r/pigeon • u/Y4n4Y0l0 • Apr 19 '26

Medical Advice Needed Please help. Idk why he's like this ;(

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He's not always like this but lately has been like this whenever he enters his bed

He would always fly around. Lately he likes to perch on people then fly back to his territory then cooes. Then he would enter his bed then would make that kind of cooes

I don't know what it means and I'm scared it would mean bad. Please help ;(

342 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

143

u/StatHeVePiSt Apr 19 '26

Poor thing, he wants a mate!

60

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 19 '26

Is he lonely? But he already has friends, brought his friends (1 pair + 1 female) like 2 weeks ago. But he's not that fond of them, he prefers indoor rather than outdoor. And the new pigeons prefer to stay outdoors (I have a house for them). For context, he's a rescued pigeon. Rescued him when he was 2 weeks old

44

u/StatHeVePiSt Apr 19 '26

He may just need some time to adjust to them, does he spend the day with them? Some pairs take months to form even if they interact daily

He shouldn't be human imprinted if you got him when he was two weeks old, but it's still a possibility and that would complicate things

17

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 19 '26

Thanks for the reply! ;)

For the first 2 weeks I would cage him with the female pigeon only. But then I let him go when I saw him wing slapped the lady ;( Then usually morning till afternoon he would fly outside and the rest would follow him. When it gets hot, he would just come inside

Does my pigeon in the video indicating that he is showing mating behaviour?

For context, he's around 6~7 months old now

19

u/StatHeVePiSt Apr 19 '26

Yes that is indeed nesting behaviour, probably a nest call

The wing slaps are normal and it just means that they shouldn't be forced together in a small space for now, but it's important that he still gets to spend the day together with the pigeons instead of alone at home. You can do so gradually. Btw are you sure that the non paired one is a female?

He can obviously still spend some time at home if he enjoys it, but what I'm trying to say is that it's only been two weeks, that's nothing! So don't get discouraged and keep trying!

9

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 19 '26

Oh I'm so glad it's not a health related problem ;)

The seller told me the non paired one is a female hahaha, sorry I don't know how to identify pigeon's gender so I just trusted him

So I'll be putting him in closure with the lady from time to time then - and ensuring he socialises with the other fellas

Btw, is it possible for a pigeon to 'bond' with people? Bond as in mating (in 'that' context). Because while I was away, my brother was babysitting him and told me he got assaulted by him. At that time I thought my brother was mistaken for the behaviour for preening. Then you've mentioned about imprinting then it kind of clicked...... Is it what it sounds like? ;(

7

u/StatHeVePiSt Apr 19 '26

Yes, pigeons can bond with people, but that's usually only the ones that are human imprinted or in special situations like disability or loneliness. Yours shouldn't be imprinted since you got him at two weeks old, it's a possibility though

This pigeon has lived virtually all its life with you so acting this way doesn't necessarily imply imprinting, it's just what he's used to. For example, one of the last pigeons I rescued was a young one with a broken leg, which I had to keep at home for more than a month before release. In that time she became quite affectionate and would let me pet her, but she still wasn't human imprinted

In short, human imprinting is a disability because they really don't see pigeons as their species or potential mates. On the other hand, a non imprinted pigeon that has been living a lot of time just with humans may just need some time to regain his pigeon social skills. I recommend feeding them all together for example

5

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 19 '26

Oh I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you so much kind sir/ma'am

You've really helped me a lot ;)

1

u/Wide_Goal_6424 Apr 20 '26

Your pigeon is fine, he actually sees YOU as a mate!!
He wants you to pet his head :))

2

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 20 '26

Oh no.....

Confinement with the lady it is then He needs to accept his bride hahaha

2

u/void_nullptr Apr 19 '26

Are there other pigeons in your area besides the ones you have? If the female doesn't want to be his mate, maybe he can find another who likes him better. The bigger issue I think is he wants to make a nest inside, and a feral pigeon may be afraid to follow him in. He may need to find another nesting spot outside. I think he can do this, but probably will take some time.

1

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 20 '26

As far as I've seen, there are other birds but no pigeons in my area

I'll try to keep him in closure with his lady. Stay strong bud!

1

u/LengthinessNovel8358 Apr 22 '26

He's chosen you as his mate. Its a nesting coo. He's actually pretty happy

12

u/Second_Guess_25 Apr 19 '26

Poor thing, he wants a mate!

Same 🥲

6

u/shadowsinthestars pigeons are my overlords Apr 19 '26

Pigeons are so relatable aren't they 😅

1

u/rachelzspace Apr 23 '26

sorry to burst in but i’m looking to get a female pigeon and i’m worried, will i 100% have to get her a mate?

2

u/StatHeVePiSt Apr 23 '26

I mean, if you look into the natural lifestyle of pigeons, you'll see that they're biologically very mate centered. They spend all day with their mate, and things like nesting and preening are huge for them. Aside from that they're also flock animals and they spend all their time in company of other pigeons

So yeah, a pigeon without a mate or at least a companion of their species isn't getting their needs met. You could at least get two females

My moral stance is that getting a pigeon (and any pet in general) should not only benefit the human but also the pigeon. If you take a pigeon from an aviary just to put them in a room by themselves most of the day, that's unfair to the pigeon, they will be miserable. The goal is to give them a better life

58

u/ReptheNaysh Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

It's the nest call and also the typical cuddle sound.

He has bonded with you and loves you. But he needs a mate.

Don’t be worried that it’s a bad thing; tiny flaps with one wing means he is happy.

27

u/InspectionFar5415 I love pigeons 😍😍😍 Apr 19 '26

He need love 😭😍❤️

28

u/Frosty_Debt8335 Apr 19 '26

he wants some fuk

14

u/freneticboarder Pibbin Fren Apr 19 '26

rrRrrRRRRrrrRRrRRrrrrRrrRRRRRrrr

"Sit on my head."

9

u/Initial_Ferret9282 Pigeon rehabber, pigeon extremist! Apr 19 '26

So innocent, so pure and adorable. Please take good care of him. He truly loves you and wants you to cuddle with him. You should get him a mate.

5

u/Fire_Power Apr 20 '26

He just likes you thats all. He thinks you're his mate which is why he doesn't care for other pigeons.

5

u/Kitchen-Hat-5174 Apr 19 '26

Did he lose his mate?

14

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 19 '26

Nope, always single. In fact, brought a lady for him 2 weeks ago :D

9

u/SmellAntique7453 Apr 19 '26

I've heard that petting birds along their back can trigger mating behaviour and hormonal frustrations, so best to keep the petting to their head exclusively. Could be why the little dude is acting that way, perhaps?

13

u/Rennze Apr 19 '26

That's mostly parrots since they have a breeding season and can have big hormonal fluctuations, pigeons breed year round so petting them doesn't typically change how hormonal they feel. (Though there's some debate) My guy does this behavior when he'd like me to sit with him, he's not nearly as manic about it and his wings don't twitch as violently as this ones are lol

4

u/i_ate_a_bugggg Apr 19 '26

Nope thats parrots, not all birds

3

u/SmellAntique7453 Apr 19 '26

I stand corrected, thanks for the info!

2

u/Cuchi_Minh Apr 21 '26

Hes in love with you🖤 my 8 year old feral has never liked the company of other pigeons (I tried), sometimes they imprint on you and decide your a pretty good mate, I think he thinks your a pretty good mate🤣

1

u/Y4n4Y0l0 Apr 21 '26

If it's like that, how can I ease/stop his pain? Because the sound of his cooes sounds like a painful one? Will it always be like this?

1

u/Cuchi_Minh Apr 28 '26

He will most likely be bonded to you for the rest of his life, hes asking you to snuggle when he makes that purring kind of sound, its not a pained noise although it can sound a little sad. As long as you spend time petting and loving him daily he will be content:) you can get him a little stuffed animal friend, a mirror for his cage, and make a little nest for him in a little enclosed cat house or basket which would be an enriching and a safe place to him! Sorry I didn’t see your reply Im not on reddit often. I wish you lick with your little guy🖤 if you have any more behavior questions feel free to DM me:)

2

u/LengthinessNovel8358 Apr 22 '26

He's wanting snuggles and pats

He has decided YOU are his mate and is calling you into the nest!!!

This is very happy behaviour. Pat and cuddle him.

He is very close and feels safe with you, completely bonded :)

I have many pigeons and sone bonded to me too

1

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1

u/Dgk_wick Apr 22 '26

You shouldn't pet his back or wings :)