Curious about pigeons? Plenty of people are.

What follows are a few of the most common questions PigeonWatch staff answer about the common pigeon, also known as the Rock Dove (Columba livia).

Why don't I ever see any baby pigeons?

You may already have seen newly fledged young pigeons but didn't recognize them. They look much like adults, but younger nestling pigeons are more difficult to see. Adult pigeons build nests in hard-to-reach places, such as covered crevices along building ledges, in the nooks and crannies of building beams and rafters, or in hidden-away places under bridges. You can find these birds nesting just about anywhere in the urban environment that resembles the caves and sea cliffs of their natural environment in Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa.

During their first week of life, the well-hidden baby pigeons are fed a high-fat, high-protein diet of crop milk produced by both parents. They grow very fast. They walk well at about 18 days of age and start exercising their wings about a week later. But because they have been regularly fed by the adults and haven't done much exercising, the birds are often bigger than their parents by the time they start to fly, which is on average 30 to 32 days after hatching.

Some young pigeons, or squabs, might venture away from the nest site before fledging, but most stay close to home. So we humans aren't likely to lay eyes on a juvenile pigeon until it is full-grown. maybe even temporarily a little plumper than its parents. and has taken flight and begun to scrabble for food with other city pigeons.

Why don't pigeons perch on trees like other birds? Why do they like buildings?

Pigeons will perch on trees, but they are better adapted to the built environment of urban areas. That's because human-made structures are good substitutes for the cliffs and ledges of the birds' natural habitat.

What's going on when a pigeon puffs up and struts around?

The puffed-up, strutting bird is a male pigeon courting and showing off for a female. Males fluff their iridescent neck feathers, reflecting shimmering green, bronze, and purple; they spread their tail feathers; they parade or dance in a circle around the female; they coo loudly. This courtship behavior may lead to mating or it might serve to strengthen the lifelong bonds of an already-mated pair.

Although you can see pigeon courtship all year long, it peaks in springtime in urban areas around the globe.

Watch pigeons up close this spring! Distinguish the young from the adults:

* Look at their ceres. The heart-shaped growth at the top of the pigeon's beak, the cere, is dull and grayish in young birds and white in adults.

* Look at their eyes. The eyes of a young bird are brown. The eyes of an adult bird are orange to orange-red in color. n