How Do Pigeons Raise Their Young

How Do Pigeons Raise Their Young

People tend to think that because pigeons are so common, they must be easy to study. But until recently almost nothing was known about how pigeons raise their young. They nest in inaccessible places and don't seem to mind noise and other disturbances. As a result, their behavior has been difficult to observe.

But now the situation is changing. Biologists in Germany have taken advantage of a curious custom among city-dwelling pigeons: pigeon parents will raise a second brood in the same nest if you add some new nesting material. By removing the first batch of eggs or chicks and substituting dummy eggs, and then using video cameras with ultra-sensitive light sensors, the researchers gotten some surprising insights into how pigeons work together as parents and what they do if something threatens their young.

First, it turns out that both parents keep watch over the eggs while they are incubating them, but one parent (it doesn't matter which) stays on the nest more than the other. The parent that stays on the nest more also spends more time incubating when danger threatens: if a bird of prey flies by or a person comes close, the parent that was sleeping leaves immediately while the other parent stands guard, incubating as much as possible. This way neither parent

Pigeons have a very special way of raising their young. Pigeons are very intelligent birds and have a complex social structure. They mate for life, and stay together even when not raising their young. The male and female share all responsibilities.