Pigeons are cute birds that love the water, especially raindrops. They point their beak toward the sky to enjoy the gliding of drops on them.
Why Do Pigeons Sit Out in the Rain? Pigeons like to sit out in the rain to enjoy, conserve energy, and clean their feathers from dirt. They also do so to remove the maximum number of parasites from their body if they have mites.
They run and play with their fellow birds, open their wings in the rain, and even roll their bodies in water to get completely wet. However, water does not soak in their feathers, so they open them and keep them in an upward direction to soak their body.
What makes pigeons sit out in the rain?
Sitting out in the rain depends upon the level of rainfall because they can sit in its moderate levels and do not do so in heavy rain.
Conserve energy
They need low atmospheric pressure on wings for efficient flying because it gives them a lift to fly higher in the sky. In addition, their wing shape allows air to pass over their wings to create low air pressure over the feathers.
This lower pressure helps them to lift their body to take off and fly effectively. In addition, the air becomes less dense in the rain because water molecules take up space in the air.
They need more energy for flying in this situation because it does not provide enough lift to fly high. Therefore, they stay in such conditions to conserve their energy until the rain stops and they resume their flight.
To clean their feathers
Their function is to fly, which they use for several purposes, like getting food and escaping danger. Many dust particles stick to them when they fly here and there to perform their activities. Feathers are their tools which should be clean enough not to disturb their flying.
Their body secretes a special kind of preening oil from uropygial glands to keep their body clean. But sometimes, they do not use this oil because of any sickness and injury.
So they must use other methods to clean their bodies out of dust and filth. They sit out in the rain and open up their feathers to remove all dirt particles. Raindrops pour down over the wings, and dust slips slightly with them and helps them to clean.
To enjoy
Pigeons are jolly birds that love to enjoy the rain with their other birds. You can see all kinds of breeds sitting out in open places to enjoy these droplets.
They move their feathers rapidly in these pouring drops showing a sign of happiness. Then, they lift their wings because pouring water drops completely soaks their body by this activity.
They love sitting in it to relax and stretch their body. Sometimes they roll their body and get wet in accumulated water to play with one another in a group.
Remove parasites
They carry several types of parasites which disturb their health and flight. They got them from an outdoor environment because they interact with several other birds.
Pigeon mites and some other parasites can also transfer to human beings if you do not treat them timely. Pigeons sit in the rain and flap their feathers vigorously to minimize these parasites on their body as much as possible.
Argas persicus are dangerous types of mites that can be deadly if untreated and can also affect humans. So sitting out benefits them because the water removes the maximum number of parasites from their body.
Do pigeons like to get wet?
Pigeons love getting wet in the rain because it gives a shower. Healthy ones become excited when these water drop falls because they get a bath in them.
You can take the idea of their excitement that they choose to sit in that place where raindrops fall on their body after hitting any higher surface.
It creates a pleasant sensation for them to receive moving water droplets on their body. Also, they become loud after a heavy storm because they have plenty of food to eat, as many insects come out after the storm.
How do pigeons sit in the rain?
They adopt different postures according to the mood to show their happiness in the rain. They usually keep their bodies upright and fold their neck while sitting in an open place to get wet in this water.
They set the position of the pointed beak to the sky to let the water drops slide over it. Sometimes they shrink their bodies in its cold water to provide warmth to their bodies. They need shelter in bushes and trees in case of heavy rain to protect their bodies and feathers.
What type of pigeons like to sit out in the rain?
Some people claim that only wild pigeons like to sit in the rain, but it is not true. All birds love to be wet in these droplets, whether pet or wild.
Pet ones make loud sounds when seeing the water droplets coming from the sky to leave them in the yard to enjoy. Mostly they prefer to sit in its average fall because it refreshes their mood as compared to heavy rainfall.
However, they do not sit in a heavy storm and wait for it to reach its average level, so they fly efficiently.
Is it possible for pigeons to fly in the rain?
Pigeons can fly in the rain depending upon the situation because they mostly prefer not to fly if there is no urgency. Sometimes they need an urgent flight to save their young ones in a heavy storm so they can fly to do so.
Although their feathers are waterproof to some extent because of the preen oil on them still, they do not fly in such weather. The reason is that they need an extra amount of energy to fly in dense air, which also becomes the cause of heat loss.
They have a special kind of feathers called flight feathers which they use to push the air continuously. They do not cover themselves but use these feathers if needed as water slides over them and does not absorb them in their body.
Related Articles:
