I don't think pigeons are the smartest birds in the air......they move slowly like the turtle doves in the first place, but are even more STUPID than the turtle doves.

You handled the situation so caringly.....I think it's so important to stop & care for an animal/bird if it's not dead but injured. Can't stand to see any creature suffer without at least our trying to do what ever is possible.

Just a comment on the intelligence of pigeons:
A group of us from where I worked drove to down town Los Angeles for a yummy Mexican burrito lunch. While standing there ordering our lunch, there was a pigeon in the street.....& the bus that was SLOWLY driving along ended up running over the dumb pigeon that didn't move a bit while the bus was slowly coming at it.

But then any bird who gets scared off by a fake owl sitting on a roof can't be all that smart. Pigeons can be very pretty & I think if safely kept as pets & cared for are nice.....but so many have gone wild & just roost where ever they become used to roosting in groups not owned by anyone (unlike the banded one you sadly hit).......

Guess there is that saying.....survival of the fittest. Those pigeons who do survive just do because they don't land someplace where it's not save.

Five years ago when I was driving back to my farm for Christmas & picking up my daughter at the airport on the way, the car in front of us hit a cat that was crossing the street. They didn't stop. The cat was seriously injured but drug itself off as fast as possible with it's front legs into the bushes. I pulled over my truck & horse trailer & my daughter & I took a blanket & went after the cat. I found the local humane society & contacted them to bring in the cat. Knew if possible they would care for it or put it down so it wouldn't be in pain. It's back was broken/fractured & there was nothing they could do for the cat....but at least we cared enough to do what we could & not allow the cat to suffer.

So often I have come to a screeching halt trying to avoid hitting a turtle dove that's soooooo slow in taking off from sitting in the street. One time my little eskie dog who was leisurely laying in the passenger seat ended up on the floor when I stopped for a dang turtle dove......but I do the same thing for squirrels & rabbits & ground hogs.

Will never forget one time driving to Mammoth to go skiing for the weekend, we were driving at night....there was a jack rabbit with it's really LONG ears sitting in the highway......it just kept sitting there luckily as we drove with tires on either side.....he was still sitting there in the tail lights after we drove past....but I'm sure his ears got singed.

I keep my eyes scanning the sides of the road constantly far in front of me for any movement & slow down if I see any movement at all so I can stop if necessary. Only thing I have ever hit was a chipmunk & a bird flew into the front of my truck. I am sooooooo careful when it comes to animals, birds or anything else in the road.....even dodging already hit animals.

Mind you......I live in the country......however my friend lives in the outskirts of the city.....the other night while driving home from her apartment in my LARGE truck, I caught movement & then waddling across the road in front of my truck went a skunk......I stopped way back so that it wouldn't even think twice that I might be a threat. The smell of skunk is a bad trigger for my migraines even with the pain med I'm on.....so I was definitely NOT about to get my truck sprayed. I don't know what causes the skunks around my farm to decide in the middle of the night to let go with their odor.....but many times around 3am, when I have my windows open, the strong odor of skunk comes wafting into my windows.....enough to make me SICK & like I said....really triggers my migraines