Male pigeons pull out all the stops to win love — shimmering feathers, amplified coos, and even a “pigeon kiss.” Discover how these city birds find a mate for life!
TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] It's time for pigeons to strut their stuff.
(pigeons cooing) Pumped up and in prime condition, a male pigeon is a sight to behold.
With an inflated throat, the feathers on his neck shine with iridescent purple and green, colors generated by the structure of the feathers, rather than pigment.
In pigeon vision, the show is even more intense as the birds are able to see ultraviolet light.
Courtship is also accompanied by a special coo.
Generated from deep within the pigeon's body, their throats work like an amplifier.
Combined with distinctive bowing and strutting, the cooing cacophony draws in potential mates, while intimidating other males.
But the real sign that male and female are ready to move on is the pigeon kiss.
This simulates the behavior used to feed baby pigeons, a skill these two will be needing soon.
(pigeons cooing) After mating, the male needs to watch his back.
Others want to get in on the act, so he escorts her as closely as he can, keeping other males clear of his still fertile mate.
Pigeons usually mate for life and a pair will stick together through thick and thin.
Only death will end the relationship, at which point, the surviving partner picks themselves up, dust themselves off, and starts all over again.