Gray Pigeon - -
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Description
Gray pigeon is among the birds that are closely associated with man. This bird has been domesticated all over the world, raised for food and trained for racing, homing, carrying messages, and in research. These birds are often used as a substitute for game birds while training dogs.
Habitat
Gray pigeons live in the wild around cities, cliffs, farms, and bridges. In North America, this bird can be found in cities, suburban areas, and farms, especially in wild places far away from human settlements. In native range, Gray pigeons nest on cliffs along the coast, gorges, and in inland mountains.
Diet
These birds mainly feed on seeds. When away from the city, waste grain, berries, acorns, and seeds of many plants. To supplement their diet, they feed on earthworms and insects. In the cities, barn pigeons mainly feed on popcorns, bread crumbs, and other junk food that humans eat.
What is their feeding behavior?
These birds forage by walking on the ground, although sometimes they forage in shrubs or trees. They often feed in flocks.
Nesting
In courtship, the male pigeon spread their tail, puff up the chest and strut about in circles around the female. While strutting, males bow and coo repeatedly. Nesting sites are usually on sheltered cliff ledges, although in cities, these birds can build their nest in human dwellings. Sometimes, barn pigeons use artificial replacements, including barn lofts, ledges of tall buildings, rain gutters, etc. The nest is built by females using materials supplied by the males (grass and twigs). The mating pair repeatedly use the same nest, only adding some building materials every mating season.
Eggs
Female Gray pigeons lay two eggs, although sometimes they lay only one egg. Both parents do incubation for 16 to 19 days. Both parents feed the young ‘pigeon milk' for a few weeks. The young then leave the nest after 25 to 32 days or later in cold weather. In a year, a pair can raise five or more broods.
