Pigeons in the Middle of the Metropolis: How Bird-Keeping Helps Skopje Residents Escape the Urban Rush

In Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, locals continue to breed pigeons on their rooftops, finding in this hobby a refuge from the noise and bustle of city life. This is according to the AFP news agency, which spoke with several of the city's pigeon fanciers.

"Pigeons bring us peace. They help us forget, if only for a while, about the jungle of cars and buildings surrounding us," 76-year-old Lazarevski, a former steel plant worker, told the agency.

As cars race by and people rush to work, a jeweler named Ogun scatters grain for his birds. "It calms me down," he says. Among other breeds, he raises Macedonian tumblers — pigeons famous for their acrobatic flight. "They're like children to us," the man adds.

Pigeon breeding has centuries-old roots in the Balkans. While it's no longer a mass pastime, many families still pass the tradition down from generation to generation. According to breeders, these birds have an excellent sense of direction and can find their way home even from great distances, while also handling the punishing Balkan heat remarkably well.

"It's enough that they have plenty of water and that we open the cage door for them often," Ogun explains.

Both men value not just the care of the birds itself, but also the connections that come with it. It's not unusual for a fellow pigeon keeper from a neighboring district — or even another city — to call and report that a stray pigeon has landed with them.

Although pigeon breeding isn't as widespread as it once was, locals insist it helps maintain good neighborly relations. "This is our relaxation, our diazepam," says Dejan Djoshev, a civil servant who lives nearby and regularly drops by the dovecote. "People from all over the city gather here. We talk, spend time together, and get to know each other better," he adds.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz