Pigeons are the quintessential urban bird, considered both an
endearing part of city life and an aggravation. Either way,
almost everyone recognizes this wild neighbor.
Like so many Americans, the pigeon—also known as the rock
dove—is a European immigrant. Early settlers brought pigeons to
North America, where they soon flourished. You can now find
them in almost any city, town, or suburb on the continent.
In the Old World, these birds inhabited cliffs and rock
ledges, nesting in such inaccessible places and foraging on the
ground below. Imported to this continent to serve as food
animals and as message carriers, some pigeons escaped captivity
and found shelter in the artificial "mountain ranges" of
cities.
The pigeon's diet consists primarily of grains and seeds,
along with insects and some greens. They aren't terribly picky
though, and they'll happily accept human food scraps and
leftovers when available.
Pigeons live in groups called flocks, and show a strong
affinity for human-built structures. A courting male pursues
his intended mate on the ground, circling her with neck
feathers inflated and tail spread, bowing and cooing all the
while. Pigeons mate for life, but if one partner dies, the
survivor generally will attempt to find another mate. Pigeons
breed throughout the year, even during winter, and can raise
four or five broods annually. Haphazard nests of twigs, leaves,
and a few feathers are built on window ledges, behind signs,
and under bridges.
Parents take turns incubating the clutch of one or two white
eggs for between 16 and 19 days. Both parents feed the newly
hatched young—called squabs—a secretion known as "crop milk."
Produced from the lining of the crop—a saclike food-storage
organ unique to birds—crop milk is highly nutritious. Squabs
can fly at four to six weeks of age, but remain dependent on
their parents for as long as the adults will tolerate
them—generally another one or two weeks.