Do Pigeons Talk to Each Other?

Almost all animals have some form of communication. I wouldn’t call it talking. Talking involves a complicated exchange of ideas. Pigeons cannot do that. But they sure have a way to convey information.

So, do pigeons talk to each other? Yes, pigeons communicate with each other. And you can take that as talking in the animal kingdom.
They primarily make “coo” sounds to communicate. And they can use other sounds and different body movements to talk to other pigeons and their human owners.

In this comprehensive guide, I will detail the communication methods of pigeons. To learn more about pigeon talking, read on till the end.

Do Pigeons Talk to Each Other? – How Do Pigeons Talk?

Pigeons make a cooing sound. They make different pitches of this sound with different levels of vibration, signifying different things.

Along with different body movements, they can communicate a lot. Context also plays a big role here.

Sound for Mating Calls and Happiness

Pigeons breed all around the year. To breed, the males attract females with a cooing sound. They make prolonged cooing sounds to attract each other.

The prolonged coo sounds are like they are humming. Among many other sounds they make, the mating call is significant and greatly pronounced.

Watch the following video: a male pigeon cooing mating call to attract its female partner.

Aside from cooing mating sounds, male pigeons also create wing beating.

They create rapid flapping sounds by beating their wings. This communication sound represents the strength, power and stamina of male pigeons to the female ones.

Different species of pigeons have different rhythms in their cooing call.
For example, a mourning dove can make a soft oo-oo sound. This could be a longer series of five coos. On the other hand, the wood pigeon mostly makes a series of seven coos.

However, aside from mating calls, pigeons also make a coo sound to say they are happy or they are defending their territory. If you are a pigeon owner and your pigeon makes a soft coo sound with you, it most likely is happy.

High-pitched cooing sounds are basically for attracting mates.

Warning Calls or Defending Territory

Like many other birds, pigeons also communicate with each other when facing any threat or defending their territory. They warn each other with a particular cooing sound.

Their warning calls are like a short grunting, most likely a “whoo” sound.

With this sound, they warn other pigeons so that they can take necessary action to defend themselves from any threat.

Hear the following sound of the pigeon’s warning.

Aside from short grunting, crested pigeons located in Australia make whistling with their feathers to talk to each other about danger.

Male to Male Pigeon Call for Communication

One of the most common choosing sounds male pigeons produce is gurgling coo. They create these sounds particularly to talk to other males. The sound comes from the deeper side of their throat.

Sound When Pigeons Are Distressed

Pigeons make a particular sound called grunting to communicate with their flock members or the owner.

The sound is a low-pitched sound that comes from the deep of the throat. With the sound, they try to signal potential health issues. Aside from this, they may try to make their owners understand that they need attention.

They can also be in pain, fear, or distress. As a pigeon owner, you must understand the meaning of their sounds to take necessary action if they are in discomfort.

The grunt sound may differ from species to species. For example, rock pigeons’ grunt sound is soft, which is typical. On the other hand, the grunting sound of white-crowned pigeons is almost growling.

Additionally, the grunt sound of the Eurasian collared dove is like “hwaah.”

Food Call by Baby Pigeons

Pigeons make a wheezy noise. With this sound, they tell their parents to bring food for them when they are hungry. They also flap their wings for food.

Besides, baby pigeons make whistling sounds to say to other adult pigeons that they are not a threat. They do so when they are about six weeks old and leave the nest to fly.

Different Body Movement

Aside from making sounds, pigeons also talk to each other with different body movements. Here are some of them.
Preening Feathers

Male and female mates preen to each other’s feathers to show their affection.

Feeding

Male pigeons also offer food to female pigeons when the male approaches for sex. With this offering, female pigeons understand the purpose. If the females accept the food, that means now it is saying, “Okay, now mount on me.”

Billing

Billing is another way to talk about the affection between a male and a female.

Appearing Bigger

Male pigeons do it to scare off mating competition. They also do a bowling action to appear bigger to attract females.

Learn about pigeon lifestyle in “Pigeon Habits” . We cover their eating, nesting, and interactions with humans.

How Often Do Pigeons Talk to Each Other?

This is not universal. You can’t say the pigeons are talking to each other at any particular gap. The frequency of communication of pigeons depends on several factors.

For example, for mating, males can talk to the females every three months to tell them they need to mate. And for baby pigeons, they may ask their parents every morning for food.

On the other hand, members of a pigeon flock can communicate to others when they suspect any danger while flying or resting. This can happen daily.

Can Pigeons Talk Like Humans?

Now you know how pigeons talk to each other. It clearly indicates that pigeons can’t talk like humans. They make sounds to talk to other pigeons or signal their needs to their human owners.

However, pigeons have different tones in their sound-making. They also have different body movements and postures to communicate.

Can Pigeons Be Taught to Talk?

No, you can’t teach pigeons to talk like humans or other talking birds like parrots. They don’t have vocal organs like talking birds. As a result, they can’t talk and it is not possible to teach them to talk.

Can Pigeons Talk Like Parrots?

No, pigeons can’t talk like parrots. Parrots have neurobiological substrates for vocal control and learning ability. There are four nuclei in parrots’ anterior forebrain pathway loop.

The pallium is connected to the thalamus and basal ganglia by these nuclei. Three nuclei are also present in their posterior routes.

The parrots’ brainstem directly projects these nuclei. These regulate the parrots’ vocal organs and if trained, they can speak certain human words.

But unlike parrots, pigeons don’t have such nuclei. As a result, they can’t talk like parrots.

Final Take

The answer to the question “Do pigeons talk to each other?” is a yes. Though they don’t speak like a human, they have their own sound-making capability to talk to communicate in their pigeon community.

If you are a pigeon lover, hobbyist, or research student, learning about the ability to talk with pigeons will help you gain insight into the pigeon lifestyle ecosystem.

Also, if you are a pigeon owner, learning about the pigeon sound is necessary to take care of them.