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Maybe the doves from "Stupid Dove Nests" have simply perfected the art of slacking [1]
['Jennifer Sandlin']
Date: 2025-07-09
I've found a new animal (anti-)hero, the unpretentious and ubiquitous dove. Or pigeon. Call these members of the Columbidae family whichever name you want, since there is "no scientific distinction" between the two. What, you might ask, makes them so worthy of my admiration? Well, in my opinion, they are the Gen X of the avian kingdom, true slackers who get by with as little effort as possible. In a world rife with overachievers stressing everyone out, I think it's time we give some credit to creatures who embrace satisficing, instead. No creature does this better than the dove, and for proof, you need look no further than my favorite new subreddit, "Stupid Dove Nests."
The "Stupid Dove Nests" subreddit describes itself this way: "This Subreddit exists for people to share dove nests (pigeons count) they find which are (as usual) placed in a stupid spot or just are incredibly poorly made. Enjoy."
The photos that folks post of the dove/pigeon nests they find are hilarious. The nests are either in terrible locations, or are just slapped together with the lowest effort possible. Sometimes they are both in the worst place possible AND constructed with no care at all.
Let's first look at some examples of nests in terrible places. First up is this nest, which was crafted in the handlebars of a couple of bicycles leaning up against a wall in a storage area or parking garage. The nest doesn't look terrible quality, but it's definitely in a less than ideal spot. Other nests that are in pretty awful places include this one in the middle of an active owl nest (!!!) and this one on top of a storage box that houses a defibrillator.
Also check out this nest, which was constructed in the cowl of a car — that space between the hood and the windshield. If nobody used the car, it would actually be a great location, even if the nest itself is pretty terrible. However, the dove crafted the nest while the driver of the car was in the gym, so, yeah, it's a bad spot. Doves seem to like car cowls, because here's another nest in one — at least that nest looks pretty decent, though.
Now let's look at some nests that are in awful places, yes, but whose main issue is that they are terribly constructed. Lots of nests featured on the subreddit of this type are from doves who just seemingly found a random spot on a walkway to set up shop, like these two doves sitting on a sidewalk in what looks like a "nest" made of mud (could they have put forth any less effort?). And look at this nest that literally consists of about ten tiny sticks or branches strewn about on a patio next to some extension cords. It's a perfect example of the worst quality nest. Finally, some nests are so bad that they aren't really nests at all — like this one, which a commenter described quite perfectly as a dove's "concept of an idea of a nest."
I truly enjoy "Stupid Dove Nests," and find myself laughing out loud at many of the entries. I think folks have it wrong, though—I don't think these doves (or their nests) are stupid, I think they've simply perfected the art of doing the very least. And for that, I'll channel my inner Todd Margaret and enthusiastically tip my hat to them.
Enjoy more at "Stupid Dove Nests" on Reddit.
Previously:
• How I displaced a family of pigeons from my roof
• Hear me out: pigeons are actually really interesting
• Why are pigeons in Las Vegas wearing cowboy hats?
• A woman recalls her LSD-induced love affair with a pigeon
[END]
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