Watch a video of a pigeon hatching! This video was taken by Matt Kalman in Brooklyn, NY
Why don't we ever see any baby pigeons? This urban mystery does have an answer. Pigeon nests are well hidden, and
the young usually stay in their nests until they are nearly full-grown. By
the time the young birds called "squabs" are ready to fly and leave
their nests, it's hard to tell them apart from their parents. Sometimes they may
weigh more than adult pigeons!
How can you tell young birds (juveniles) apart from the adults?
Look at the color of their eyes and ceres (the fleshy covering
on the upper part of the beak).
Adult pigeons have orange or reddish orange eyes and juveniles that are
less than six to eight months old have medium brown or grayish brown eyes.
The cere is white in adults and grayish in young pigeons.
Pigeon family:
Hen: an adult female pigeon
Cock: an adult male pigeon
Hatchling: a newly hatched pigeon just a few days old
Squab: a young pigeon from 1-30 days old. When ready to leave its
nest, a squab can sometimes weigh more than its parents.
Peeper or Squeaker: a young bird that is learning to eat
Fledgling: a bird that is ready to fly or that has just taken its
first flight
Juvenile: a bird out of its nest and flying but less than eight months
old
How long do pigeons live?
Pigeons can live about five years in the wild. They sometimes live for more
than 15 years when raised by people.
Nests: A pigeon nest usually is constructed on covered building ledges
that resemble cliffs, a Rock Pigeon's natural habitat. They also nest and
roost on the support structures under bridges in cities and along highways.
Pigeons build their nests with small twigs. A cock brings the nesting material
to his mate, one piece at a time, and she builds the nest. Sometimes they don't
use much nesting material at all and lay their eggs on bare ground. Nests are
usually well-hidden and hard to find. Pigeons will often re-use nests.
Eggs and incubation: Pigeons usually lay two white eggs. The parents
take turns keeping their eggs warm (incubating). Males usually stay on the nest
during the day; females, at night. Eggs take about 18 days to hatch.
Food for
young: Both male and female parent pigeons produce a special substance
called "pigeon milk," which they feed to their hatchlings during their first
week of life. Pigeon milk is made in a special part of the bird's digestive
system called the "crop." When hatchlings are about one week old, the parents
start regurgitating seeds with crop milk; eventually seeds replace the pigeon
milk.
Leaving the nest: Young pigeons leave the nest or fledge approximately
30 days after hatching.
