High-speed films and video show two alternating phases in a walking pigeon's head movement: a hold phase, in which the head stays almost locked in space while the body walks forward under it, and a thrust phase, in which the head is pushed rapidly forward to a new spot. Relative to the body the head seems to go back and forth, but relative to the world it only moves forward. Researchers explain the hold phase as a way to keep the image on the eye steady. The head is not perfectly still: a small slip remains, which researchers think works as an error signal.
- True of
- Walking pigeons (Columba livia), as shown in laboratory filming studies
- Corrects
- Pigeons do not really swing their heads back and forth; the backward part is an illusion caused by the body moving forward under a still head.
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5 sources
- Journal of Experimental Biology (abstract via Crossref) The Optokinetic Basis of Head-Bobbing in the Pigeon (Frost) journal, 1978
- Nature Visual control of head movements during avian locomotion (Friedman) journal, 1975
- Journal of Experimental Biology (PubMed record) Head-bobbing in pigeons: how stable is the hold phase? (Troje & Frost) journal, 2000
- Frontiers in Neuroscience (PubMed Central) Head Stabilization in the Pigeon: Role of Vision to Correct for Translational and Rotational Disturbances (Theunissen & Troje) journal, 2017
- Live Science Why do pigeons bob their heads? news
Pigeons and doves push their beaks into the water and use throat muscles to pull it up, a suction method that a Washington State University explainer compares to drinking through a straw. Most birds scoop water into the lower beak and tilt the head back so it runs down the throat. The suction method is described for pigeons and doves as a group; the comparison is with most birds, not all.
- True of
- Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae), compared with most other birds
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most
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2 sources
- Washington State University, Ask Dr. Universe How do birds drink? university, 2026
- Toronto Zoo Victoria crowned pigeon zoo
Startle a flock of rock pigeons and some of them may slap their wings together above their bodies as they take off, a sound called a wing clap. Male rock pigeons also clap their wings during a courtship display flight, flying sharply upward near a female. Not every pigeon claps on every take-off.
- True of
- Rock pigeons taking off or doing a courtship display flight
- Must keep
some
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2 sources
- BirdNote Wing-clapping ngo
- National Audubon Society (BirdNote) How and Why Rock Pigeons Clap Their Wings ngo, 2017
Pigeons have laterally placed eyes. BirdNote explains that this gives a much wider view of the world, including a wide area behind the head, at the cost of depth perception; the two eyes' views overlap only slightly in front. A laboratory measurement of the pigeon's binocular field (the zone both eyes see at once) found it is a narrow oval centred on the line of the beak.
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- Pigeons (Columba livia)
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2 sources
- BirdNote A Pigeon-eyed View of the World ngo, 2023
- Vision Research (PubMed record) A further look at the binocular visual field of the pigeon (Columba livia) (McFadden & Reymond) journal, 1985
In Frost's 1978 laboratory study, head-bobbing disappeared when pigeons walked on a treadmill, where their surroundings stayed still relative to them. That result suggested the bob is mainly a visual response, not a balance response. A later study confirmed that the hold phase is under visual control. The finding is about pigeons in that laboratory set-up.
- True of
- Pigeons walking on a laboratory treadmill (Frost 1978 and later explanations)
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in the study
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3 sources
- Journal of Experimental Biology (abstract via Crossref) The Optokinetic Basis of Head-Bobbing in the Pigeon (Frost) journal, 1978
- Live Science Why do pigeons bob their heads? news
- Journal of Experimental Biology (PubMed record) Head-bobbing in pigeons: how stable is the hold phase? (Troje & Frost) journal, 2000
Humans cannot see near-ultraviolet light in sunlight. Laboratory experiments from the 1970s onward found that homing pigeons respond to ultraviolet wavelengths at natural light levels, and pigeons trained to tell colours apart could also tell different ultraviolet wavelengths apart. Later work found that many other birds see ultraviolet too.
- True of
- Pigeons tested in laboratory vision experiments
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can
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3 sources
- Nature Ultraviolet light detection by the homing pigeon (Kreithen & Eisner) journal, 1978
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A (author copy, Konstanz Online-Publikations-System via d-nb.info) Wavelength Discrimination in the 'Visible' and Ultraviolet Spectrum by Pigeons (Emmerton & Delius) journal, 1980
- National Wildlife Federation True Colors: How Birds See the World ngo, 2012
In operant-conditioning experiments, pigeons' ability to tell wavelengths apart showed several sensitivity points across the visible and ultraviolet range, and the researchers concluded the pigeon's colour system must be at least tetrachromatic (four channels), probably pentachromatic (five). An early 1933 study had suggested pigeon colour vision was like a human's; later studies corrected that impression.
- True of
- Pigeons in laboratory colour-vision experiments
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think
- Corrects
- Pigeon colour vision is not the same as human colour vision; an early 1933 study suggesting it was has been corrected.
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1 source
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A (author copy, Konstanz Online-Publikations-System via d-nb.info) Wavelength Discrimination in the 'Visible' and Ultraviolet Spectrum by Pigeons (Emmerton & Delius) journal, 1980
The mark-and-mirror test checks whether an animal notices a mark on its own body in a mirror. Researchers describe the pigeon as a species that does not spontaneously pass it. In a 2017 study, pigeons at first appeared to find a hidden food reward using only its reflection in a mirror; but with one eye covered they walked at the mirror instead of the food, showing that they had seen the food itself with their near-panoramic peripheral vision rather than using the reflection.
- True of
- Pigeons in a 2017 laboratory study and mirror-test research
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in the study
- Corrects
- Pigeons pass the mirror self-recognition test: researchers describe pigeons as a species that does not spontaneously pass the mark test.
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1 source
- Animal Cognition (PubMed record) Sneaking a peek: pigeons use peripheral vision (not mirrors) to find hidden food (Ünver et al.) journal, 2017
Domestic and feral pigeons have iridescent green and purple neck feathers. Measurements show that green neck feathers shift from green toward purple as the viewing angle changes, while purple ones shift the opposite way. A university account notes that females tend to show less iridescence than males.
- True of
- Rock pigeons, feral pigeons and domestic pigeons
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2 sources
- Physical Review E (PubMed record) Iridescence in the neck feathers of domestic pigeons (Yin et al.) journal, 2006
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
Physicists who studied green and purple pigeon neck feathers found that each barbule has a thin outer keratin layer around an inner layer. Their measurements and simulations suggest the colour comes from interference of light in that top keratin layer, with the structure beneath acting as a poor mirror; the different thickness of the outer layer is what separates green from purple feathers. This is called structural colour.
- True of
- Iridescent neck feathers of domestic pigeons, in a physics study
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1 source
- Physical Review E (PubMed record) Iridescence in the neck feathers of domestic pigeons (Yin et al.) journal, 2006
Spectrometer measurements found that pigeon neck feathers that look purple to people reflect two peaks in the ultraviolet, and green-looking ones reflect two ultraviolet peaks as well. The researcher suggests birds may use such ultraviolet colours as hidden signals; that use is a suggestion, while the reflectance itself was measured.
- True of
- Iridescent purple and green neck feathers of pigeons, as measured in one study
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1 source
- Naturwissenschaften (PubMed record) Multiple UV reflectance peaks in the iridescent neck feathers of pigeons (McGraw) journal, 2004
A field guide calls the rock pigeon a favorite prey of the peregrine falcon, supporting peregrines that stay around cities. A university account also lists peregrine falcons, golden eagles, kestrels, owls, raccoons and opossums among the predators of feral pigeons in North America.
- True of
- Feral (city) pigeons, especially in North America
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
Rock pigeons eat mainly seeds. Away from cities they eat waste grain and seeds of grasses and other plants, sometimes berries or acorns, and occasionally a few earthworms or insects. They forage mostly by walking on open ground.
- True of
- Rock and feral pigeons
- Must keep
mostly
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
In cities, rock pigeons may live largely on bread crumbs, popcorn or other junk food provided by people, and feral pigeons are recorded eating popcorn, cake, peanuts, bread and currants. How much each bird relies on scraps varies.
- True of
- Feral pigeons in cities
- Must keep
many
- First fold
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
The RSPB has said bread is not a good food for birds because it fills them up while offering little nutritional value. A New York pigeon rescue group says wet bread thrown on the street is virtually nutrition-free. Pigeons' natural food is mainly seeds and grains.
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- Bread as food for wild and feral birds, including pigeons
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3 sources
- Country Life Bread: no good for birds news, 2008
- New York City Pigeon Rescue Central Feeding ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
Homing pigeons are domestic rock pigeons bred and trained to return to their home loft. Trained birds can return from long distances away, including from unfamiliar release sites, and their navigation has been studied for decades. How they do it involves several senses and is described in separate facts.
- True of
- Trained homing pigeons (domestic Columba livia)
- Must keep
can
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4 sources
- Animal Behaviour (PubMed Central) Homing pigeon navigational ontogeny: no evidence that exposure to a novel release site is sufficient for learning journal, 2024
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- National Museum of the United States Army Cher Ami museum
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
Researchers from the University of Lincoln and the University of Vienna first trained pigeons to sort familiar from unfamiliar objects in photographs, then showed them pairs of human faces, one familiar and one not. In the study, the trained birds recognised and classified the familiar people from their faces alone, while untrained birds did not.
- True of
- Trained pigeons in one photograph-based laboratory study (published 2012)
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in the study
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1 source
- ScienceDaily (University of Lincoln release) Birds can recognize people's faces and know their voices news, 2012
In a 1995 experiment, pigeons were trained with colour slides of paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. Afterwards, in the study, they also sorted new Monet and Picasso paintings they had not seen in training, and grouped Cézanne and Renoir with Monet and Braque and Matisse with Picasso. Turning Monet paintings upside down disrupted their choices, but turning Picasso paintings upside down did not.
- True of
- Trained pigeons in one laboratory study (Watanabe et al. 1995)
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in the study
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1 source
- Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (PubMed Central) Pigeons' discrimination of paintings by Monet and Picasso (Watanabe, Sakamoto & Wakita) journal, 1995
Navigation researchers describe homing pigeons as using a time-compensated sun compass, meaning the birds account for the sun's movement through the day, to orient when released far from home. The BTO likewise says that far from home pigeons use the sun as a compass and compensate for its movement across the sky.
- True of
- Homing pigeons released away from home
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think
can
- First fold
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2 sources
- Animal Behaviour (PubMed Central) Homing pigeon navigational ontogeny: no evidence that exposure to a novel release site is sufficient for learning journal, 2024
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
In familiar areas, homing pigeons are largely guided by visual landscape cues. GPS tracking showed that pigeons develop highly stereotyped, individual routes within the local area, and are drawn back to their preferred route even when released from new sites off-route, which implies they rely on familiar landmarks throughout the flight.
- True of
- Homing pigeons flying over familiar landscapes, from GPS-tracking studies
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familiar
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3 sources
- Animal Behaviour (PubMed Central) Homing pigeon navigational ontogeny: no evidence that exposure to a novel release site is sufficient for learning journal, 2024
- PNAS (PubMed Central) Familiar route loyalty implies visual pilotage in the homing pigeon (Biro, Meade & Guilford) journal, 2004
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
In a 2015 study, pigeons trained with food rewards distinguished benign from malignant breast-tissue microscope images and generalised to new images, and also detected cancer-related microcalcifications on mammograms. They failed, however, at a harder mammogram task (classifying suspicious masses), where they only memorised images. Combining the answers of a group of four birds ('flock-sourcing') was more accurate than any single bird. The researchers propose pigeons as a tool for studying how people read medical images.
- True of
- Trained pigeons in one laboratory study (Levenson et al. 2015)
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in the study
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Used inNot in the books yet
2 sources
- PLOS ONE Pigeons (Columba livia) as Trainable Observers of Pathology and Radiology Breast Cancer Images (Levenson et al.) journal, 2015
- EurekAlert! (University of California, Davis release) Common pigeon: Not just a bird brain, but a brainy bird news, 2015
A 2011 study in Science tested whether pigeons could use abstract numerical rules, an ability previously thought to be shared only by primates. After training, the birds had to put pairs of numbers (amounts of items) in order. In the study, the pigeons showed the ability and their performance was indistinguishable from that of monkeys trained in the same way.
- True of
- Trained pigeons in one laboratory study (Scarf, Hayne & Colombo 2011)
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in the study
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2 sources
- Science (PubMed record) Pigeons on par with primates in numerical competence (Scarf, Hayne & Colombo) journal, 2011
- California Academy of Sciences Smart Birds? museum, 2011
Forty years of research show that pigeons made unable to smell cannot find their way home when released at unfamiliar places. The olfactory navigation hypothesis says young pigeons learn the odours carried by the winds at their home loft together with the wind direction, then use local odours at a release site to work out which way they were moved. Which odours they use is still not known.
- True of
- Homing pigeons released at unfamiliar sites in experiments
- Must keep
think
- First fold
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2 sources
- Journal of Experimental Biology (PubMed record) Forty years of olfactory navigation in birds (Gagliardo) journal, 2013
- Animal Behaviour (PubMed Central) Homing pigeon navigational ontogeny: no evidence that exposure to a novel release site is sufficient for learning journal, 2024
In a 2016 study, pigeons were trained to sort four-letter words from nonwords and each learned dozens of words. In the study, they picked up on the letter patterns that make up words and used that to identify new words, and were sensitive to how often letter pairs occur together. The researchers call this orthographic processing: recognising the visual form of words, not understanding their meaning or sounds.
- True of
- Trained pigeons in one laboratory study (Scarf et al. 2016)
- Must keep
in the study
- Corrects
- Pigeons can read: the pigeons in the study recognised word shapes, which the authors distinguish from reading, which also needs letter-sound knowledge.
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1 source
- PNAS (PubMed Central) Orthographic processing in pigeons (Columba livia) (Scarf et al.) journal, 2016
In 1971, magnets glued to experienced pigeons often disoriented them under total overcast but not under clear skies. A 2004 study reported that pigeons could be trained to detect a magnetic anomaly. But the proposed magnetic sensors in the upper beak were later found to be immune cells (macrophages), not nerve cells, so how pigeons might sense magnetism is still open. The BBC summarises that it is not entirely clear how homing works.
- True of
- Homing pigeons in navigation and magnetic-sense experiments
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may
still
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4 sources
- PNAS (PubMed Central) Magnets Interfere with Pigeon Homing (Keeton) journal, 1971
- Nature (PubMed record) Magnetoreception and its trigeminal mediation in the homing pigeon (Mora et al.) journal, 2004
- Nature (PubMed record) Clusters of iron-rich cells in the upper beak of pigeons are macrophages not magnetosensitive neurons (Treiber et al.) journal, 2012
- BBC Radio 4 The pigeon: Britain's most misunderstood bird? news
Wild rock doves nest in crevices and on sheltered ledges of rocky sea cliffs and inland gorges. Feral city pigeons, descended from domesticated rock doves, use buildings, window ledges, bridges and roofs instead: museum, university and bird-conservation sources all describe these as stand-ins for the birds' natural cliffs.
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- Feral (city) pigeons and their wild ancestor, the rock dove (Columba livia)
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4 sources
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
Wild rock doves are native to Europe, North Africa and southwestern Asia, but pigeons were domesticated and carried around the world, and feral pigeons now live in cities worldwide, including most of North America. This bank does not claim an exact list of continents.
- True of
- Feral (city) pigeons
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3 sources
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
The rock pigeon's nest is a platform of twigs and grass. A pair may use the same site repeatedly, adding to the nest each time. Sources differ on which partner builds it (one says the female builds with material the male brings, another says the male builds), so the builder is not stated here.
- True of
- Rock and feral pigeons
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
The RSPB says the feral pigeons seen in towns and cities all descend from domesticated pigeons that escaped or were released. Geneticists define feral populations as free-living birds descended from escaped domestics. In London, the museum traces the first feral pigeons to birds that escaped from dovecotes.
- True of
- Feral (city) pigeons
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3 sources
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Genomic diversity and evolution of the head crest in the rock pigeon (Shapiro et al.) journal, 2013
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
Pigeon 'milk' is a substance produced in the crop of both male and female pigeons to nourish their young. It is not the same as mammal milk, but like mammal milk its production is controlled by the hormone prolactin. Field guides note that both parents feed the young this 'pigeon milk'.
- True of
- Pigeons and doves (Columbidae), including rock and feral pigeons
- Corrects
- Only female animals make milk: in pigeons the father makes crop milk too.
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4 sources
- PLOS ONE (PubMed Central) Functional Similarities between Pigeon 'Milk' and Mammalian Milk: Induction of Immune Gene Expression and Modification of the Microbiota (Gillespie et al.) journal, 2012
- Toronto Zoo Victoria crowned pigeon zoo
- Scientific American (Lab Rat blog) How to milk a pigeon news
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
Squabs stay in the nest, often hidden on rooftops, towers and in empty buildings, until they are almost fully grown and take on an adult appearance. When they do come out they look much like adults, which is why people say you never see baby pigeons; the London Museum calls that an urban myth, because the young are there, just hidden or adult-looking.
- True of
- Young feral (city) pigeons
- Must keep
almost
- Corrects
- "Nobody ever sees a baby pigeon": young pigeons exist everywhere pigeons do; they stay hidden in the nest until they look like adults.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
- BBC Radio 4 The pigeon: Britain's most misunderstood bird? news
In rock pigeons incubation is by both parents; a university account says both males and females incubate the eggs, and the BBC describes them taking turns. Both parents also feed the chicks.
- True of
- Rock, feral and domestic pigeons
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3 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
- BBC Radio 4 The pigeon: Britain's most misunderstood bird? news
University and museum accounts say rock pigeon pairs are formed for life, and a field guide says they may mate for life. Pairs can form at any time of year, and the two partners work together on most parts of raising young.
- True of
- Rock, feral and domestic pigeons
- Must keep
can
- First fold
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3 sources
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
A field guide gives a clutch of 2 eggs, sometimes 1, for rock pigeons; an encyclopedia entry says pigeons normally lay two eggs, and a poultry extension guide describes a breeding female laying two more eggs in a second nest while the male tends the first two squabs. Because pairs nest many times a year, they lay many more than two eggs in a year in total.
- True of
- Rock, feral and domestic pigeons
- Must keep
usually
- Numbers
- 2 (sometimes 1) Eggs per clutch
- First fold
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3 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Wikipedia Crop milk encyclopedia
- Poultry Extension (extension.org) Raising Pigeons in Small and Backyard Flocks university
A field guide says a pair may raise up to five or more broods a year; a pigeon rescue group quotes an average of four to six times a year, rising when food is plentiful. City pigeons breed no matter the season, and in Britain a few pairs are recorded breeding even in winter months. How often a pair breeds depends a lot on food.
- True of
- Feral and domestic rock pigeons
- Must keep
can
- Numbers
- up to 5 or more Broods per yearAudubon: up to 5 or more; NYCPRC (quoting Animal Aid): 4-6 on average
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4 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- New York City Pigeon Rescue Central Feeding ngo
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
In courtship the male rock pigeon spreads his tail, puffs up his chest and struts about, often in circles around the female, repeatedly bowing and cooing. Males may also do a display flight with wing claps.
- True of
- Male rock pigeons, including city pigeons
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- BirdNote Wing-clapping ngo
A field guide gives about 25 to 32 days (later in cold weather) for young rock pigeons to leave the nest, and a poultry extension guide says squabs typically leave the nest at around 26 to 30 days of age. So about four weeks is typical, with some variation.
- True of
- Young rock, feral and domestic pigeons
- Must keep
usually
- Numbers
- about 25-32 days Age when young leave the nestAudubon: 25-32 days, later in cold weather; extension guide: about 26-30 days
- First fold
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Poultry Extension (extension.org) Raising Pigeons in Small and Backyard Flocks university
Field guides give 16 to 19 days of incubation for rock pigeons, and a university species account says eggs hatch about 19 days after being laid (another database it cites gives 18 days).
- True of
- Rock, feral and domestic pigeons
- Must keep
about
- Numbers
- about 16-19 days Incubation time
- First fold
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2 sources
- National Audubon Society Rock Pigeon, Audubon Field Guide ngo
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Columba livia (common pigeon) university
Prolactin stimulates the growth of specialized cells lining the crop sac of pigeons and doves, leading to the formation of crop milk, which is fed to newly hatched squabs. High prolactin levels during parenting also support related behaviours such as eating more, staying at the nest and regurgitation feeding, though how prolactin drives those behaviours is still debated. Prolactin is also the hormone that regulates milk production in mammals.
- True of
- Pigeons and doves (Columbidae)
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Annual Review of Nutrition (PubMed record) Regulation of pigeon cropmilk secretion and parental behaviors by prolactin (Horseman & Buntin) journal, 1995
- PLOS ONE (PubMed Central) Functional Similarities between Pigeon 'Milk' and Mammalian Milk: Induction of Immune Gene Expression and Modification of the Microbiota (Gillespie et al.) journal, 2012
Researchers fed pigeon 'milk' to chickens as a model. In the study, those chickens grew faster, converted feed better, showed enhanced activity of immune-related genes in the gut, and had more diverse gut bacteria than control chickens. The authors conclude pigeon 'milk' is functionally similar to mammalian milk and hypothesise that the two evolved independently. The result is from chickens, not pigeon chicks.
- True of
- Chickens fed pigeon crop milk in one laboratory study
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
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1 source
- PLOS ONE (PubMed Central) Functional Similarities between Pigeon 'Milk' and Mammalian Milk: Induction of Immune Gene Expression and Modification of the Microbiota (Gillespie et al.) journal, 2012
Pigeons and doves all belong to one bird family, Columbidae, and the split between the two names is not a scientific (taxonomic) one. The same species may be called a pigeon in one place and a dove in another, though 'dove' tends to be used for smaller, more delicate species. The rock dove and the feral pigeon are the same species.
- True of
- Birds of the family Columbidae
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2 sources
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
Breeders have produced hundreds of pigeon breeds that differ in size, shape, feathers, colour and behaviour; a 2013 genome study counts over 350. Breeds can be as different from each other as German shepherds are from miniature poodles, yet all descend from the wild rock dove, Columba livia, as Darwin argued in 1859.
- True of
- Domestic pigeon breeds
- Numbers
- over 350 Number of domestic pigeon breedsShapiro et al. 2013; Utah Genetic Science Learning Center says hundreds
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4 sources
- Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah Inherited Characteristics Gallery (Pigeon Breeding: Genetics at Work) university
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Genomic diversity and evolution of the head crest in the rock pigeon (Shapiro et al.) journal, 2013
- Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, Chapter 1 excerpt (hosted by University of Central Arkansas) On the Breeds of the Domestic Pigeon book, 1859
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
The RSPB says the wild Rock Dove is declining, survives only where feral pigeons have not yet colonised, and that where feral pigeons arrive the wild and feral birds interbreed and the feral birds dominate; there is some argument about whether any true wild rock doves remain. The BTO says it seems unlikely any true rock doves remain in well-populated countries such as Britain. These statements are about Britain and similar places; wild-type populations elsewhere are not assessed here.
- True of
- Wild rock doves in Britain and other places reached by feral pigeons
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2 sources
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
Genetic studies place the extinct dodo of Mauritius and its relative the Rodrigues solitaire within a group of very diverse pigeons, and show that the Nicobar pigeon, which can fly, is their closest living relative. The dodo is extinct; museums hold its remains.
- True of
- The extinct dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and the Nicobar pigeon
- First fold
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3 sources
- BMC Evolutionary Biology (PubMed Central) The mysterious Spotted Green Pigeon and its relation to the Dodo and its kindred (Heupink et al.) journal, 2014
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History Dodo Christmas Decoration museum
- Oregon Zoo Nicobar pigeon zoo
The pigeon and dove family, Columbidae, has some three hundred species according to the BTO, and over 300 according to the RSPB. Most are found in the tropics, but members of the family live worldwide outside the polar regions. Many tropical species eat fruit, while most pigeons of cooler regions eat seeds.
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- The pigeon and dove family (Columbidae)
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about
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- about 300 (over 300) Species in the pigeon and dove familyBTO: some three hundred; RSPB: over 300
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2 sources
- British Trust for Ornithology Columbidae – Pigeons ngo
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
Billions of passenger pigeons once flew over the forests of eastern North America. Commercial and sport hunting and the loss of forest habitat wiped them out within about half a century. The last known wild bird was shot in Ohio in 1900, and the last known individual, a captive female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on 1 September 1914. Population estimates are uncertain.
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- The passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), an extinct member of the pigeon family
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- 1914 Year the last known passenger pigeon died
- 1900 Year of the last reliable wild record
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2 sources
- Natural History Museum, London Passenger pigeon: How the world's most common bird went extinct museum
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Project Passenger Pigeon zoo
In a 2011 experiment in an urban park, two people of similar age and skin colour, wearing different coloured coats, fed feral pigeons; one stayed neutral and the other chased the birds away. Within six to nine sessions the pigeons learned to avoid the hostile feeder, and kept doing so in later tests when both feeders were neutral and even after they swapped coats, suggesting the birds used stable personal features. The authors call it the first experimental evidence of this level of human discrimination in feral pigeons.
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- Feral pigeons in one urban-park experiment
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in the study
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2 sources
- Animal Cognition (PubMed record) Pigeons discriminate between human feeders (Belguermi et al.) journal, 2011
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
Armies used homing pigeons because they could carry short notes in a tiny tube on the leg back to their home loft. In October 1918 a group of U.S. soldiers, the 'Lost Battalion', was trapped in France's Argonne Forest. The Smithsonian says it is known that Cher Ami delivered a vital message despite grievous wounds, and that the key message from the Lost Battalion gave their exact location and aided their relief; but military records cannot confirm which pigeon carried that particular message, so the famous version is partly legend. Cher Ami's preserved body is at the Smithsonian.
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- Military homing pigeons, especially the U.S. Army pigeon Cher Ami in World War I
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story
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- 1918 Year of the Lost Battalion episode
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- That Cher Ami alone saved the Lost Battalion is certain: records cannot confirm which pigeon carried the key message.
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3 sources
- National Museum of American History Cher Ami Fact Sheet: A Century of Myth and Public Memory museum
- Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of American History) Cher Ami museum
- National Museum of the United States Army Cher Ami museum
Charles Darwin wrote in 1859 that pigeons had been domesticated for thousands of years in several parts of the world. Geneticists date the first domestication of the rock pigeon to Neolithic times, and the RSPB says people have bred pigeons for their feathers, eggs, meat and navigation skills for thousands of years.
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- Domestic pigeons (Columba livia)
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3 sources
- Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, Chapter 1 excerpt (hosted by University of Central Arkansas) On the Breeds of the Domestic Pigeon book, 1859
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Genomic diversity and evolution of the head crest in the rock pigeon (Shapiro et al.) journal, 2013
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
Feeding pigeons is banned in London's Trafalgar Square, a town-centre ban has been introduced in Boston, England, and the City of Las Vegas says feeding pigeons is prohibited there. Rules differ from place to place, and many places have no such rule.
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- Pigeon feeding in some towns and cities
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some
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3 sources
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
- BBC News Boston: pigeon feeding ban introduced in the town centre news
- City of Las Vegas Feeding Wildlife Now Prohibited government, 2020
In On the Origin of Species (1859), Darwin wrote that he took up domestic pigeons as a special study and kept every breed he could buy or obtain. He argued that all the very different breeds descend from the rock pigeon, using breeders' selection as evidence for his ideas about how species change. He belonged to a London pigeon fanciers' club.
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- Charles Darwin's pigeon studies in the 1850s
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4 sources
- Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, Chapter 1 excerpt (hosted by University of Central Arkansas) On the Breeds of the Domestic Pigeon book, 1859
- Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah Pigeon Breeding: Genetics at Work university
- London Museum London pigeons: A bird's eye view of history museum
- BBC Radio 4 The pigeon: Britain's most misunderstood bird? news
In pigeon racing, specially bred and trained homing pigeons are released from specific locations and race back to their home lofts. The time each bird takes to cover a carefully measured distance is used to calculate its speed, which is compared with the others. Races are run both by local clubs, where owners keep their own lofts, and as one-loft races, where all birds live and train in the same loft.
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- The sport of pigeon racing, as described by racing organisations
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3 sources
- Royal Pigeon Racing Association Getting Started ngo
- Pigeon Racing UK & Ireland About ngo
- Wikipedia Pigeon racing encyclopedia
The Lost Battalion's commander sent seven pigeon messages over two days. His last pigeon arrived wounded, with the message capsule hanging from its injured leg, and that message gave the men's exact location. In 1919 an army pigeon officer proclaimed Cher Ami to be that pigeon, and many later accounts repeated the story. The Smithsonian's curator found several possible scenarios: it is certain Cher Ami delivered critical messages and arrived badly wounded, but records cannot confirm which bird carried the key 4 October message. DNA tests in 2021 confirmed Cher Ami was male.
- True of
- The World War I pigeon Cher Ami, as researched by the Smithsonian
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- 1918 Year of the Lost Battalion episode
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- The Cher Ami story is fully documented: parts of it are legend, according to the Smithsonian.
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3 sources
- National Museum of American History Cher Ami Fact Sheet: A Century of Myth and Public Memory museum
- Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of American History) Cher Ami museum
- National Museum of the United States Army Cher Ami museum
The RSPB says the first written evidence of pigeon domestication is from over 5,000 years ago. Darwin, citing the Egyptologist Lepsius, wrote that the earliest known record of pigeons was from Egypt's fifth dynasty, about 3000 BC, roughly 5,000 years ago. Domestication itself may be older than the oldest written record.
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- Written records of domestic pigeons
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about
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- about 5,000 years Age of oldest written record of domestic pigeonsRSPB: over 5,000 years ago; Darwin (1859): about 3000 B.C.
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2 sources
- RSPB How to identify different types of pigeons and doves ngo, 2025
- Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, Chapter 1 excerpt (hosted by University of Central Arkansas) On the Breeds of the Domestic Pigeon book, 1859
When researchers compared genomes of dozens of domestic breeds with feral pigeons, the feral birds grouped with homer and wattle breeds. The authors say this supports the idea that escaped racing homers are probably major contributors to feral populations, and report contributions from a racing breed to North American feral populations. Only a small number of feral pigeons were sequenced, so the finding is limited.
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- Feral pigeons in North America, from one genome study
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probably
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1 source
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Genomic diversity and evolution of the head crest in the rock pigeon (Shapiro et al.) journal, 2013
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