Pigeon Mating

Has anyone else seen this? Near where I live there are a bunch of pigeons that just hang around all day long and pick at bits of crap on the ground. It’s fun to run through them with a loved one causing dozens of dirty gray streaks to flutter up into the air and say, “It’s just like Venice!” (whether or not you’ve ever been to Venice with a loved one or not).

Recently I’ve started noticing some new behavior in their complex picking and flying away maneuvers…and after some internet research I’ve confirmed my hunch that the fluffy feathers and hopping around is indeed pigeon mating dancing.

I like watching the pair walk aimlessly around the sidewalk with the male all tall and puffing out his neck feathers. He tries really hard to get the female’s attention who usually just walks away with a blank expression of disinterest in her beady eyes. There’s some polite cooing too from the male and he follows the female relentlessly…until a stroller or taxi bears down on him and sends the love dance into escape flying.

I have to say if I were the girl bird I wouldn’t really be interested either. Pigeons are dirty with mixed matched feather colors and half of them lack two full sets of toes. I think the females hold out as long as nature allows hoping for a confused blue jay to come and sweep them from the filthy streets. I saw a blue jay in a tree above the pigeon enclave the other day. All he did was poop and screech and fly away. Too bad.