In prehistorical times then, it’s likely that baby pigeons, or squab, were not only often seen, but often on the menu. I am not a birder. Posted by. why? “The more affluent pigeon parents tend to rent high-end private maternity coops to give birth,” suggests Thomas Keith. We see them old and hobbling, mature and wise, young and a little foolish, playing a game of proverbial chicken with the oncoming traffic. Have you actually ever seen a baby pigeon? “It was gone when I went back hours later so hope all was well.”, View image of Pigeons pigeons everywhere and not a baby in sight (Credit: Free Casters/CC by 2.0), We asked you, our audience, on social media for your thoughts, View image of Baby pigeons have been described as 'butt ugly' (Credit: Jack Sullivan/Alamy), View image of Two baby pigeons tucked in their nest (Credit: Nishanth Jois/CC by 2.0), View image of Juvenile pigeon lacking green and purple around neck (Credit: Ingrid Taylar/CC by 2.0), View image of An adult pigeon with white cere (Credit: Thomas Quine/CC by 2.0), View image of Adult pigeons have a certain look to them (Credit: Ingrid Taylar/CC by 2.0). With a keen eye, however, it is possible to spot a fledged but still-juvenile pigeon. What about young pigeons that have recently fledged? BBC Earth sets out to answer those little, inconsequential questions that secretly bother us all. For most of us, it’s a resounding no. Well, there’s actually a bit of science behind the answer to this. Reddit, why do I never see baby Pigeons? Fledgling pigeons are everywhere, but they are not easy to identify, as many of you appreciated. Much later, after Neanderthals had vanished and Homo sapiens took over this same site, they too were dining out on pigeon flesh. That’s right, Alex Mayall genuinely had the good fortune to spot a baby pigeon in the exotic location of Vauxhall, south London. Since we don’t often enter such spaces, we don’t often get to see the contents of a pigeon’s nest. Read about our approach to external linking. “In its natural and wild state,” we are told by William Yarrell in A History of British Birds, the rock dove “inhabits high rocks near the sea-coast, in the cavities of which it lives the greater part of the year.”, On the island of Orkney, in Scotland, UK, for example, 19th Century ornithologists observed that the rock dove “is very numerous, breeding in the crevices of the rocks, but the nests are placed at such a depth that it is impossible to reach them.”, When squabs finally fly the nest they are fully grown, Over on the neighboring Scottish island of Shetland, others noted rock doves occupying “deep subterranean caverns, the mouths of which are open to the sea.”. This is largely down to the fact that squabs, as if ashamed of their appearance, stay in the nest for a very long time: the nestling period from hatching to fledging typically lasts more than 40 days, roughly twice that of most garden birds. The BBC also says that squabs (baby pigeons) stay in their nests for a really long time “as if ashamed of their appearance”. Hence the fact that no one can really claim to have seen a baby pigeon… until now. Sometimes when you’re not feeling fab the only course of action is hide out in your bedroom. The rock dove Columbia liva likes to construct its nest on the ledges on cliff faces. During this time, the parents feed their chicks with a regurgitated “crop milk” rich in protein and fat. So when squabs finally fly the nest they are fully grown and virtually indistinguishable from adults. We address the pressing question as one may have been spotted in Vauxhall. That's why you never see baby pigeons unless you have a loft. Newborn pigeons. This basically means that pigeons go out of their way to hide their nests from prying eyes. Those grey, white, black and brown-feathered friends that sit or walk, bobbing their heads, on pavements, walls, parapets and buildings cooing sweetly, raining down their excrement and odd feather. Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? It’s a nice idea. However, whilst swans and ducks can be seen out with their young whilst the babies are very young, pigeons keep their young away from prying eyes and predators until they are older and more able to cope with danger. Why do you never see baby pegions? Answer (1 of 13): Whilst you may not have seen a baby pigeon it is very likely that you have seen a very young pigeon with its parents. We also did a little research ourselves. In prehistorical times, baby pigeons were often seen, and on the menu. And only last month, Judi Mcintosh encountered a baby pigeon – “half feathered and half fluffy” – en route to the compost heap at the bottom of her garden in Hampshire, UK. If there are so many adult pigeons knocking about, where are their babies? “You never know, when you look at a pigeon sitting on a window sill or under a park bench, it might only be a baby in disguise,” writes Brian Waas. Their tastes might be a little more cosmopolitan, but when it comes to reproduction they still take after their wild rock dove ancestors, which are very secretive when it comes to situating their nests. In fact, the excavation of a cave in Gibraltar reveals that Neanderthals were keen on eating pigeons before modern humans even reached Europe. So when a squab emerges from their hidden nest after over 40 days of teenage angst, they don’t really look like babies any more. Offbeat — 29 May 2013. Throughout my entire life all I have seen has been thousands of fully grown pigeons or their eggs, but i have never seen a baby pigeon. Have you actually ever seen a baby pigeon? Christmas lights switch-on gaffe takes internet by storm, People are revealing the hilarious names they’ve given their Spotify playlists, This couple has played Mario Kart to decide who makes tea every day for 20 years, 12 bizarre corners of Reddit that prove it’s the oddest place on the internet, 10 of the funniest insults people have received while gaming online. I left so that its parents could take over the baby sitting. View image of Pigeons pigeons everywhere and not a baby in sight (Credit: Free Casters/CC by 2.0) Feral pigeons – the ones we see in our cities – are descended from rock doves, and remain essentially the same bird. It’s one of the key questions that continues to plague humanity. They are fed by their parents in the nest until they are four weeks old. Further, I’ve never sought out baby birds. The short answer is that you’re not in the right place at the right time. “Maybe they like the security of out of the way places where they’re difficult to see and get to,” she suggested on the BBC Earth Facebook page. If you haven’t been asked this earth-shattering question, we’ll repeat it so you have some time to mull it over. If you are fond of bird watching then you must have noticed that baby pigeons are not easily seen. Which, given the abundance of pigeons, begs the question why? Close. “We had a quiet chat and then I left so that its parents could take over the baby sitting,” she writes. Archived. Pigeons grow to a very large size in the nest before they are fledged and able to fly. According to the BBC, feral pigeons (the gross ones we see in cities) are descended from wild rock doves, and share their secretive nature when nesting. Surely we see these? It won’t have the shimmery greens and purples around its neck and the cere – that wattly growth that sits on top of the bill – will be a pinky grey rather than bright white as it is in adults. This seems utterly bizarre, considering how pigeons are basically everywhere you look. For most of us, it’s a resounding no. Which, given the abundance of pigeons, begs the question why? Reddit, why do I never see baby Pigeons? As you can see, baby pigeons do exist and they’ve been studied by ornithologists for years. 5 years ago. Baby pigeons, once they are born, are hidden away in their nest where ever that may be. You never know, when you look at a pigeon it might be a baby in disguise, Perhaps this is just as well. Well, yes. Gwen Obertuck’s sister, for instance, had a pair of pigeons nesting on her balcony in Germany. A baby pigeon won’t have the shiny green color around its neck yet and its wattle, which is above its beak, will still be a pinkish color, rather than the white you’d see on a full-grown pigeon. This seems utterly bizarre, considering how pigeons are basically everywhere you look.