Figures from the nature protection society Nabu say there are only around 10,000 town pigeons left in the capital, down from up to 30,000 thought to have been there in 2001. And although there are no recent figures in Frankfurt, officials say that complaints about them have declined over recent years.

One of the causes is building renovation, which is undertaken without any consideration for providing space for birds to nest, Lars Lachmann from Nabu told the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper at the weekend.

He said wartime ruins, which could still be found particularly in Berlin and other eastern cities until recently, had provided ideal accommodation for many birds, town pigeons included. They build their nests on ledges where there is some shelter.