A small contingent of chunky, dove-like birds cautiously patter around a clearing in a park in suburban Sydney. Suddenly, a feral cat pounces out from some nearby brush, narrowly missing a flock ...

When we think of the pigeon, most of us envisage a dirty, straggly bird persistently getting a bit too close to our sandwich. For many, the bird is considered vermin – quite simply a 'rat with wings'.