Expert: Julia Booth - 9/23/2010

Question
QUESTION: HI. A PIGEON LAID TWO EGGS AT MY WINDOW. SHE SITS ON HER EGGS DURING THE DAY ( LIKE FOR 9 HOURS) BUT SHE LEAVES AROUND 6:30 PM AND RETURN THE NEXT DAY AROUND 8 AM. SO THE EGGS ARE UNNATENDED THE WHOLE NIGHT. I LIVE IN NEW YORK AND THE WEATHER HERE IS STILL WARM. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF THE EGGS WILL HATCH?

ANSWER: Traditionally, with pigeons, both parents participate in the building of the nest and the incubating of the eggs. The mother only sits on the eggs at night. During the day, the father keeps them warm and they are sometimes unattended in between. Sounds kind of strange, I know. But it seems to be working for them, if the current pigeon population in New York is any indication.

Pigeons generally lay two eggs at a time.

The eggs should hatch about 18 days after they were laid.

If this doesn't answer your question, let me know.


Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi julia. this pigeon seems to be a single parent. no father at all. the eggs are left all alone all night. but also i want to know if hot weather will help incubate these eggs.

Answer
First of all, if this pigeon is a "single" parent, it is very rare. I have been bird watching for 15 years. I have yet to see a pigeon rearing a clutch all on its own. The truth is that, unless we observe a nest 24 hours a day, we really don't know for sure whether or not the parent is single.

Second of all, I want you to bear in mind that what I'm telling you here is coming from someone who has actively participated in wildlife rehabilitation for many years.

The pigeon you are watching knows what it's doing. It is a year round resident in the state of New York. It has adapted to the climate, temperature and other related conditions. It has been doing this for thousands of years, without help from you or me. In other words, it does not require any assistance from humans to perpetuate itself.

If it were endangered, threatened or nearing extinction, then I could definitely see wanting to intervene on its behalf, if you were qualified to do that. But there is no shortage of pigeons in North America. There is in fact, an overpopulation that has the potential to do serious damage to our ecosystem. A certain percentage of these birds do not survive to breed, because if they did, it would cause an imbalance that would eventually have determental effects on the entire planet.

You have a good heart. It's good that you care. It's fascinating when people can observe wildlife, especially when things go well for them. But for those who are not legal qualified to intervene, the participation stops there.

Good luck to the pigeon and her eggs. Based on what you've told me, they SHOULD hatch. That doesn't mean they will. But I have no doubt that whatever is meant to happen to them, will happen.

Once again, good luck


Julia