Pigeons belong to the class of animals called Aves. One notable characteristic of these animals is how they bear offspring. Unlike mammals that give birth to live babies, Aves or Birds produce offspring by laying eggs.

Every species of bird has a mating season, this is the time of the year when they mostly mate and lay eggs.

Pigeons are everywhere, our cities are filled with these birds. With so many pigeons in existence, you may wonder when these animals breed. So, when do pigeons lay eggs?

Pigeons lay eggs when they are both sexually mature, this happens when they reach 6 months old. The female and the male reproduce and after 8-12 days the female pigeon lays eggs. Mating can happen at any time of the year but usually happens in spring and fall

When do pigeons lay eggs?

Pigeons like most birds develop quite quickly. These birds become fully mature and are able to reproduce at just 6 months of age. A female pigeon finds an attractive male pigeon when she’s ready and they start to mate. About 8 to 12 days after mating, the female pigeon lays eggs.

You may have seen pigeons that are 3 or 4 months old mating, but this never leads to eggs. No eggs are produced because the reproductive system of the male and female birds aren’t fully developed at this young age.

Breeding, among pigeons, can happen in any season, but it mostly takes place in the spring and fall. In addition, pigeons usually lay their eggs in the evening between 5 pm – 8 pm.

They can and do lay eggs outside this window but generally speaking, the birds are most likely to lay eggs in the evening hours.

If there’s even a slight decrease in the population of these birds, their natural instincts drive them to make more babies in order to replenish the flock. This explains why the population of city pigeons never seems to plummet.

How many eggs do pigeons lay?

When it’s time for pigeons to produce offspring, they usually lay two white eggs, these eggs aren’t laid on the same day. The second egg is laid on the following day.

There’s also the possibility that a mother pigeon produces a third egg, but this rarely occurs.

After the egg is laid, both the male and female parent will incubate the eggs until they hatch. The eggs usually hatch in about 17 to 19 days.

How often will a pigeon lay an egg?

Studies have shown that pigeons lay eggs all year round, you can expect the pigeons to lay eggs 12 times a year. But not every one of their eggs will hatch. The reason for this is that some of the eggs are infertile.

Another reason maybe is that the eggs were not properly incubated.

But that doesn’t stop pigeons from mating and laying eggs constantly. In fact, pigeons are known to lay more eggs before their first squab leaves the nest.

When pigeons live in a warmer climate, they can lay eggs weekly. In a colder climate, on the other hand, they lay eggs less often.

Can you eat pigeon eggs?

Pigeon eggs are totally safe for consumption as long as they come from a healthy bird. They are quite small in size compared to chicken eggs but contain just as much nutrition as the eggs of a chicken.

To really enjoy pigeon eggs, you’ll need lots of them owing to their small size. It takes three or four pigeon eggs to substitute for one chicken egg.

You can eat pigeon eggs hard-boiled or make them into an omelette.

What are some pigeon breeding habits?

When a male pigeon finds a female he desires for a mate, he struts around her cooing and tries to show her how attractive he is. If the female pigeon is interested in him, she becomes more friendly and they bill each other (similar to kissing).

Pigeons are monogamous and mate for life. After a pair of pigeons have passed the courting phase, they mate. Not long after mating, the pair find a nesting place and build a nest.

The female pigeon soon lays her eggs (two). When the eggs hatch, the young pigeons are nursed by both parents.

A male and female pigeon pair will try to raise several broods in a year. The typical pair living in warm climates will raise four or five broods in a year.

In the case where a mating pair is separated by death, the other bird will seek another bird to mate with.

Pigeon nesting habits

Before a female pigeon starts laying eggs, a nest is first built by the pair.

The male pigeon finds a suitable and safe site for the nest and goes out in search of materials for the nest. His mate remains at the nesting site receiving the materials he brings. She places them underneath her.

A pigeon’s nest is usually built in a saucer-like shape and contains leaves and stems.

A day or two after the nest is built, the female pigeon lays two eggs.

The pair remain with their babies in the nest until the young pigeons are old enough to leave the nest.

Do pigeons lay eggs without mating?

Yes, they do.

When a female pigeon reaches maturity and is ready to lay eggs, she seeks a mature male pigeon. If she can’t find one, she will make a nest for herself and lay the eggs.

The female pigeon incubates the eggs as she would every other egg, but the eggs never hatch because they weren’t fertilized. For a female pigeon to lay eggs that eventually hatch, she must mate with a male pigeon.

Conclusion

We find it quite impressive that pigeons become parents themselves a few months after they emerge from their eggs. This can happen all year round but usually happens in spring and fall. As adult birds, they lay as many eggs as possible in their lifetime. However, not all the eggs bring forth babies.

A pigeon that finds a suitable mate will stick with its mate until they are separated by death or something else. If a female pigeon can’t find a male pigeon to fertilize her eggs, she lays them anyway. But the eggs never hatch since they weren’t fertilized

If you’re interested in pigeons you may also be interested in these articles: When do baby pigeons start to fly? What do pigeons eat in the city? What do pigeons taste like? Where do pigeons go at night? Click the links to read more