Birds of the Moksha

In Russia there are a countless number of different species of birds. Exclusively where the Moksha are living i could not find much information about specific types of birds around that area and how they relate to the Moksha culture. I did find an interesting article that talks about pigeons in Moscow which is not far from Mordovia. Last summer there was an epidemic of Pigeons randomly laying dead in the streets. The article describes that the birds were dying from Newcastle disease and salmonellosis. These diseases were causing pigeons to act like zombies, not reacting to humans whatsoever. The reason that the article found the reason for the random occurrence of dead pigeons; they are dirty and stupid birds. Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief health inspector, stated, "In the hands of Pablo Picasso, a pigeon became an embodiment of peace, but, in fact, in a sanitary sense, they're one of the dirtiest, stupidest birds there are."