Pigeons have interesting features, colourful feathers and weird feet. But why do pigeons have red feet?

Pigeons have red feet because these genetics were passed down through the ages. Different pigeons have different coloured feet including yellow, pink, grey, black, and red. Over the years the genes for different coloured feet were passed down regardless of if they were advantageous or not, because of this pigeons have different coloured feet

Pigeons have been living with man for much longer than many of us have been alive. This bird has lived side by side with humans for thousands of years. They can be found in almost every city in the world and have become like a piece of furniture.

If you pay attention long enough you may notice that pigeons have some quirky habits and some bizarre features. They puff up their chest, they recognise faces and they have red feet and red eyes. As they say, everything happens for a reason and this article looks into why pigeons have red feet

Why do pigeons have red feet?

We don’t really know why pigeons have red feet. In fact, not all pigeons have red feet. Different species of pigeons have feet that are yellow, pink, gray, orange and even black. The pigeons that have red feet are the close relatives of the wild or the feral pigeon. These include but are not limited to the blue rock pigeon, the Columba oenas and the Speckled pigeon which have a very striking appearance in general without the feet colour.

We know the chemical makeup of the pigments that make these pigeons feet red but we still don’t know the reason for this colour. There are many theory’s that try to answer this question like metabolic changes, sexual selection by the female pigeon and light absorption to name a few

One thing we do know is that baby chicks have flesh coloured feet. When they are born all their features aren’t developed like adult pigeons are. Their feet are flesh coloured, their bodies are not proportional, their skin is almost transparent and they have a thin layer of “feathers”. As they age they grow into themselves and their feet change colour

Do pigeons have orange feet?

Not all pigeons have the same coloured feet. Some feet are red, yellow, grey, pink and near black feet but not really orange. The pigeons that have yellow feet are the band-tailed pigeon.

A pigeon will have different coloured feet as a result of its genetics, pigeons passed on these genes regardless of whether they were advantageous or not.

Why do pigeons have weird feet?

Many pigeons seem to have feet that are missing toes and are infected, the reason for this is a mix of man-made issues and pigeon made issues.

The man-made issue is that bits of plastic line, cotton thread and other man-made trash gets caught on their feet. As time goes by this debris becomes tighter and cuts off blood supply, this can even cause the toe or even the whole foot to fall off. This can also lead to an infection.

The pigeon-made reason is that they stand in their own faeces. We know that pigeon poop is strong enough to damage bricks on building so it’s strong enough to damage a pigeons skin as well.

Summary

In summary, because the genetics of feet colour in pigeons were passed down in families, regardless of whether this was advantageous or not, some pigeons have red feet. Some examples of pigeons with red feet are the blue rock pigeon, the Columba oenas and the Speckled pigeon.

Other pigeon feet colours include yellow, black, pink and grey. At birth, a baby pigeon has flesh coloured feet and this colour changes as the pigeon grows up. Another thing you may have noticed is that pigeons have weird feet, this is the result of debris getting caught on the feet and toes and cutting off blood circulation and thus causing the toes or feet to fall off or pigeons standing in their own faeces and the poop eating at the skin.

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 eat leaves? Do pigeons attack other birds? How do pigeons find food? Why do pigeons puff up their chest? How do pigeons protect themselves? Why do pigeons poop so much? What do pigeons like to play with?