# Pigeon Behavior



## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

Hello there,

Well, I took my rescue pigeon outside and all that he did was to stay perched on my neighbor's wall, he seldom moved and didn't ate or drink anything. At night, I took him inside. 

He can fly very well now, but doesn't look like he wants to leave anytime soon. But what really puzzles me is is behavior. It goes like this: If I talk to him he slightly vibrates his wing like he's happy to see me, but when he sees my hands he puffs his chest and attacks me by pecking and wing-slappings. He only seems quiet when he stands on my head or when he is perched on his favorite spot on the bookcase.

That kind of behavior is puzzling to me, he's happy to see me but he then doesn't... do any of you have any clue of what is going on?

Thanks!


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## Doig (May 18, 2013)

Hello sir or maam!,

In my experience, those are signs of the bird being comfortable with you being around it... not a bad thing at all...

: )

Doig


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## dablondechrisy (Oct 6, 2014)

Hello,
I'm new to the pigeon world so the only thing I can tell you are things that I have had some experiences with. I hope this helps you. 
I found a pigeon out front on my neighbors front porch. Started feeding it. Long story short George never left she is still here. The only problem is after calling this pigeon George I found out I have a female. But I couldn't change the name because the bird knew it's name by the time I found out. Now I call her baby Georgie. So anyway I know how you feel because I want hold my pigeon and pet her like all the people talk about. Plus I have spent money on books and watched ton's of video's to see what I can do to help. I wish they had a answer or magic trick to solve this problem but the truth is I haven't found one yet. I did find a very nice man on here I talk to a lot that does give me different idea's that have helped him in the past. So far I have made better friends with my pigeon by singing the same song. Trust me it don't matter if your a good singer or not they don't care. then once she learned the song I started cooing it to her. She loves it. When she starts peaking at my hands and seems stressed out from all the attempts to hold her and starts making that I'm mad noise and puffing up. I will start singing or cooing the song and she calms right down. I have tried the food in the hand trick which kinda help's but the problem I have is after a few seeds she starts peaking me again. Now I make a fist and curl my hand under tight and try to get her to land on my arm and wrist area it is starting to work a little better she still peaks me but it don't hurt as bad. It has taking me like 2 months to get this far. All I can say is don't give up and try what others tell you works for them because who knows it may work for you too. She lands on my legs and my head. She will sometimes land on my arms but then realizes where she is start peaking a little and jump off. I have a little container that I put safflower seeds in. I shake it when she is out in the living room flying around and say baby Georgie do you want a treat then she comes and lands on my TV tray and I give a few from my hand and when I see her starting to do her acting like she is getting mad thing I will put a few on the table but not to many. I also think she was kinda lonely so I took all the loose strings and tags off a cow beanie baby and put it in her cage with her. At first she beat the poor thing up but now she loves on it and sleeps next to it every night. They say that they like unsalted Spanish peanuts but Georgie likes safflower seeds the most. So in the morning I feed her I watch her eat then when she fly's away from the food dish I take it out of the cage and don't give her anymore food the rest of the day. I always leave her fresh water in her cage. Then when I take her out in the evening she is hungry and more willing to except my hand for a few bites. Then I lay like 5 seeds on the table with my hand so she see's me drop it from my hand. When I put her back in her cage I always put her food cup back. I had to spay her with mite medicine one day last week my husband held her and I sprayed her after we did it I wrapped her up in a towel so she would be warm and dry off. She let me kiss her head and pet her with my hands and I sang and cooed to her. She was the sweetest bird in the world closing her eyes as I was singing to her.Then the minute she was dry and could fly again she was back to the same ole bird before the bath. I was hoping she would stay sweet. Ok I better get off the computer now and get some sleep. 
Good luck and write back if you find something that works for you. You can always friend me on here if you want to talk. Just private message me if you want.  Thank You, Chris


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Cuculi said:


> Hello there,
> 
> Well, I took my rescue pigeon outside and all that he did was to stay perched on my neighbor's wall, he seldom moved and didn't ate or drink anything. At night, I took him inside.
> 
> ...


How old the bird is?

Assuming you have a wild bird which you're trying to release back into open.
Every pigeon has its own personality just like we humans. Some like petting,other don't. Some are friendly others aren't. Most don't like when touched sitting in their resting place whether its a perch/coop/loft etc. They take it like their private property and don't like intrusion. They will wing slap to show their disgust. But that doesn't mean he doesn't like you. He just doesn't wanna be disturbed.
The more you socialize with him and offer him seeds in palm of your hands when he's hungry,the more he becomes fond of you. But if you want him to release back into nature that must not be done. He's better left alone.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Why would he leave? You and your home is the only place he knows. You better hope he does not fly away, cause he will just die out there. If you want to release him, best will be to keep the bird for a couple of weeks in a aviary outside to get used to the surroundings. If you eventually release him, he will have a place to come back to for feedings. Two weeks ago I released two semi-wild youngsters that I've kept outside in a aviary for a month. Every day they are back on the roof waiting to be fed. They don't know where to find food, and the same will happen to your bird that is totally human imprinted.

If you keep him as a pet: There's going to be days when he's going to love your hands and groom your fingers, other days when he will peck the hell out of them, other days when he will mate with your hand. That's just the way they are, much more complicated than dogs and cats.


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## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

Hello again!

Looks like I didn't fill up some of the important bits:

- I found him on October walking on the sidewalk and it was almost dark, so I instantly knew something was wrong with him, so after a small chase I took him home. After a brief inspection he had a quite large bruise under his right wing and a smaller one on his right breast near the part where the wing meets his chest. I gave him the first aid by disinfecting his bruises and kept him under observation. Fortunately, he was eating and drinking water.

- He's an adult male pigeon, I took to an avian vet the next day and she saw that he was in good health considering his low weight (you could feel his keel rather easily), but the bruise on his wing was too swelled to see if it was only a bruise or a broken bone, so she gave me Meloxicam to treat that, iodine to take care of his wounds, a diet and a nutritional complement so he can regain strenght quickly. After a few days I took him to the vet again and she could see that it was indeed a broken bone, but she said it'll heal by itself. He wasn't a candidate to be a top flyer but he could manage by himself if there's plenty of bushes and small trees around. 

- His recovery took a lot of time (like a month plus a few days), but he went from a no-flier to a flying pigeon, at least indoors. But he still has a small round crust under his wing, so I'm quite hesitant of letting him go yet.

Now, there's quite a dilemma for me, as I grew fond of him and he's quite comfortable of being around me, but I'm also aware that a pigeon will only be happier if he's with his peers and doing what he does best: fly. Oh, human nature! 

Thanks for reading all of this and I'll make sure to follow your valuable recommendations!

-
Carlos.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Carlo if you are fond of him and he doesnt want to leave just keep him as a pet. They are very devoted. Pigeons make great loyal affectionate pets. If he is biting or nipping at your fingers it is not unlike them 'driving a hen' they would normally grab hen behind neck or head and push them towards nest. It is normal pigeon behavior. If they puff their necks and coo or spin, this is mating dance. I can hold a pigeon in hand and in seconds it is happy and unafraid. I wish I could post a video showing you how to handle them so u can see how easy it is to settle. Like the lady said while giving a bath, she wrapped in a towel, u can hold them like that without the towel and they love it. You just have to know how. I have two hens that will follow me around the house from room too room like dogs and they land on my head and shoulders and INSIST on me rubbing their heads and fussing them up with affection. They DEMAND it lol Both of them have shown me mating posture as well.


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## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

*He flew free again*

Hello fellow pigeon-lovers,

Today I took my rescued pigeon ("Palomo") to my small garden and he finally flew again and away. It was a mixture of feelings, a sense of satisfaction for having put back a pigeon on circulation and for the other part that I will miss him dearly, he gave me peace with his mere company while I was working at my home office, and when I sang to him and received my dosage of peckings and wing-slappings. It was a wonderful experience and I'm thankful for that, but in the meantime (it may sound silly but it is real), will try to weep my tears of I-don't-know-what doing some distracting stuff. Now I know how marvellous people like you feel about your pigeons and it was exactly as the description on pigeons.biz: "It is just a pigeon thing".

-
Carlos.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

That is wonderful. I know the feeling. I had a hen that was struck by a hawk and scalped, found her at side of road almost dead. After saving her and keeping her over winter waiting for her to heal, she mated, had 4 babies. I released her and the babies at the farm with other wild pigeons and she was so happy she was wing slapping. She knew exactly where her home was. It was nice. I drove there 2 times a week to put seed out for them for soft release.


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## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

*He's back home, but...*

Hello again,

Just to update all of you, he came back home but unfortunately not by his own means . My wife and I found him on a nearby park in a sorry state. Evidently, the pigeon, "Palomo" was attacked, probably by other pigeons or other birds. He lost all of his tail feathers and was limping on one feet and he didn't put any resistance when I picked him up, like he knew I was there to save him again. We immediately took him to the avian vet. He had superficial wounds and torn skin on a few parts and the vet administered a vial of Meloxivet to alleviate the pain and inflammation. And he will be treated with small dosages of Meloxivet for 5 days. He will be okay in a few days, but it might take a while when his tail feathers grow again. He doesn't use his leg now because of the pain and didn't appear to have broken bones according to the vet, but if he is still limping after 5 days, I'll take him again to the vet to get him an x-ray and provide the proper treatment. 

Boy, what a emotional rollercoaster for us, and despite all of his misfortunes, he's a lucky pigeon after all!


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Cat maybe.... NOT Pigeons..........


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Lucky is right, NOT pigeon but either hawk or cat, so you need to go back to vet and get antibiotics so he doesnt die of infection. Put him on for 5 days and just keep the bird, you love him, he seems to have bad luck out in the wild and they dont care if they are with their own kind, if he likes you then he is more than happy enough.


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## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

Hello Everyone,

I agree it could have been a cat or a hawk, just a few moments before we have seen a couple of hawks marauding on the neighborhood. Here there's one little bird who chases hawks and stalks them when they're around until they leave:










A very pretty one indeed, this one is called "Turtupilin" because of their bird song. 

Going back to the pigeon, he didn't had punctured wounds nor blood, but he was administered topic antibiotic treatment, just in case. I'll keep you posted on how are things going, in the meantime he's now asleep (I have a tv camera on "his room" so I can watch him when I'm not there).


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If cat caught, or even caught by a hawk, the bird needs antibiotic to prevent an infection that can easily kill a bird. Most likely cat, and the bacteria they carry is highly toxic to a bird. He needs more than topical antibiotic.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Exactly, so listen to Jay, if he needed topical antibiotics then he has some type of injury, put him on systemic antibiotics and he will be fine.


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## Cuculi (Nov 12, 2014)

Hello I'm back after a while...

My pigeon (yes, I'll keep him) was recovering well, except one of his legs, he was still limping and X-rayed him today and his femur is still fractured. After taking him to the vet and evaluating the scenario, there's a complication because there's no way it could be bandaged to keep it in place so it can solder properly and there's two ways:

1 - We can have him under surgery which may require anesthesics, an operation and a minimum 1-month recovery. And this is quite pricey.

2 - We can leave him like that, treating his pain and with a calcium injections/supplements so it will eventually solder and probably not quite right and he'll be limping for the rest of his pigeon life.

Do you have any advice for me? any experiences from you pigeon-lovers will be invaluable.

PS: I found another injured very young pigeon a couple of days ago, but i'll start another thread.


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## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Cuculi, all the injured pigeons in your area seem headed in your direction. LOL! Great that you have the heart to attend to them. 

In your place, i'd not opt for any form of surgery but let him heal and raise him as he is. I have a hen gifted to me by a friend which is crippled but it manages to fly around and seems genuinely happy.


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