How Pigeons Communicate

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Pigeons have long played a role in the way that humans have communicated with each other, particularly over long distances before the invention of the mobile phone which is so common today. Because of their excellent homing instincts, pigeons could be carried several hundred miles, and would be able to carry messages successfully back to their previous home. However, when it comes to communication between different pigeons, this has been less well known, but the birds actually do have a fairly impressive system of communication, both through body language and the noises that they produce.



Males Cooing To Each Other

A gurgling cooing sound is one of the most important ways that pigeons will communicate, and this is particularly noticeable when you look at the ways that different males will communicate with each other. There can be several reasons for this, as they can be disputing a particular piece of food or food source, or they can be trying to compete for the attentions of a female. This noise is particularly obvious when people see the large groups of pigeons that congregate in open public squares and spaces, and although females also use their cooing to a lesser extend while they are communicating.

Communication During The Mating Rituals

Another area of a pigeon's life where communication is very important is in the lead up to mating, and while preparing for the birth of their chicks. The amount of cooing is significantly greater among mating couples of pigeons, and this is complemented by body language and physical contact where the male will regurgitate food to feed the female, and will groom the female. When the young are born, both parents will be active and will be communicating with both each other, and their young chicks with these sounds. Chicks will have a much higher pitched sound that they will use to communicate, and will call to their parents with these noises.

The Hearing Range Of Pigeons

One of the most interesting aspects of communication among pigeons is that the birds can actually use the noises that are found around the world as a part of their long distance navigation. Scientific surveys have found that while they have a good sense of hearing for sounds within the normal range of hearing, pigeons can also pick up the sounds that are produced at low frequencies, and these are then used by the birds to help them to navigate their way home.

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