Fascinating Facts, Pictures and Answers to FAQs About These Elusive Little Wonders
It’s rare to see a baby pigeon in the wild. They are very rarely seen outside their high nest unless they accidentally fall out. If you do see one, you might not even recognise that it is a pigeon, they look so very different to their adult forms.
But these babies, while maybe lacking in physical charm, develop into one of the most intelligent and family orientated birds you can find. While seen perhaps as a pest or vermin to some, these loving birds have helped humans through war, and hard times. They have helped warn us, direct us and communicate for us. They really are fantastic birds.
Here are some awesome baby pigeon facts you might not know, as well as answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Baby Pigeon Facts
A Baby Pigeon Is Called A Squab
Baby pigeons are born from eggs which are laid in a ‘clutch‘ – usually of 1-2 eggs depending on the breed. This clutch is laid in a ‘nest‘ usually high up.
While many baby birds are commonly called chicks, the official name for a baby pigeon, is a ‘squab‘. They are also sometimes referred to as ‘squeakers‘ unofficially. These terms are usually reserved for baby pigeons that have moved on from being hatchlings out of the shell, but still less than 4 weeks old and not yet ready to take flight.
It may also be used to describe pigeons a bit older when it comes to eating them. Squab are seen as a delicacy in some places, but what diners call ‘squab’ are usually a bit older than that.
Once they reach a few weeks old into the juvenile stage, they are called ‘fledglings‘. When they grow up, female breeding pigeons are called pigeon ‘hens‘ and male pigeons are ‘cocks‘. Males are usually a bit bigger than females, but it can be hard to tell the difference.
There are a few different collective nouns for groups of pigeons, depending on their activity or location. For example, some breeders call a group of pigeons ‘kits‘. A group that are in flight are often called just that, a ‘flight‘ of pigeons.
Both Parents Are Involved In Bringing Up Baby Pigeons
Not only do fathers help incubate the eggs, but they continue to care for their young even after they hatch. Both male and female pigeons produce a secretion called “crop milk,” which is full of nutrients and fed to squabs. It’s regurgitated from an organ called the crop, different from how most mammals produce and feed milk to their young.
For the first 5 or so days they will feed their young this milk, then supplement the milk with small seeds and occasionally small invertebrates until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
The close family relationship goes beyond raising their young. Some bonded pigeon pairs are known to partner up for life, sharing their responsibilities and chores.
To keep their squabs safe, pigeons take turns cooing whenever they sense a predator close by. If the threat is urgent, the parents will also try to divert the attacker’s attention away from their babies.
Squabs Prefer To Stay Out Of Sight
Pigeons like to make their nests high up and in hidden, secluded areas. High branches, rooftops and beams in barns are common places to find a pigeon nest. Squabs tend to stay in their nest for weeks until they reach the Juvenile stage of life. The exception to this is if they are unfortunate enough to fall out of the nest but not yet able to fly.
When they reach this stage and finally leave the nest to venture out into the world, they look much more similar to adult pigeons than their squab phase.
Baby Pigeons Learn To Fly In Around 6 Weeks
Baby pigeons start learning to fly when they are about two or three weeks old. They will practice flying in their nest, and can do little but flap their wings at first. It takes time to develop the skill and strength to take flight.
They don’t get much support while learning to fly but then they don’t need it. It’s instinct that drives their flight and their poor performance at first is just down to the need for practice. With some encouragement they can start to fly in short bursts at low altitude after about three to four weeks. By six weeks, they are virtual aces. At this stage, young pigeons can keep up with the flock, at altitude or in formation.
Baby Pigeons Develop An Exceptional Sense Of Direction
It’s no surprise that for centuries before the invention of electricity or the automobile, pigeons were commonly used to send messages and letters over great distances. Even today, homing pigeons can be sent as far as 600 miles, at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
Historically, they would fly messages usually in the region of around a 100 mile vicinity. Even so, this was faster than any horse and cart and for a long time it was the quickest way to send messages.
It’s not just their speed that made them great messengers in this regard, but their ability to navigate to and from their ‘home’ and their ‘destination’. This in-built GPS is far better than we mere humans can muster. Baby pigeons develop this sense of navigation early. Coupled with great sight – up to 25 miles on a clear day – and great hearing, these baby birds are quite remarkable.
It is thought that they learn to use landmarks and familiar geography to navigate and find their way home.
Baby Pigeons Are Very Intelligent
It’s not just a great sense of direction and senses that baby pigeons develop. They are incredibly intelligent and complex in many other ways too. For example, they are one of the few species that can pass the so-called “mirror test” – a test which evaluates self-recognition ability. They can identify themselves easily in a reflection.
In one study documented in LiveScience, it is discussed how pigeons were able to distinguish between real words and gibberish with some being able to recognise up to 58 words!
Studies show that they also grow up with the ability to tell apart different photos, and even distinguish between different humans captured in a single photo.
Baby Pigeon FAQs
What Is The Lifecycle Of A Baby Pigeon?
Pigeon squabs are completely dependent on their parents for food and water for the first few weeks of their lives. At around three to four weeks old, they start to fledge, or grow feathers that will allow them to fly. They stay with their parents for another four to six weeks before becoming fully independent.
Pigeons can live for up to 20 years in the wild, though the average lifespan is around six or seven years.
How Many Baby Pigeons Are Born In A Litter?
A typical clutch contains two eggs, which the parents will both help to incubate. After 18 days, the eggs hatch and the baby pigeons, or squabs, emerge.
Some breeds such as the Marquesan imperial pigeon only typically lay one egg in a clutch.
What Do Baby Pigeons Eat?
For the first few days, baby pigeons eat what is known as crop milk, regurgitated by either of their parents for them to digest. After which they will add seeds, berries and sometimes small invertebrates to their diet too. These will be brought to them by their parents until they are able to fly for themselves. Even when they can fly, their parents will usually help find them food and share with them at first.
Where Do Baby Pigeons Live?
Baby pigeons live in nests. They can be found in different places like on top of buildings, in outhouses and barns or in trees. Wild pigeons tend to stick to coastal regions where there is plenty of food and privacy. Feral pigeons on the other hand tend to live almost exclusively where there are humans.
They can be found far and wide around the world with exception to the Sahara Desert, Antarctica and the high Arctic.
What Are The Natural Predators Of Baby Pigeons?
Baby pigeons have a lot of natural predators. Some of these predators include birds of prey that are able to reach them in their high nests. Birds such as peregrine falcons and sparrow hawks are lethal to baby pigeons. Other threats include domestic and feral cats, dogs, raccoons, snakes and coyotes. These predators can kill baby pigeons very easily.