Are Pigeons Good Parents?
There’s this fallacy about pigeons being unprotective over their babies since they abandon their squabs when predators scare them. Now it may lead you to wonder, are pigeons good parents?
Well, they are, in fact one of the most protective, solicitous, and loving guardians. The mother pigeon plays the role of a safety net for the baby. Thus, sometimes you can’t even tell that there’s a baby underneath her body.
To keep the babies warm, sheltered, and unharmed, pigeons tend to guard them 24/7 unless they are on the lookout for food.
Here, to put more emphasis on this topic, I have curated different informative segments where you will find all your answers. Let’s get into it.
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Why Do Pigeons Abandon Their Babies?
I have met people who scoff at pigeon parenting due to their tendency to leave their babies. You may deem it as an act of selfishness or pure indifference, but the truth is, they do it when push comes to shove.
When predators scare the pigeons to the extent that it feels life-threatening, they abandon their babies and fly off.
Let’s be real, pigeons are in no position to fight us humans or any feral creature. The best they can do is to retort by making sounds or gestures. However, they keep on defending until there’s the last straw.
Another scenario exists where pet pigeons feel anxious due to the noise that surrounds them. As they are utterly observant and wary of strangeness, they identify potential risks and may leave their babies.
But let me remind you one more time that they are inherently heroic (known as war heroes), and they fight till they can physically afford to keep their babies untouched.
This is one of the thousand myths that still dwells in people’s minds that pigeon leaves their babies, but as I have already mentioned, they are one of the most attentive parents.
Do Pigeons Feel Offended When Their Babies Are Taken Away?
If you are a parent and I ask you the same question, you may look at me with bloodshot eyes out of anger and say something that will shut my mouth forever.
Similarly, when it comes to pigeons, they feel not only offended but also experience emotional distress if their babies are taken away from them. I won’t say they feel the same level of pain as us humans, but they sure do feel intense stress and profound sadness (not for long).
Now, why it seems so easy for them to renounce their authority over their babies? Well, pigeons are monogamous, and they mate till their last breath. Their breeding period lasts till the end of the year, and during this timespan, you can assume how many babies they bring to this world.
Also, not just one they can lay up to three eggs in their nests, and when they are born, the mother sits on top of them to provide warmth and prevent unnecessary attention over their squabs. (a fancy word used for baby pigeons) That’s how pigeons look at you when you try to harm their babies
How Do Pigeons Care for Their Young?
First thing first, let me explain what ‘Taking Care’ looks like when it comes to pigeons as in their necessities. Baby pigeons or squabs require a warm, dark and enclosed environment to grow. And not to mention, they need to be fed by their parents.
This means they should be provided with all of these facilities to become a well-functioning adult. Now, the parent pigeons offer exactly that. How?
Imagine this, the mother sits on top of the nest where the chicks are, and now the nest is enclosed and bereft of any light sensitivity. What else? The warmth, right? No need to worry, the squabs are warm and cozy if the pigeons are protecting them under their bodies.
How Do Pigeons Feed Their Babies?
Do pigeons drop the food in their baby’s beak just like other birds?
Nope! They embed their beaks inside the baby’s throat so the baby could suck on them. As squabs don’t gape for food, this feeding process is the most ideal one.
How Do Pigeons Protect Their Babies?
Adding more to this, pigeons hate to draw any human attention to their squabs. Just like our parents refuse to leave us in the crowd until we are adults and ready to defend ourselves, pigeons don’t leave their children until they are fifteen days old.
Then they start leaving the baby in pursuit of collecting food. However, as pigeons co-parent, when the mother leaves for food, the father or the other mother takes care of the squab.
Just so you know, two female pigeons can mate when they can’t find a male partner (quite progressive, I must say). Seldom do they completely leave their squabs alone until the young pigeons learn to walk and fledge.
In four weeks of their birth, they start to walk, stumble, and fledge. Within 5 to 6 weeks, they have their first flight under the supervision of their parents.
Through many failed and successful endeavors, the young pigeons finally learn to fly and fend for themselves, becoming an adult and leaving the nest (sounds melodramatic, doesn’t it?)
Are Pigeons Good Mothers?
They are, undoubtedly! Here’s how –
- They don’t leave the squabs alone until they are fully trained and ready to fly and fend for themselves.
- They keep the chicks warm, sheltered, and protected from predators.
- The chicks need to be fed every three hours, and to appease the need, the mother pigeon goes for food hunting in multiple sessions over the day and feeds their squabs affectionately.
- They teach the six weeks old pigeons to fly under their guidance and keep on perfecting them till they fully learn to fly without hurting themselves.
These are the roles a pigeon plays as a mother, and you can certainly tell whether it’s ideal or not.
I would say they are amazing as mothers and, in some cases, better than humans who spend their lives as absent parents.
Do Pigeons Parent Together?
Yes, they co-parent the squabs and ensure the wellness of their babies until they become adults.
Not just that, in the absence of the mother pigeon, the father protects the baby and compensates for the void the baby must be feeling without the mother’s warmth.
They take care of the baby in allocated shifts, roughly six hours for each (how this negotiation came to terms? No idea. Must be discussed between them through pigeon-cooing communication. Very intriguing, indeed).
The parents will craft some mini locomotives and shuffle over the eggs after hatching and will never leave them unattended or exposed.
To conclude, both parents work in unison and fulfill their due diligence as parents until their defenseless babies learn to fly and thrive for themselves.
Can Baby Pigeons Learn to Fly on Their Own?
Naturally, they will start to walk, flap their wings, stumble and make small attempts to elevate when they are about 4 weeks old.
Nonetheless, within six weeks, the parent guides them to fly, and when they are successful, they leave them on their own without any assistance. That’s how they learn to fly independently and look for food.
Do Pigeons Stay With Their Parents?
As funny as it may sound, pigeons are quite like one of those adult humans who like to stay dependent on their parents. It’s more of choice than convenience.
Once they are adults, they don’t necessarily have to stay with their parents, but some choose to (as long as the parents tolerate it).
In the first two weeks, they are in no position to defend themselves as they can’t walk, fly, hunt or collect food. The young pigeons fledge around four weeks after hatching, and within 6 weeks of age, they learn to fly and don’t require assistance anymore.
Some choose to stay with their parents, and some start mating with other pigeons and take shelter somewhere else (classic! Isn’t it?)
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So now, if someone asks you, are pigeons good parents? I am certain you will have the confidence and clarity to say, Yes, They Surely Are!
With all fairness, the ‘Parenting Psychology‘ works similarly to us, if not the same, amid pigeons. Talk about the ‘Grooming’ pattern, the ‘Defensive’ nature, and the ‘Rigid Protectiveness’, these are all present in pigeon parents.
Image Credit:
- Canva.com/photos
