Campus Trend: Little Cow Pigeon

AROUND CAMPUS, there’s a little bird with a big following. Nicknamed Little Cow Pigeon because of its distinctive blackon-white markings that resemble those of a dairy cow, the pigeon has nearly 2,000 followers on Instagram (@littlecowpigeon) and has served as the inspiration for student art projects, Halloween costumes, a crochet pattern and at least one tattoo.

It all started in November 2017, when “Have You Seen This Bird?” flyers appeared around campus directing people to post Little Cow Pigeon sightings on Instagram. “I thought maybe everyone sees this pigeon, but nobody acknowledges it,” Katie Borton ’18 recalled. The film major started the account as a joke, assuming it would die out after she graduated. “Just as I was preparing to move out of state, the account picked up real speed and I just kept with it. As long as people wanted to shout-out Cow Pigeon I was going to keep posting their submissions,” she said. This fall, Borton, who now lives in Nevada, raised $100 for Portland animal hospital DoveLewis, selling a Little Cow Pigeon enamel pin and sticker pack on Etsy.com.

As the magazine went to press, there hadn’t been a recorded sighting of Little Cow Pigeon since December, causing some to fear the beloved oddball is no more. But one thing’s for sure, Little Cow Pigeon left tracks through the hearts of many at PSU. As student Claire Golden wrote: “I get weird looks sometimes for getting so excited over a pigeon, but life is more fun when you get excited over the little things.”