Pigeons are intelligent birds that make wise decisions depending on their priorities and leave their eggs only when it is the right time to do so.
Why Do Pigeons Abandon Their Eggs? Pigeons abandon their eggs when there is a threat of predators, high temperatures, and food shortages in their territory. Moreover, they leave infertile eggs unattended or when the nest conditions are poor. Furthermore, they can also wait until the second egg batch is produced for hatching them collectively.
Pigeons do not compromise their lives for the eggs as it is essential to save the adult, so they can fly away from their nests when they feel uncomfortable without worrying about anything.
What are the reasons that pigeons abandon their eggs?
Pigeons are possessive about their eggs and do not leave them unattended when they are expected to turn into babies and sit on them to provide warmth.
Infertile eggs
Female pigeons can lay eggs even without mating with a male partner but produce unfertilized eggs that cannot be turned into a baby.
Moreover, she did not know about their infertility at the time of production but abandoned them after 15 to 20 days of incubation when she came to know about their infertility.
In addition, they will not leave the fertilized ones released after mating with a partner with the hope of hatching during incubation.
So, she keeps them unattended and does not care for them because they cannot develop into babies and raise the population.
Injury or sickness
Pigeons can get injured during a fight with enemies, resulting in reduced strength to fight and win the battle. Accordingly, they prefer to move to another location for their safety if they lose their feathers.
The injured females cannot take care of their eggs and need a hidden place to recover themselves or even when they are about to die.
Furthermore, they prefer the health and survival of an adult over the unborn one, so they can abandon them and fly away.
Threat of attack
Pigeons do not like humans to interfere in their nests, and adult pigeons fly away from their nests, leaving their eggs behind in their nests.
Moreover, they move to other locations when they feel a threat due to predators as they have to save their life. Fear of attack makes them leave the nest and avoid sitting on eggs to incubate.
These birds are easy to get scared of; even a mild touch to their nest can make them fearful of attack. Therefore, it is better to avoid going close and touching their nests as eggs are sensitive.
Absence of mate
Pigeons choose a single partner for their life to mate, but they have to search for a new partner when the first one dies.
It is challenging for a single parent to deal with all the tasks like incubation, collecting food, feeding young ones, and protecting nests.
They have to leave their nests when the food resources are depleting and feed the young ones. The presence of a male partner can help reduce the burden on the female as they divide the tasks.
These tasks are divided into male and female partners as the female takes care of the laid eggs in the morning, while the male takes control of the nest in the afternoon and protects them.
The female gets frustrated with the duties and avoids sitting on her eggs in the nest because there are no chances of fertilization in them without a male.
Dead and damaged eggs
They do not prefer to sit on the dead eggs that are fallen off the nest and broken down. These birds can leave them unattended when they find no life in them.
Their appearance tells about the presence of healthy babies going through the hatching process if it appears shiny and smooth.
However, a dull and rough appearance means that there is a lesser possibility of life or they are dead. Moreover, veins are also clearly visible on healthy ones when seen in the torch light.
So, you will not see a female incubating a broken or damaged egg because they know it will not hatch well.
Waiting for the second egg
There is nothing to worry about when you see an egg without a pigeon sitting on it when it is only one.
Many pigeon owners do not know that a female lays two eggs after mating with a gap of 1 or 2 days.
Most probably, she is waiting for the second one to come because they prefer to incubate both of them simultaneously and avoid sitting on the single one.
Furthermore, she moves closer, sits on eggs when a pair gets complete, and provides warmth for the hatching process.
Poor nest conditions
The bad condition of nests makes females abandon their eggs because they do not feel comfortable. In addition, it is inconvenient for them to sit in a place that remains wet most of the time.
In the same way, high temperature, hard surface of the nest, and dirty surface are not suitable for the incubation process as they need a comfortable place.
Additionally, direct exposure to sunlight can also irritate them as they like to live in shady areas and fly away from their nests if the light rays are reaching directly.
What to do if pigeons abandon their eggs?
When you see pigeons abandoning their eggs, it is better to stay away from them if it falls down the nest.
However, you can check their condition when you see them alone in the nest for a long time, as their parents have left them alone.
It is better to remove the broken ones from the nests or present them on the ground to ensure the safety of other pigeons.
In addition, you can also take them if they are healthy means they appear shiny and smooth. Artificial incubation can provide them warmth required for hatching.
They can grow into an adult but do not appear healthy like those hatched by the female pigeons as they need the love and care of their parents.
Furthermore, it is a good way of bringing life into these dying babies who cannot survive without parents as they cannot feed themselves and need food.
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