Why do I never see any baby pigeons ?

Answer 1

We get this question periodically. Here's the answer:

Pigeons are altricial birds, i.e., they stay in the nest until they can fly. Pigeon young are hatched at 18 days. They stay in the nest till they are about 30-35 days old. When they fly for the first time, you can often see them in flocks among the adults if you know what to look for. Young pigeons have little if any iridescence on the neck. They still often squeal when they chase their parents or other adult trying to con them into feeding them. Their feathers are a bit duller than the adults and their tail feathers often have a slight point to them - where the down was attached.

Pigeon young almost double their weight each day in the nest and pigeon parents feed them well. In fact, for about the first ten days, they actually feed them a "crop milk". It's not really milk as we think of in mammals -- it looks more like a cottage cheese they produce - but it is a high energy food and the youngsters (squeakers) grow fast and well on it. About 7-10 days into the nest period after hatch, the adults begin to add grain, seeds, whatever, to the food that they are giving the youngsters.

There are a lot of young pigeons out there at certain times of year and part of the fun of looking at a flock is to recognize which are young and which are adults.

If you want to find out more, you might want to also check a few sites like:

Source(s):

http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/pigeongenetics/index.html
http://www.pigeon.org

Answer 2

Why do you never see baby pigeons? Do you remember ever seeing a baby pigeon? It has been suggested that pigeons are in fact aliens in disguise and this is why you never see the babies. However, the real reason is that Mummy and Daddy pigeon keep their nests and offspring well hidden, on tall buildings or under bridges, so you don't get to see them till they're ready to leave the nest. Pigeons are also extraordinarily greedy and the babies, or squabs, pork out on milk produced in the crop of both their mother and father until they are of an equal size to their parents. The fact that pigeons only lay two eggs at a time means that they can spoil their little darlings, unlike some other birds that produce several babies, half of which peg it leaving only the strongest. This leads me on to my theory as to why pigeons are stupid, a lack of natural selection against the really thick ones just doesn't happen in childhood and the bad genes don't get weeded out of the gene pool. But that has nothing to do with the original question.
I was sent this great picture by a visitor to the site along with the suggestion that pigeons are in fact, not a true bird but a cross between sewer rats and escaped canaries. The babies are therefore so ugly they are not fit to be seen in public.

Answer 3

I actually helped raise some baby pigeons. To adult racing pigeons had been injured and I took care of them. Later, surprise LOL - they started a family. They are very protective of the little ones and the babies saty in the nest until they have all their feathers and are grown. the parents then teach them to fly etc. Until, this experience I had not witnessed baby pigeons either. It was a cool experience!!!!

Answer 4

You don't really tend to see baby birds unless you look hard. As with most birds they stay in the nest until they are fledged and we only really see them as juveniles for a couple of days before they fly off independently.

I have seen a baby pigeon when they were nesting outside out canteen at university. One fell out of it's nest and despite leaving it and even putting it back (it fell out again) the parents rejected it as too many humans went into the canteen just where it sat. It died. I also see baby pigeons where I work, when well-meaning people bring them in thinking they have been abandoned, when they are just waiting for the parents to come feed them in the nearest bush.

They are out there, you're just not looking in the right places!!

Answer 5

I have been watching 2 baby pigeons for the last week from my office window. They are perched just outside and I see them getting fed on a regular basis. So you can see them if you are in the right place.

Answer 6

You ONLY see baby pigeons. The adults are 12 feet long and only come out at night.

Answer 7

You ONLY see baby pigeons. The adults are 12 feet long and only come out at night.???
LMAO im never going out at night again!

Answer 8

Because they are still in their nests with they are babies.

And it's probably not something you'd want to see. I had some nesting on my porch a few years ago and they are very dirty animals. More than half of their nest was pigeon poop. It was so gross.

Answer 9

Have you ever seen a pigeon nest? Once they are large enough to leave the nest they are large enough to blend in and be part of the flock or covey.

Answer 10

yes they were in my roof for a while as little babies and then i finnaly went up and got them out the were a wee bit smaller than a adult pigeon but trust me there out there,,mom just hides them till there old enough