Pigeons are common birds found globally, adaptable to diverse environments from deserts to urban areas. Their widespread presence and resilience make understanding their reproductive habits relevant.
Pigeon Breeding Season
Feral pigeons, descendants of the wild rock dove (Columba livia), exhibit a flexible breeding schedule. While wild rock doves typically have a peak breeding season from April to July, their urban counterparts display a more extended reproductive period. In temperate climates, pigeons often show peak egg-laying activity during spring and summer, generally from March to September. However, in cities, pigeons can breed almost year-round. This continuous breeding is largely due to stable urban conditions, which mimic their ancestors’ natural cliff-side habitats, providing consistent food and sheltered nesting sites. Some sources indicate that urban pigeons can produce up to five or six broods annually under ideal conditions.
Factors Influencing Egg Laying
Several environmental and biological cues influence when pigeons lay eggs. The length of daylight, or photoperiod, plays a significant role; longer daylight hours, typical of spring and summer, stimulate hormone production that increases breeding activity. A photoperiod of around 16 hours can maximize egg production in pigeons.
Food availability is another crucial factor, as an ample and consistent food supply supports the high energy demands of reproduction. Urban areas, with readily available discarded food, offer this stability, allowing for more frequent breeding cycles.
Ambient temperature also influences breeding, with pigeons preferring warmer conditions, which can lead to reduced activity during cold winters unless insulated nesting sites are available. Suitable and safe nesting sites, such as ledges, rooftops, and building niches, provide protection from predators and the elements. These combined factors explain why urban pigeons can maintain an almost continuous breeding season compared to their wild relatives, whose reproductive timing is more constrained by natural seasonal changes.
The Pigeon Breeding Cycle
Pigeons follow a distinct reproductive process. The female typically lays two glossy white eggs per clutch. Both parents share the responsibility of incubating the eggs, which takes about 18 days. The female often incubates from late afternoon through the night, while the male takes over during the day, allowing each to find food and water.
After hatching, altricial squabs, or baby pigeons, are blind and nearly featherless, making them dependent on their parents for nourishment and warmth. Both parents feed the young a specialized substance called “crop milk,” a protein and fat-rich secretion.
Squabs remain in the nest for 25 to 37 days until they are ready to fledge, meaning they can leave the nest and begin to fly. Even after fledging, young pigeons may continue to be fed by their parents for several days while they learn to forage independently.