How Do Male Pigeons Attract Females?

If you are a pigeon lover you might be interested in knowing how do male pigeons attract females. If that’s true, then here’s your answer:

The male pigeon attracts the female by nodding his head and spreading his tail feathers in a beautiful way. If the male wants to mate then he will circle the female and then mount her for a cloacal kiss.

Sounds interesting right? Well, there is a lot more to learn when it comes to knowing how do male pigeon attracts females.

Luckily, you have come to the right place because in this article I will explain this process in detail along with some other interesting things.

So if you are interested in exploring more about the romance of these beautiful birds, keep on reading!

How do Male Pigeons Attract Females?

As already mentioned above, the male pigeon attracts the females through its behavior. These behaviors include the following:

Head bobbing

The male pigeon first raises its head and moves its body forward. Then he keeps on moving his head backward until at last he nods or shakes his head.

This behavior creates air currents which in turn causes the droppings to float down.

Thus, the floating droppings form an attractive sign which makes the female pigeons move close in order to see what is happening.

Tail wagging

After raising its head, the male pigeon slowly moves its tail from side to side creating waves similar to water flowing over stone rocks.

As soon as the female comes closer, it begins to mate by mounting the female pigeon.

The male pigeon then circles around the female to make sure she is aroused before finally mounting her for mating.

What Does A Female Pigeon Do When Attracted By A Male?

When attracted by a male pigeon, the female pigeon reacts by fluttering its wings and spreads out its plumage. Now, this is known as displaying.

This behavior is accompanied by a characteristic sound that goes like “gorrrrr goorrrrr gooorrrrr”. In addition to this behavior, the female also exhibits another behavior in the presence of a male pigeon.

It involves making noises such as chirping or cooing. You can think of this as a call to the male pigeon.

The female then goes near the male after proper communication and lets the male greet her properly by circling her in a specific way.

Point to Pounder: when fully feathered the male pigeon has approximately 10,000 feathers

How Does Male Pigeon Mate?

After attracting the female pigeon you might be wondering how does the male pigeon mate. Well the answer to this question is:

After attracting the female pigeon the male spreads its tail feathers in a specific way. It then began to circle the female, which signals that it’s ready to mate, and the female pigeon sits down. The male mounts her to inject his sperm into her cloacal cavity.

Unlike other animals, pigeons do not have any specific sex organs like hens. Therefore, they mate through a cloacal kiss.

Point to Pounder: Before the first egg is laid, the female may sit on the nest for a few days. Two white eggs are usually laid.

Does Female Pigeon Mating Have To Be With One Specific Male?

Female pigeons normally have the freedom to choose among different males according to preference.

Hence, they pick their mates depending upon what appeals to them at that point in time. Thus, female pigeons have to choose wisely as they cannot afford to waste time in selecting their mates due to the fact that each one has only so much reproductive capacity.

According to studies, pigeons are monogamous and mate in pairs. Once their pair is formed they remain together for a lifetime.

After when the courting period is over they start nest building and have squabs. Both male and female pigeons remain loyal to their partners as long as they live or are left together.

How Long Will They Stay Together After Copulation?

Once the cloacal kissing is completed, the pair will remain together for some time.

Even though the females usually stay with the same male all throughout their lives, occasionally there will be cases where the couple may break up and seek new partners.

However, you should know that couples who are very compatible tend to stick together.

The only reason that the female finds a new partner is either when the male dies or they are separated by humans or natural disasters.

What Happens After Breeding Season Ends?

Male pigeons generally stop courting females once the breeding season ends. Their priority now becomes food rather than reproduction.

Generally speaking, male pigeons leave the area where they bred to find food elsewhere unless they are still receiving enough attention from females and thus continue to court them until they find a replacement.

In case of a loss of interest on the part of the females, they will wait until they can secure a mate before mating again.

To summarize, we can say that pigeons mate for life. If one member of the pair dies, the remaining mate will look for a new mate even if it means leaving their family.

Do Pigeons have Mating Rituals?

The answer to this question is Yes, pigeons do have mating rituals which include nodding and bowing head from the male. Apart from that, they produce a cooing sound and the male usually circles the hen which gives the female a signal that it is time to mate.

When a male pigeon circles around a female pigeon, it produces a cooing noise. This indicates to the female that she is being courted.

If the female does not respond to the cooings of the male, he will move away.

likewise, If she responds positively to his cooing noises, then the male will approach her and attempt to copulate.

Apart from that, If the female is receptive, she will allow him to mount her. The male will do this by bending down and placing his bill under her wings.

He will also place his feet underneath hers. He will then raise himself up and proceed for a cloacal kiss.

Do Pigeons Do a Mating Dance?

The mating dance is common in most birds and animals. However, the question is whether pigeons actually perform such a dance.

Well, the answer to this question is No!

It is just an expression used to describe the courtship behavior of the male towards the female.

This is done through various movements like nodding of the head, wing flapping, and cooing sounds.

Apart from these, the male will also circle the female while producing a cooing sound.

This is what is known as “courtship”.

How do you know if a pigeon is pregnant?

Pigeons are egg-laying animals and they produce offspringing outside of their bodies, unlike mammals. However, if you still want to know about a pigeon that is about to have babies then there are some signs you should look for.

First of all, the female pigeon will quite leave her nest for a while. She may go out of sight for days at times.

Secondly, the female will start eating more often. She will eat seeds and grains that are found near her nesting places.

She will turn a bit aggressive if she finds an intruder near her nest which means she is sitting on her eggs and about to have babies.

Apart from that, she is also guarded by her male partner who helps to protect the hen and the eggs from potential threats.

How long do pigeons mate for

The average length of time between two consecutive matings varies depending on the species. For example, the time period between two consecutive matings ranges from 1 day to 2 years.

However, the average time period between two consecutive mated pairs is approximately 3 months. According to studies, pigeons are among those birds who mate for life and remain loyal to their partners.

Once they form a pair they will continue to stay with each other until and unless death does them apart. Besides that, they usually get separated through natural disasters as well as human interference.

Do Pigeons Kiss Before They Mate?

The answer to this question is yes, pigeons kiss each other before mating in a specific way. In fact, kissing is part of the courtship ritual in pigeons. After attracting the female pigeon the male will open his beak and offer the female semi-digested seed.

If the female pigeon accepts it then they rub their beaks together which is often called a pigeon kiss. This happens before their mating.

Last Minute Thoughts

If you have made it this far, you will have learned about how do male pigeons attract females. Just for a quick recap, the male pigeon attracts the female by bowing his head down. After that, he starts nodding it and began to make a cooing sound.

In addition to this, the male also spreads his tail feathers in a very specific way which signals the female pigeon that the male wants to communicate. This is such an interesting sight which remains us how beautiful nature is and that love is present everywhere.

Besides that, I have also explained the mating habits of pigeons and how do they mate together. I hope after reading this article you will not have any confusion at all.