# Missing baby pigeons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [December 3, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572 "2008-12-03T21:43:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![InterestedObserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@InterestedObserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InterestedObserver)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/1 "2008-12-03T21:43:53Z")
I agree with Cecil’s answer(s), but just wanted to report that baby pigeons DO exist because I’ve seen one. In about 1986, my cat dragged one in (no idea how she aquired it) and it was, hands down, the butt-ugliest baby bird I’ve ever seen! It was almost as large as she was, so a rather mature “infant” of the species, but very clearly both a pigeon and a “baby”. It was half-naked with half grown out pin-feathers, almost full, adult sized, and just terribly, hideously ugly. No WONDER they keep their young hidden! 😃 [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/16/where-are-all-the-baby-pigeons](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/16/where-are-all-the-baby-pigeons) ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/2 "2008-12-03T21:54:56Z")
The adults are none-too-attractive either. You don’t see a lot of inspirational posters with pigeons in them. Hey, we could start a new line of inspirational posters … ---
**Author:** ![InterestedObserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@InterestedObserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InterestedObserver)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/3 "2008-12-03T22:03:52Z")
Well, the adults are WAY more attractive than their offspring, I can assure you! I actually love their brilliant, diverse colors and dove-like form, motions, and sounds. But this spawn was like some mutant, and it took some careful examination to determine that it was, in fact, an “almost” pigeon. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/4 "2008-12-03T22:14:23Z")
[We have pigeon eggs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=467835). On-going docudrama about baby pigeons. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/5 "2008-12-03T23:36:02Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > The adults are none-too-attractive either. You don’t see a lot of inspirational posters with pigeons in them. > > Hey, we could start a new line of inspirational posters … I can see it now. Baby pigeons… They DO exist. So do you. Now get your ass back to work. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/6 "2008-12-04T16:31:38Z")
[QUOTE=InterestedObserver] Well, the adults are WAY more attractive than their offspring, I can assure you! [/QUOTE] Birds before they get their feathers are pretty ugly. I’ve seen a crow that way - pink/purple and ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/7 "2008-12-04T20:48:32Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > The adults are none-too-attractive either. You don’t see a lot of inspirational posters with pigeons in them. > > Hey, we could start a new line of inspirational posters … Except for Doves, which are just all white pigeons. You know when they release doves for weddings and such? How do you think the bird person gets the birds back? They are homing pigeons. They just fly home. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/8 "2008-12-04T20:59:12Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Except for Doves, which are just all white pigeons. > You know when they release doves for weddings and such? How do you think the bird person gets the birds back? They are homing pigeons. They just fly home. Slight hijack, but they don’t ALWAYS fly home. We had a female join our local kit one time. Every once in awhile on the way home they spot a group they’d rather hang out with. She was banded and clearly belonged to someone. It was interesting watching her hang out with the others, then youngsters started showing up with various amounts of white feathers. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/9 "2008-12-05T04:22:01Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > [We have pigeon eggs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=467835). On-going docudrama about baby pigeons. Thanks for the plug. 😃 And you can see all of our photos in that thread of baby pigeons and their parents, named Big Pidgee and Little Pidgee, [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/9/Miscellaneous), [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/14/Pigeons_--_Second_Batch_of_Squabs), [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/15/Pigeons_3_Sammy_and_Pepper) and [here](http://pidgees.multiply.com/photos/album/1/Pigeons_4_Marty_and_Katie#). 🆒 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/10 "2008-12-05T17:22:06Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Slight hijack, but they don’t ALWAYS fly home. We had a female join our local kit one time. Every once in awhile on the way home they spot a group they’d rather hang out with. She was banded and clearly belonged to someone. It was interesting watching her hang out with the others, then youngsters started showing up with various amounts of white feathers. Yes, pigeons are attracted to other pigeons. Whatever you do, do NOT pick up the banded bird and track down the ‘owner’ and return it. Since the bird clearly lacks strong homing ability, the owner will probably wring it’s neck as soon as you are out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/11 "2008-12-05T17:56:58Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Yes, pigeons are attracted to other pigeons. Whatever you do, do NOT pick up the banded bird and track down the ‘owner’ and return it. Since the bird clearly lacks strong homing ability, the owner will probably wring it’s neck as soon as you are out of sight. Not to worry. This was years ago. She had a nice life, and produced many descendants. I think a hawk eventually got her though. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/12 "2008-12-05T19:03:30Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Except for Doves, which are just all white pigeons. Well, thats not exactly correct… From wiki > [@](#): > > Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms “dove” and “pigeon” are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for “dove” to be used for smaller species and “pigeon” for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the term “dove” and “pigeon.” I only know because I had been calling [the birds that nest outside my window](http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj271/SPORTYBUELL/P8122496a.jpg) pigeons until I was informed they are actually Mourning Doves. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/13 "2008-12-05T19:31:56Z")
**Zebra** is correct the white doves released at weddings are all-white homing pigeons - also called rock doves. There is an all-white Ringneck dove, which is the true “Peace Dove” and they make nice pets but they generally don’t get released at special ceremonies, as they lack the homing instinct. I have both rock doves (pigeons) and mourning doves (what you have) around my yard and both are distinct from the all-white Ringneck or “Peace Dove.” ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/14 "2008-12-05T19:48:52Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Birds before they get their feathers are pretty ugly. I’ve seen a crow that way - pink/purple and ugly. What’s going on with magpies then? I’ve seen their young and they just look like cute little black and white sparrows! ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/15 "2008-12-05T19:53:40Z")
I didn’t mean to disagree with **Zebra** about the particular doves released at weddings. I only meant to point out that the distinction between dove and pigeon is not purely based on color. If that wasn’t his/her point then I misunderstood. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gregor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Gregor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-baby-pigeons/475572/16 "2008-12-06T10:54:15Z")
Having raised and showed pigeons as a boy, I can tell you that the answers given are sensible and basically correct. Pigeons tend to nest in out-of-the-way places, just like doves, mocking birds, blue jays, etc. The young develop quickly into juvenile birds which look, to the untrained eye, just like adults only a bit smaller. But if you saw them when first hatched, or when still in pinfeathers, you’d understand.