Reproduction

Breeding can occur at any time of year with a peak in spring or summer. A pair will raise up to six broods each year though the amount produced decreases with age.

Males court the female by bowing and inflating their neck.

Their nest is built from twigs which the male brings the female one at a time. It is located on a cliff or in cities on the face of a building. Pairs reuse their nest year after year and it is built up with feces, shells and the bodies of dead hatchlings over years.

In to the nest females deposit 1-3 eggs. These are colored white and incubated 18 days. The hatchlings fledge within 25 to 32 days.

Both parents work together to raise the chicks. They are fed 'crop milk.' This is a high protein liquid produced in the crop of adults. This is gradually replaced by seeds as the chicks grow.

They will start flying at 30 days old. Chicks remain near the nest for another week before dispersing.

Behavior

Foraging occurs either in a pair of a small flock. Males will often take the opportunity to court females while they are foraging together.

The common pigeon makes a oo-roo-coo sound with a slight rise in the middle. Males tend to be noisier than females.

Predators and Threats

Natural predators of the common pigeon include birds of prey. In cities they are a main food source for urban peregrine falcons.

Common pigeons have benefited from humans. They have expanded their range across the globe.

In parts of their range they are killed as they are seen as a pest.

Wild populations may be declining through in-breeding with domestic pigeons.

Quick facts

The common pigeon is also known as the feral pigeon, rock pigeon or rock dove.

Common pigeons have been trained as homing pigeons. These can find their way home across long distances. During wars they were used to transfer messages across the warzone.