Pigeons
Pigeons mate for life and rear their broods together, although if one
dies the other will take a new mate. Once the simple nest is built, the
female lays an egg and then another a day or so later. The incubation
period for common pigeons is 17 to 19 days. The female sits on the egg
from late afternoon through the night until about 10AM. The male then
takes over and does the day shift. Once the eggs hatch, both parents
feed the young squabs. The first food is pigeon milk or crop milk, a
cheesy substance that appears in the crops of the parents at hatching
time and is fed for a week or so. Then the adults start regurgitating
partially digested grains for the young. By the time the squabs are
ready to fly, about 4 weeks, the father is doing most of the feeding.
The squabs are fed for another week to 10 days after they are
free-flying.
» Male pigeons have the rare ability to lactate, producing milk for the babies just like the females do.
» A grown pigeon has nearly 10,000 feathers.
» Unless forcibly separated, pigeons mate for life.
» A grown pigeon has nearly 10,000 feathers.
» Racing Pigeons routinely maintain flight speeds of 50 to 60 mph.
» Some pigeons reverse-commute, feeding on grain in the country, while living in the city.
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