Just thought I'd show a couple pics I snapped this morning.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Birds have no bladder control.  I think pigeons have always been somewhat nasty.

I don't think pigeons are likely to be eating anything nastier now than they did in previous times. There used to be a lot of horses in the streets, which had to make the streets somewhat nastier.

[fatman]

Squab is pigeon, and dove is a cousin.  We used to hunt band-tailed pigeons out here when I was a kid before they closed the season, they're a wild pigeon and are exceptionally good eating.  City pigeon probably wouldn't be bad, as with anything else, it's all in how you dress it and cook it.