Do Pigeons Grieve?
I've had an ongoing pigeon problem, ever since I moved into my current apartment. They're always hanging around my air conditioner, making annoying noises: cooing, gurgling, rustling, banging, landing with a thump, fluttering their wings against the window, you name it. Sometimes they're on top of the air conditioner, and sometimes they nestle under the unit on the window ledge. Sometimes they try to build a nest, and the twigs get inside the air conditioner.
I shoo them, but they always come back. I have a small window on a diagonal from the air conditioner window, and this is my vantage point for shooing. For a while I'd threaten them with a broomstick. Then I bought a water gun, which I figured would be a benign way to get rid of them, and would be more fun for me. So I'd shoot them, and they'd fly away, but minutes later they'd return. Nobody ever talks about Pavlov's pigeons, but after a while it got to the point where if they'd hear the window open they'd fly away. Fat lot of good it did me. They'd still return minutes later. Pigeons either have short memories or they're not very good at putting two and two together.
I once complained to my friend Joanna about my recalcitrant pigeons. "They just don't get it," I said. "No matter how many times I shoo them away, they come back, and I have to go through the same routine minutes later."
"Of course they don't get it," Joanna said. "They're birdbrains."
This morning I heard the pigeons. I opened the window and they flew away. I saw that there was a fairly large nest atop the air conditioner, and in the middle was a little white egg. I got a broomstick and knocked the whole thing down, egg and all, three stories to the ground.
A few minutes later I noticed that one of the pigeons was back atop the air conditioner, but in a different position than usual. It was sitting motionless against the window–slumped, if one could say that of a pigeon. I figured it was the mother, grieving for her lost egg. I shooed her away, but she kept coming back, returning to the same position.
Should I care? I had given her ample warning, hadn't I? Is it my fault she's a pigeon?
Still, it saddened me.
I shoo them, but they always come back. I have a small window on a diagonal from the air conditioner window, and this is my vantage point for shooing. For a while I'd threaten them with a broomstick. Then I bought a water gun, which I figured would be a benign way to get rid of them, and would be more fun for me. So I'd shoot them, and they'd fly away, but minutes later they'd return. Nobody ever talks about Pavlov's pigeons, but after a while it got to the point where if they'd hear the window open they'd fly away. Fat lot of good it did me. They'd still return minutes later. Pigeons either have short memories or they're not very good at putting two and two together.
I once complained to my friend Joanna about my recalcitrant pigeons. "They just don't get it," I said. "No matter how many times I shoo them away, they come back, and I have to go through the same routine minutes later."
"Of course they don't get it," Joanna said. "They're birdbrains."
This morning I heard the pigeons. I opened the window and they flew away. I saw that there was a fairly large nest atop the air conditioner, and in the middle was a little white egg. I got a broomstick and knocked the whole thing down, egg and all, three stories to the ground.
A few minutes later I noticed that one of the pigeons was back atop the air conditioner, but in a different position than usual. It was sitting motionless against the window–slumped, if one could say that of a pigeon. I figured it was the mother, grieving for her lost egg. I shooed her away, but she kept coming back, returning to the same position.
Should I care? I had given her ample warning, hadn't I? Is it my fault she's a pigeon?
Still, it saddened me.
posted by Peter Cherches at 6:49 PM
14 Comments:
Yeah, from what I've noticed, they get really upset when a baby or egg dies. Every summer when I lived on West 85th St. in the 1980s, a pair of pigeons would nest and have eggs. Sometimes the eggs wouldn't hatch, sometimes they would and the babies would die, and they went into a keening state.
At least half the time, though, the babies (usually two) would grow up in a very short time and they'd all fly away. (That's why you never see baby pigeons.) I used to like to watch them feed.
I've also twice seen pigeons in Riverside Park hopping all over and very upset over a dead pigeon, which I presumed was their mate.
I do think pigeons grieve. I've observed what looks like it too many times to believe otherwise.
Cruel !!
Bibianne
Cruel!! And not anonymous.
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What's the matter with you? Such a heartless thing to do...
im so sad right now. there was a pigeon's nest up on a tree by my apartment window (2nd floor) that i would check on every morning. we just experienced a bad hail storm last night. the nest isn't there anymore, the nest is on the ground with two dead baby birds (already hatched; no egg shells) and the same pigeon keeps hopping from branch to branch almost looking for her nest. i wish i could help :(
It must be observed that the pigeons don’t understand our reasoning nor that the outside of buildings and trees belong to any human, if there’s no bird in it or on it, then it will make a nice home. feral pigeons can’t be trained to understand your shooting gestures and what it means. Personally I feel blessed when I can observe nature at its best...even from in a concrete jungle and from a concrete slab. Karma....comes around.
I live in an apartment on second floor,. Few days back, a pigeon laid two eggs on my cooler. Later, she hatched the eggs and two chicks came out of it. Two days back, one of the chicks fell down and died. Since then, the pigeon left her nest and keep on looking towards down. Yesterday, in the morning, i saw that the second chick was also about to fall and mother pigeon is watching it instead of helping the baby. Somehow, I managed to save the chick. But the mother pigeon wss not responding well to the chick. So i brought the chick inside my home and keeping it along with me. The mother pigeon is still in the same place. But her behaviour is totally changed. Please help me.
I work at a laundry and watched the boy pigeon work hard taking mama pigeon twigs and stuff and she would place them to make her nest. They did this for two weeks and then the mama pigeon sat on her eggs for about 3 weeks and never moved.I seen that the babies had hatched and seen her feeding them. Tuesday I worked and she was there watching her babies like a good mother. Then I came in today and some idiots had knocked her nest down and it was gone, babies too. I'm so upset. But anyways both parents keep coming back and I seen the mama lay her bead where the nest was and she was shaking while the daddy stood beside her! Heartbreaking! People suck! All animals have feelings and feel Pain! Idc what nobody says. Idk what to do for them. I'm just as sad! Poor birds!
That same exact thing just happened to me. New landlord shooed the male and moved the nest and the two newly hatched babes froze within the hour. Just watched the mother come back for her shift to find everything gone. I chewed out the landlord real good but it's so heartbreaking. All for what? Thanks for sharing your story.
Hi, there's a pair of pigeon in my balcony they gave birth to their babies there and I watched the baby growing up. there was a rain a few days ago and I decided to make a small DIY house using cardboard for them and I place the baby inside that I think the parents were happy and there are only a few days left for baby to take his first flight. and yesterday night there was a storm and today morning I didn't see the house that I made for them house fall from my balcony to the backyard. baby parents are still searching for the baby and I couldn't find the baby I looked in the bush there is a house but I cannot find the baby. I feel so bad right now they lost their baby because of me.i should have placed something heavy on the top of the house. if there is a nest of pigeons in your house please don't throw it until the baby fly away. I am so guilty right now because I saw that baby growing and because of me these poor birds are facing problem.hope they find their baby soon.
Pigeons came to build a nest on my small balcony next to the backdoor suddenly mommy laid 2 eggs .The babies arrived after 3 weeks but the grey one was growing slower compared to the black and grey one ,I made sure they were well taken off as soon as parents left them to sleep alone & only came to spend time with them during the day .I'm so heartbroken this morning to find the grey one dead this morning and mother is sitting with it grieving while the dad is bringing sticks & dry grass building her a nest.Am wonder ing whats next? The other sibling is learning to fly today but it looks a bit lonely.Animals are very special and I believe they can teach us a thing or two.I feel like I just lost a family member I'm not OK.
Mama and dad pigeon had made a nest on the tree next to the door. Mama never moved from her eggs, and in a few weeks i saw two nicely grown baby birds as big as mama with plush plumes.
Today i noticed baby birds and mama gone from the nest. One baby found dead on the driveway and another one gone. Mama bird came back that afternoon, alone and looking sad and sitting around the tree. I feel heart broken. Is the other bird dead too?
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