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If you’ve ever wondered why you rarely see baby pigeons on city streets, you’re not alone. Surprisingly, these young pigeons are hiding in plain sight but only emerge once they’re nearly indistinguishable from adults. The answer lies in their hidden nesting habits, extended nest time, and rapid maturation.
As Marc Devokaitis from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology points out, we tend to see baby waterfowl but not baby songbirds, which remain in their nests until they’re fully feathered and grown. Pigeons, a type of rock dove (Columba livia), follow this same pattern, staying out of sight until they’re mature.
Here’s a closer look at the reasons we don’t spot baby pigeons and where they’re hiding.
Secretive Nesting Habits
Pigeons nest in hard-to-reach places like rooftops, ledges, and bridge undersides, away from human view.
Originally, wild rock pigeons nested in cliffside crevices and caves, and city structures now mimic these natural habitats, allowing pigeons to remain largely unseen.
Long Nesting Periods
Unlike many other birds, pigeon chicks (or “squabs”) stay in their nests for at least three weeks, often up to six weeks.
By the time they leave, they are well-feathered and nearly adult-sized, making them easy to mistake for grown pigeons.
Spotting a Young Pigeon
If you look closely, you might still catch signs of a young pigeon: juvenile pigeons have darker eyes, partially molted feathers, and tapered wingtips.
So, next time you see a pigeon, it might just be a young one—grown enough to blend into city life.
What Do Pigeon Eggs Look Like?
After mating, the female pigeon will typically lay her eggs about one to two weeks later.
Most pigeon clutches consist of two eggs, though occasionally a young or older bird may lay just one.
The eggs are white and somewhat smaller than a chicken egg, measuring around 1.5 inches in length.
Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which takes between 16 and 19 days.
When the eggs hatch, the tiny pigeons, known as squabs, are helpless, featherless, and completely dependent on their parents for survival.
How Do Pigeon Parents Care for Their Young?
Pigeons are devoted parents, and both the male and female play an essential role in raising their young.
One of the unique features of pigeon parenting is their ability to produce “pigeon milk,” a nutrient-rich secretion from the lining of their crop, a small pouch in their throats.
This pigeon milk, produced by both parents, contains antioxidants and immune-boosting properties, making it somewhat similar to mammalian milk.
For the first 10 days, squabs rely on this milk for all their nutritional needs.
Baby pigeons remain in the nest for an extended period, often between four to five weeks.
By the time they’re ready to leave, they’re nearly indistinguishable from adult pigeons in both size and appearance.
This is why we rarely see baby pigeons out in the open; by the time they venture out, they’re already fully feathered and ready for the world.
Life After the Nest: Where Do Young Ones Go?
When juvenile pigeons finally leave the nest, they’re essentially self-sufficient.
Their parents, meanwhile, often begin preparing for a new brood, as pigeons can raise up to five broods a year if conditions are favorable.
The young pigeons join a flock, and within a few months, they too will be ready to find a mate and start raising the next generation of these elusive baby pigeons—who, despite their numbers, will remain nearly invisible to us.
