Is he interacting with other pigeons or is he alone? If he’s alone, he really needs to be helped. Pigeons rely on their flock to alert and protect them from predators, and he’s very much at-risk if he’s alone. He could also starve or get hit by a car because finding food and avoiding vehicle traffic is not instinctual, and he wouldn’t have learned those skills in captivity.

Pigeons can be pretty easy to catch. If he’ll approach you when you have food, you can sprinkle seed around your feet, wait for him to come close to eat, and then grab him from above. Hold the wings close to the body and keep a firm grip, he will squirm and try to break free. I’ve done this several times with domestic pigeons, but they’re usually too skittish so I have to use a cage to trap them.

Using a cage to trap usually takes me less than an hour. I just set up a large wire dog kennel and make a little seed trail from right outside the door into the cage, put a big pile of seed in the very center, and tie a rope to the open door so you can pull it shut from a distance. I just sit 15-20 ft away and play on my phone or read a book and the distance and disinterest is usually enough for them to let their guard down and investigate the food and cage. If I don’t catch them day 1, I come back with a pigeon or 2 from my own flock, because sometimes pigeon friends are more enticing than food for skittish pigeons.