3 April 2024

City folks often see pigeons but all the birds are adults. Have you ever seen a baby pigeon?

Rock pigeons nest on cliffs in the wild or in nooks on high buildings or bridges in feral settings. This puts their nests high above our field of view and, since the young won’t leave the nest until they can fly, they don’t look like babies anymore when we finally see them. They look like their parents.

Every once in a while a pair of pigeons will choose a balcony or window ledge where the resident can see the nest. This happened for @LostInTheWildCanada who documented the pigeon family on YouTube.

Who knew that rock pigeon nestlings are covered in yellow-orange down? Who knew their eyes didn’t open for a week? Who knew they were so … ugly?

Now you know.

(credits are in the captions)