About Pigeons

Pigeons are found everywhere on the planet except Antarctica, the Arctic and the driest portions of the Sahara Desert. They have been living in close association with humans for thousands of years and the pigeons of today are descended from rock doves that used to live in cliffs along the coasts. Pigeons inhabit rural and urban areas and can make pests of themselves with their droppings and the fact that they have been known to carry some diseases.

  1. Geography

    • The pigeons that live in the United States have evolved from the rock doves brought to the New World from Europe. Those domesticated birds were used for sport and as food but the ones that escaped were the ancestors of today's pigeons. They were able to live in close proximity to humans and became staples in cities and near farms.

    Identification

    • The average pigeon is a foot in length from head to tail and weighs less than a pound with a wingspan of almost 2 feet. They come in a variety of colors, with the wild pigeons being gray. They have a white back end and grayish wings but can have any numbers of colored feathers on their necks and upper backs, ranging from purple to green to red and yellow. They make a cooing sound and tend to roost together in numbers on the ledges of buildings, on statues and other man-made structures.

    Significance

    • A common sight is a pigeon walking along on the ground, bobbing its head. They do so because they have eyes mounted on the sides of their heads. This means they have what is known as monocular vision and need to bob their heads up and down to give them depth perception. An extremely intelligent bird, it is the only non-mammal that can recognize its own reflection in a mirror.

    Time Frame

    • Pigeons mate for life and when conditions are right, meaning that an abundant food supply is available, they can raise up to eight broods of chicks each year. Their eggs take only 18 days to hatch as both parents sit on them to incubate them. It takes four days for a chick to open its eyes and it is able to fly on its own after two months.

    Expert Insight

    • Pigeons will deposit their feces everywhere in an urban area, with it landing on statues, cars, buildings and other structures, hastening their deterioration. Their nests can cause drain pipes to clog and make fire escapes dangerous to use. They have mites, fleas, ticks and other parasites which will leave the pigeon and make their way inside people's homes and apartments. Pigeons carry diseases such as salmonella. When they congregate around airports, they can be a danger to air travel as they can collide with airplanes.