flying rat
City bird, despised
Flying rat is a dismissive term for a pigeon, especially the feral urban variety.
The label casts pigeons as airborne vermin—dirty, numerous, and unwelcome: The park was overrun with flying rats.
The phrase captures urban frustration with birds that crowd public spaces and leave droppings on buildings and statues.
Stout urban bird
unwanted · scavenger · infestation · disdain · loathed · disgusting · filth · menace
Soft murmuring sounds
- flockAnimals gathered together
- roostBird's sleeping spot
- rock doveCommon gray urban pigeon
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
feathers · squab · carrier pigeon · homing · beak · birdseed · perch · iridescent
Small brown urban bird
- crowLarge black corvid
- squirrelBushy-tailed tree rodent
- raccoonMasked North American omnivore
- seagullCoastal scavenging bird
cockroach · starling · coyote · fox · feral cat · urbanization · coexistence · alleyway
Fitting to new conditions
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- omnivorousConsuming all foods
hardiness · opportunistic · breeding · flocking · territorial · nesting sites · population boom · generalist
pigeon
Stout urban bird
dirty · unwanted · scavenger · infestation · disdain · loathed · disgusting · filth · menace · plague
cooing
Soft murmuring sounds
plumage · feathers · squab · carrier pigeon · homing · beak · birdseed · perch · iridescent · nesting
sparrow
Small brown urban bird
seagull · cockroach · starling · coyote · fox · feral cat · urbanization · coexistence · alleyway · rooftop
adaptation
Fitting to new conditions
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
omnivorous · hardiness · opportunistic · breeding · flocking · territorial · nesting sites · population boom · generalist
flying ratsongbird
Melodious perching avian
swan · dove · white dove · hummingbird · eagle
flying rateagle
Large predatory bird
bald eagle · dove of peace · phoenix · swan · falcon
flying ratprotected species
Organisms legally shielded from harm
homing pigeon · racing pigeon · messenger pigeon · man's best friend