# Pigeons throats wiggling???



## stella (Jun 10, 2004)

"My" feral flock is hanging out on the deck as usual. Over the past few weeks they have been treated for canker/cocci/worms, regularly get vitamins etc, and thankfully, there are many bright white noses out there now.

However, today a lot of them are rapidly wiggling their throats - not their crops, just right at the bases of the bottom side of their beaks. It is quite hot here today - could that be it??? I spend loads of time with them, and eyeball them quite a lot, but have never seen this before. None of my indoor pigeons do it.

Any ideas??


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hello,

They are panting. With slightly open beaks, right?
This is perfectly normal and the feral birds do it all the time around here when it's hot.

Other times when pigeons wiggle their throats is when they are about to coo and get excited, they lift their wings up and "flutter" their throats 
My Dotty does this all the time when I come in the room and he even makes a slight sound like he is having a asthma attack or something, but I know it's perfectly normal and males do this when they are ready to coo or start getting excited!


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## stella (Jun 10, 2004)

Woo Hoo! Thank you Mary! I was worried that I was dealing with something epidemic since they are all doing it. 

(So what's funnier, this question, or the "My pigeon is quacking" thread I posted a while back?  So much to learn!)


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

My feral pijjies will 'wiggle' their throats when it is hot as well. 
It's rather amusing, they will gather around the 5 bird baths while I'm cleaning & refilling them watching 'intently' as if I'm not working fast enough.  

Some of my *'old timers' * could care less if the hose is there, they step right up & commense taking a bath. I have even had some stand in an empty bird bath. Talk about putting the pressure on me to move a bit faster.  

Cindy


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## Snowbird (Jun 24, 2004)

Unrelated to the behavior in heat, they will commonly do this when very excited to mate, when they scared ****less, and when in certain types of intense pain.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

*Gular Fluttering!*

From "Ask Audubon":

Primarily, birds off-load excess heat either by evaporative cooling directly through the skin or by panting. The latter method cools the bird's airways and helps lower an elevated internal temperature. A robin running across a lawn on a sunny afternoon with its beak agape is doing exactly that. _To supplement panting, several species vibrate the muscles and bones in their throats, a tactic called *gular fluttering*. _ 

Cynthia


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Thanks for the information/confirmation Cynthia.
On some of our warmer days, when I would see many of my feral flock displaying this behavior, my first thought was that they were overheated.  

*Primarily, birds off-load excess heat either by evaporative cooling directly through the skin or by panting.*
Just like our canine friends.  

Cindy


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