Wildlife rehabilitation centers provide care for injured and orphaned wildlife until the animal can be released back to the wild. Pigeons leave their nesting and roosting sites during daylight hours to search for food, but they return at night, as well as periodically during the day when raising young. Individuals may be capable of breeding at six months of age. Squabs fledge at four to six weeks of age but remain dependent on their parents for as long as the adults will tolerate them - generally another one or two weeks. The milk is a highly nutritious and an efficient way of feeding young.
![baby pigeon baby pigeon](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51A8o5uvRBL.jpg)
After the eggs hatch, both parents feed the baby pigeons, or squabs, a crop secretion called “pigeon milk,” which is produced from the lining of the crop, a sac-like food storage chamber located under the bird’s esophagus. Parents take turns incubating the clutch of one or two white, unmarked eggs for between 16 and 19 days. Nests, a haphazard combination of twigs, leaves, and a few feathers, are built on window ledges, behind signs, and under bridges. Pigeons show a strong affinity for human-built structures. Pigeons mate for life, but if one partner dies the survivor generally will attempt to find another mate. A courting male pursues his intended mate on the ground, circling her, with his neck feathers inflated and his tail spread, bowing and cooing all the while. Pigeons live in groups called “flocks.” Each flock has an equal number of male and female members.
#Baby pigeon free
Plus, there’s plenty of free housing - pigeons like to live in large groups on window ledges, rooftops, bridges, and warehouses as these offer room for whole flocks to rest or take shelter in close proximity. From a pigeon’s point of view, city living can’t be beat. Their diet consists primarily of grains and seeds, along with insects and some greens - but pigeons aren’t terribly picky, and they’ll happily accept human food scraps and leftovers when available. You’ll find pigeons in almost any city, town, or suburb on the continent. Pigeons were introduced to North America by early European settlers. The rock dove, as the species also is known, is a European immigrant. Pigeons were well-equipped for this job, as they reach flight speeds of 15 to 60 miles per hour! The Egyptians used pigeons to carry the news of the coronation of Ramses III - more than 3,000 years before the United States was founded.
![baby pigeon baby pigeon](https://www.pigeonrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Ajax-Debbie-120914-IMG_2494.jpg)
Pigeons may have been the first bird species to be domesticated, possibly as early as 6,500 years ago. Some folks consider them an endearing part of urban life, others see them as an aggravation, but everyone recognizes this familiar wild neighbor.