pop sounds like a resourceful fellow, and you're lucky to have been able to learn from him.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anyway what are your thoughts about eating wild birds like that, I guess people do it when they hunt for ducks ect.. it's the same thing. But do any of you eat other birds? Is it ok?

What do you mean by "is it ok?" Are you talking about legally, morally, socially, health, or taste? Australia has many birds on a protected list, it would probably be illegal to eat them, even if they died naturally. It may be illegal to even have their feathers in your possession. Some people don't worry about legality but that gets more into the moral and social issues. Moral and social issues are personal and will depend on you and your acquaintances. Or how hungry you are. If I were lost in the outback and hungry I'd eat a songbird without even thinking about it. Health and taste may depend on the species or how you butcher or cook them. I'd expect a sea gull to be pretty strong and tough compared to a wild goose but 've never eaten either. I would not eat a vulture because of what they eat. The digestive juices are really strong.

I don't know how to respond to your question because I'm not sure what you mean by OK.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

When I said is it ok I meant more so as in is there anything to look out for in general. Morality has nothing to do with social issues because mortality is not made by man but by the laws of the universe and creation itself (see my factory farm chicken thread for explanation) the example of not eating the vulture is a good one because of what they eat. We don't have vultures in my country, we have a real lot of awesome birds though.

We have some awesome birds in Australia I agree so much, so many special species and since the convo has gone in this direction let me post some pictures of the bird species in my local area (didn't take these myself)

These are king parrots they often hang around in groups and eat stuff in trees in some forests they come and land on people.

These are black cockatoos they are more rare then the typical white ones there's also some that have yellow tail feathers. But these ones are very special to some aboriginal tribal folk I know, it's there tribes totem animal.

This is an iconic bird the Kookaburra has a distinctive call that sounds like a laugh. They eat snakes an lizards, mice ect... Have seen all white albino ones before and there's also another bird called the king Fisher who looks like them but just blue.

This is the wedged tail eagle very important figure in aboriginal mythology known as Bunjil. Very large powerful and beautiful birds.

 

[ladybrasa]

Pretty sure people used to eat pigeons all the time. In fact, in the US, there were billions of passenger pigeons here. They are extinct now because people were able to very easily catch and eat them. Pretty sure there are pigeon breeds meant for meat. In medieval times, pretty sure they ate everything like sparrows. Peacocks too. Anything is edible, though. Sea birds of all kinds were easy targets for people during nesting season. Would guess some probably don’t taste that great, or are that sanitary like vultures …

 

[saysfaa]

Pretty sure people used to eat pigeons all the time. In fact, in the US, there were billions of passenger pigeons here. They are extinct now because people were able to very easily catch and eat them. Pretty sure there are pigeon breeds meant for meat. In medieval times, pretty sure they ate everything like sparrows. Peacocks too. Anything is edible, though. Sea birds of all kinds were easy targets for people during nesting season. Would guess some probably don’t taste that great, or are that sanitary like vultures …

This is why so many species are protected.
Starlings are very invasive in the US; they are a serious threat to several native species.

 

[ladybrasa]

Wow, just googled eating starlings … it’s definitely a thing. Though consideration should be taken about their diets (garbage, etc).

And isn’t there some old nursery rhyme about blackbirds in a pie?

 

[Isadora]

Wow, just googled eating starlings … it’s definitely a thing. Though consideration should be taken about their diets (garbage, etc).

And isn’t there some old nursery rhyme about blackbirds in a pie?

Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye
4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie When the pie was open
The birds began to sing
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?