Death is a part of life, every living organism goes through it at some point. We as humans grieve our loved ones when they die and some say that animals grieve as well. Some patterns of animal grieving can include keeping the corpse for a couple of days after death. But how about pigeons? Do pigeons grieve?

Pigeons do indeed grieve. These birds are quite intelligent and self-aware, they are also aware of others around them especially other pigeons that they are close to. Pigeons grieve over a couple of days. They call out to their lost friend, relative or lover and mope around during the grieving process.

Do pigeons grieve?

While most people think very little of pigeons, experts on animal behaviour know better and hold them in high regard. Pigeons may not look like it, but they are highly intelligent animals. And yes, they are capable of grieving.

Countless studies have shown that pigeons are one of the few birds that are self-aware. These creatures can easily recognize themselves and their surroundings. This level of intelligence allows them to feel things deeply like humans and express grief when they lose something or someone dear to them.

What happens if a pigeon’s mate dies?

When a pigeon finds a mate, they stay together for life. During their time as a pair, both birds form a very strong emotional bond. If one of the pigeon pair dies, it leaves the other devastated. The widowed pigeon grieves the death of its mate for days – calling out to it and moping.

After some days or weeks, the pigeon goes out to look for another mate. However, there are cases where the widowed bird refuses to find another mate for almost a year. On rare occasions, a pigeon may even commit suicide when its mate dies – that’s how complex and intelligent these creatures are.

Do birds grieve when their babies die?

While some birds are too preoccupied to grieve the death of their chicks, other highly intelligent birds like pigeons seriously mourn when their babies die, or their eggs go missing.

When a mother pigeon loses her baby, it turns her whole world upside down. She gets very sad and may go for days without eating. Other birds like ducks, jaybirds, crows, ravens, swans, and penguins have been observed to exhibit similar behaviour when their chick dies. You’ll find these birds staying close to the dead chick, poking or pulling at it. The cries they make during such times are a vocalization of their extreme sadness.

What do mother birds do with dead babies?

Most mother birds mourn over their dead babies for a few days and then push them out of the nest. The reason for this is to keep the nest clean. They know if the dead baby remains in the nest, it will decompose and attract maggots, ants, and predators to the nest. So they are left with no choice but to rid the nest of the dead bird for their peace and safety.

Then there are also species of birds that don’t toss their dead babies out of the nest but eat them. For example, if the chick of a flesh-eating bird like the eagle dies in the nest, the mother eagle will feast on the dead baby’s flesh. And if the dead eaglet had siblings, the mother bird will share the dead baby with her other chicks.

How can you tell if a bird is sad?

Birds get sad too. You can tell if a bird is sad by observing how it acts. Here are some signs of an unhappy bird:

• Loss of appetite
• Feather-plucking
• Change in vocalization
• Fluffed-up feathers
• Aggression
• Irritability
• Change in droppings
• Head bobbing

Conclusion

In conclusion, pigeons do grieve. They are highly intelligent even to a point of feeling emotions. When they grieve they will call out to their loved one, mope around, become sad and won’t eat for a couple of days.

You will see that the bird is sad or upset through irritability, aggression plucking of its feathers or a loss of appetite. After the time of mourning the mother bird will push the dead baby out of the nest to keep it clean.

If a baby eagle dies then the mother will either eat the flesh of the baby herself of she will share and eat with the other babies in the nest.

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other pigeon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why do pigeons kill their babies? Pigeon not sitting on egg, why and what to do? Pigeon egg not hatching, why and what to do? How long can pigeon eggs survive without incubation?