28 March 2024
Most birds have a breeding season for a couple of months per 12 months in spring and summer time however rock pigeons, like people, breed again and again all 12 months lengthy if there’s sufficient meals to maintain their households. You possibly can inform once they’re beginning a brand new household as a result of they courtroom conspicuously.
Birds of the World’s rock pigeon account, quoted within the listing under, explains the steps of courtship that escalate to the second of copulation.
- [Courtship] Begins with bowing and cooing, through which male stands tall, inflates crop, followers tail, struts in circle, bows head and neck whereas giving show coo. That is repeated many instances whereas circling and transferring across the feminine.
- Hetero-preening (“nibbling”) follows, male first, feminine later.
- [Billing:] Feminine in the end solicits feeding, male seems to regurgitate seed or liquid. Feminine might repeat …
- … adopted by a crouch with wings half raised. Male then mounts, balances with flapping wings whereas vents are opposed 1–2 seconds for sperm switch.
After mating the male might do a publish copulatory show. Typically they fly collectively.
- Submit-copulatory show features a few steps whereas standing tall, and infrequently a show flight, normally by the male, through which wings are clapped collectively on an exaggerated upstroke for 3–5 wingbeats. Fowl flies out to a different perch, 40–80 m distant, clapping wings at the least as soon as and gliding with wings in a “V” between bouts of clapping
Whilst you’re observing pigeon courtship there’s yet another factor to note. The female and male shouldn’t have the identical plumage patterns as a result of they select mates that don’t appear like themselves.
