You may have ever wondered while walking down the street. Why do we never see newborn pigeons? Where are all the pigeons? The reason we never see the young is because they stay in the nest until they are fully feathered and have grown enough to hover on the ground. Also, although we always wonder why we don’t see baby pigeons, we hardly ever see the young of other birds, except for waterfowl.
These birds, which belong to the order of the Paseeriformes , are commonly known as perching birds. Although it is true that they do not leave the nest until they are about the same size as an adult pigeon, some species tend to nest in high places such as roofs or bridges. Therefore, even if they jump out of their nests they are still out of the sight of people, while other birds place their nest in lower trees or in bushes that can be easily seen.
Additionally, pigeons spend more time with young birds than other birds, and the young grow much faster than other species of birds. The rock pigeon was domesticated thousands of years ago, which gave rise to the house pigeon (Columba livia domestica). Although there are many species, this pigeon still retains the instincts of that wild bird that nested in the mountains and cliffs of Europe, Africa and western Asia. Hence, it continues to nest in the highest trees and buildings.
Learn to spot a pigeon
Although young pigeons look a lot like adult pigeons, it is possible to tell them apart if you look closely. Pigeons have grayish-brown eyes for the first six months of life, and then they turn reddish or orange in color. In addition, the fleshy part on the beak, called the wax, is gray when the bird is young, instead of white.
Likewise, young pigeons can also be differentiated by their behavior, since they tend to be more restless.
