I recall that there are also some that only lay one egg (e.g. in the genus
Patagioenas [formerly New World Columba]). The 'pigeon pair' sounds like a
fairy tale to me ;-)
Nikolas
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Nikolas Haass
Sydney, NSW
----- Original Message ----
From: Philip Veerman <>
To: michael norris <>
Cc: Birding-aus (E-mail) <>
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2008 6:19:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Pigeon factoids
Are you referring to Columba livia or all columbiformes?
I believe that pigeons usually lay two eggs, although the generality of this
could easily be checked in a reference book. The suggestion as to one for each
sex sounds absurd to me and I have never heard that suggestion before. Let me
know if I am wrong.
Your second point is correct. Pigeon produce a milky substance in the crop and
feed this to their chicks by regurgitation. Although does it apply to all
species of pigeons and do nil other birds do a similar thing?
Philip
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