Be they adored or despised, pigeons are one of the world’s most numerous and prosperous bird groups, with over 350 species spread across six continents. Although we seldom ever see their young, they may be very prevalent in urban and suburban regions.
You have probably never seen many baby pigeons in your life unless you maintain and raise these lovely birds, or you have had the opportunity to watch a busy nest. On the other hand, juvenile birds—known as squabs—have a really unusual look and an intriguing upbringing!
With the purpose of removing some of the mystique surrounding young pigeons and providing you with an insight into their early years, we have produced this guide. Learn about the biology, look, and significance of newborn pigeons by reading along with us.
What’s the appearance of a Pigeon Baby?
With pink or grayish skin and a thin layer of golden down feathers, baby pigeons are born blind and defenseless. Their huge, closed eyes are readily apparent below their outwardly evident external ear holes, and they have a meaty, thick bill.
At 30 days old, their weight will have increased to between 270 and 350 grams, measuring around 5 centimeters in length and 15 grams in weight. They gain 4 to 8 grams of mass every day.
Squabs resemble adults in appearance as they become older; during the first week, they open their eyes and begin to brown their plumage. They are clearly identifiable by the third week, even though they are still smaller and have fewer feathers than their parents.
Compared to the white color of adults, the cere, the white growth that rests above a bird’s beak, is more pinkish-grey on juveniles and fledglings. The iridescent green and purple around the neck also seem to be absent from them.
The eyes of adult pigeons are yellow, orange, or reddish-orange, whereas those of juveniles under eight months of age are medium-brown or greyish-brown. Additionally, the eye area’s feathers could seem darker than those of an adult.
A Pigeon’s Whole Life
Breeding Behaviors of Pigeons: Pigeons may begin to reproduce as early as six months of age, sometimes even in their first year of life. Although they will take a new mate if their current one vanishes, these birds are monogamous and establish lifelong relationships.
Feral Pigeons are among the species that reproduce profusely; they may produce up to six broods year! Unlike songbirds, who can only nest in the spring, they have developed a unique chick-feeding behavior that enables them to rear squabs even in situations where food supplies are few.
Eggs may hatch throughout the year since most pigeons breed year-round. Most pigeon chicks hatch in the spring and summer, often between May or June and August or November.
Usually consisting of just a few branches, the nest itself is an ugly construction. On the other hand, given their abundance, pigeons are clearly skilled at what they do! While the male’s primary responsibility is material collection, both sexes collaborate in the building of the nest.
Egg Stage: Pigeons often lay two or three plain white eggs, while three is the most common number. Eggs laid by regular feral pigeons and rock doves hatch in around eighteen days, but Woodpigeon eggs hatch a day or two earlier.
The hatching time of the eggs is two days apart or on the same day. Without assistance from its parents, the young pigeon breaks the shell from the inside using its egg teeth, however this process may take more than a day.
The typical pigeon egg is 38.4 mm long and 28.6 mm wide. Pigeon eggs are petite and white. It weighs 14.6g on average. The eggshell has a thickness of around 0.18 mm.
Phases of Growth
Because they are altricial, baby pigeons are relatively immature when they hatch and depend on their parents for warmth and sustenance. For almost four weeks, the young birds are confined to their nests, during which they will develop into fully fledged juveniles that are roughly twenty times larger than when they first hatch.
Allow us to examine many significant turning points in their growth:
Day 1: Weak and blind, the baby pigeon hatches. Its feathers are yellowish and resemble hair.
Day 5: The squab is bigger and has eyes that are at least half open.
Day 10: On the wings, back, tail, and breast, prominent pin feathers may be seen.
Day 16: Throughout several body areas, the pin feathers have expanded into adult-colored plumage.
Day 21: The bird has almost developed all of its feathers, albeit they are still immature.
Day 28: By the conclusion of its fourth week, a juvenile bird in a warm season may have grown to the point of fledging.
The Fledging Process
About four weeks old, or 25–32 days, is when baby pigeons depart the nest. Since they cannot fly yet and are thus easy prey for predators, this is a highly perilous period for them.
While seeing young Pigeons on the ground is not unusual, after a day or two they normally manage to climb up onto a higher perch and go to the skies. For many days, their parents will feed them, and at initially, they don’t go far from the nest.
How Come You Can’t See Pigeon Babies?
It’s quite unusual that you will see a newborn pigeon before it leaves the nest unless you raise pigeons or happen to stumble across one on a tall balcony, rooftop, or in some vegetation.
There have been a lot of conspiracy ideas about pigeons to explain why there haven’t been any sightings, but the real answer is rather straightforward.
Building their nests out of sight allows pigeons to protect their eggs and young from foxes and other terrestrial predators. Since the young pigeons resemble their parents when they leave the nest, many people fail to notice that they are fledglings.
Baby Pigeon Nutrition and Feeding
An Overview of Pigeon Milk
Among birds, pigeons are unique in that they provide milk to their young. The crop, a pouch-like portion of the digestive system next to the neck, is where pigeons generate their milk, in contrast to mammals whose mammary glands do the same job.
An increase in prolactin, an endocrine system hormone, stimulates crop milk production in both male and female pigeons. This nutrient-dense food is low in carbs and heavy in fat (over 30%) and protein (about 60%). Vital minerals, vitamins, and antibodies are also present.
The Feeding Procedure
To get the squabs to eat, adult pigeons gently prod them and open their bills. The young Pigeon has to place its bill into its parent’s mouth to get crop milk straight from the source, unlike other birds who open their beaks to be fed.
It’s recommended to obtain assistance from a professional rehabilitator before trying to care for a young squab, since hand-feeding Pigeons requires such a particular diet.
Dietary Adjustments
First-weekling Pigeons exclusively eat crop milk; second-weekling Pigeons also eat partly digested plant material, thanks to their parents. The baby squabs are weaned off crop milk and given softened adult food exclusively after approximately two weeks.
Habits of Nesting for Protection and Survival
While nesting preferences vary throughout pigeon species, most of them choose building their nests high above the ground. While Feral Pigeons usually nest on man-made structures like buildings and bridges, Wood Pigeons choose hedges and tree forks as their nesting sites. Although some couples choose accessible positions on roofs or the floors of abandoned buildings, pigeons often prefer to construct their nests in concealed, protected areas.
Parental Care Techniques and Predator Avoidance
Pigeons construct their nests in secret or difficult-to-reach locations to avoid being eaten by predators, while many other small carnivores, like raccoons, magpies, and crows, will consume the eggs and young if they can discover a nest.
Since they are essentially helpless against bigger predators, adult pigeons will often abandon the nest when threatened by a predator or a person. In an emergency, they may, however, also use their wings to bite or slap adversaries.
Survival Percentages
Just over half of baby pigeons will survive their first year in the world, which is a perilous place for them. Threats include harsh weather, window and car crashes, predators such domestic cats and birds of prey, and malnutrition.
Fostering Orphaned or Damaged Baby Pigeons
It is common for young pigeons to spend their first day or two outside of the nest on the ground, as previously noted, and this is quite natural. Make sure your pets are kept inside for a few days until the baby Pigeon develops wings if you discover it outside the nest with all of its feathers.
Every now and again, younger birds are found after falling out of their nests, which is dangerous since they cannot live on their own. Look for the pigeon’s nest and, if you can, give the chick back to its parents.
Your best bet if you can’t get a young pigeon back in its nest is to put it in a warm, dark, and secure container and give a local animal rehabilitator a call for further guidance and help. It is better to leave caring for newborn birds to the experts since it is a challenging and time-consuming task.
The Ecosystem’s Use of Pigeons
In both urban and natural environments, pigeons are very significant. They spread seeds to encourage plant development and serve as a significant food source for several other species, including raptors such as the Peregrine Falcon and Cooper’s Hawk.
Pigeons are considered a nuisance in metropolitan areas, however they are one of the few animals that can adapt well enough to live in such altered lifestyles, thus they should be respected.
Not all pigeon species, of course, are as adaptable, and some face serious challenges due to habitat loss and other factors. One species already extinct due to extinction is the American Passenger Pigeon.
Myths and Reality Regarding Pigeon Babies
A cursory look around the internet yields some really amazing and bizarre theories on newborn pigeons and the reasons for their extreme rarity. A popular misconception holds that while young pigeons are fully formed when they are born, they don’t really exist.
To dispel this fallacy once and for all, let’s examine the facts!
When they hatch from their eggs, baby pigeons are little and defenseless. At this point, they seem very different from their parents.
The squabs spend around a month in the nest while they grow and develop their feathers.
Because pigeon nests are often securely camouflaged, young birds are hardly observed until they are ready to fly.
It’s simple to confuse fledglings for adults since pigeons are well-developed when they leave the nest.
When are young pigeons able to fly?
Generally speaking, young pigeons may begin to fly about six weeks of age. However, around 4 weeks, they will begin to flap their wings in order to begin training and education. It’s at this period that you may often see them taking off and landing at low altitudes.
Like everything else that involves flight, it’s entirely intuitive and will happen soon after the bird has fledged the nest. Parent pigeons are very helpful to their young as they are learning to fly; they will prod and prod at their young to try to stimulate movement.
When will the young pigeons leave the nest?
The time of year determines how long they spend in the nest. Winter may last up to 45 days, whereas summer typically lasts between 25 and 32 days.
In the first few weeks after becoming a fledged bird, it is not unusual for the bird to lose a significant amount of weight. This is because they usually weigh a lot before they leave the nest.
Before they are completely ready to fly, the majority of young pigeons will fledge and spend a few days searching for food on the ground. Pigeons may fledge and become unable to return to their nest under certain situations. This may occur if the nest is high up and the fledgling bird is still too immature to fly. They will often grovel for food from their parents and other adults if this occurs.
Final Thoughts
A unique family of birds, pigeons, and doves have played a significant role in human history for thousands of years. Even though we seldom ever see them, these birds are still a common sight everywhere from inner-city apartment buildings to backyard hedges. They are still an integral part of people’s daily lives all over the world.
Although their remarkable development rates, distinctive appearance, and nursing mothers make them intriguing to observe, young pigeons are not mysterious at all!
We have a tonne of other informative pieces on young pigeons, as well as an expanding collection of guides, species profiles, and articles about birds from across the globe. If you liked this post, please explore our website and consider sharing it with your friends or subscribing to get updates on more amazing bird material!
