Janet Piehl - Lets Look at Pigeons

Let's Look at
Pigeons

Janet Piehl

For everyone

who likes

pigeons

There are many kinds of pigeons. This book
focuses on rock pigeons.
Copyright 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Piehl, Janet.
Lets look at pigeons / by Janet Piehl.
p. cm. (Lightning bolt booksTM Animal close-ups)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780822578970 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. PigeonsJuvenile literature. I. Title.
QL696.C63P54 2010
598.65dc22 2007029224
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 BP 15 14 13 12 11 10

Contents

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Meet the

Pigeon

What kind of birds do
you see in the city?

These birds live near
buses, cars, tall
buildings, parks,
and busy
people.

Pigeons gather in groups
called flocks. You may see
flocks of pigeons in city parks,
on sidewalks, and under bridges.

Pigeons perch on
a city bridge.

Pigeons also live outside cities.
Some live on farms. Others
live on cliffs in the mountains
or near the ocean.

This pigeon lives
on a cliff above
the ocean.

Pigeon

Bodies

Many pigeons have gray
feathers covering their
bodies. They have
colorful feathers
on their necks.

Pigeons have round bodies.
Their eyes are
red or orange.
Their small heads bob
when they walk.

Pigeons have
excellent eyesight.

Strong wings help pigeons fly
fast. Pigeons can fly to
miles (64 to kilometers) per
hour. That is almost as fast as
a car on the highway.

Pigeons can fly long distances.
Some can fly as far as
miles (965 km) in a day. That
is like flying from the top of
the state of Florida to its tip.

Pigeons use their strong
wings to fly away from
predators. Predators are
animals that hunt and eat other
animals. Falcons and hawks are
predators of pigeons.

A peregrine
falcon chases
a pigeon.

Some people dislike pigeons.
They do not like flocks of birds
living near them. They
chase pigeons away.

Other people like pigeons.
They feed them seeds,
peanuts, and bread crumbs.

A boy feeds
pigeons in a
city park.

They eat food thrown
away by people. Pigeons
also eat grains and fruits.

Pigeons Build

Nests

Coo! Coo! This pigeon is
looking for a mate. He makes
a cooing sound to attract a
female.

These two pigeons are ready
to start a family. They must
find a place to build a nest.

Two pigeons look
for a place to nest.

Pigeons build their
nests where predators
cannot find them.

City pigeons build nests on tall
buildings and under bridges.
Other pigeons build nests high
on cliffs.

This pigeon nested high
above a city street.

The pigeons nest is small.
It is made of loose twigs
and grasses. The female
pigeon lays one or two white
eggs in the nest.

Pigeons usually
lay two eggs.

The male and the female
both incubate the eggs.
This means they keep them
warm. The eggs hatch after
about eighteen days.

Pigeons sit on
their eggs to
incubate them.