Pigeon related terms and definitions

A

Air Sacs - Nine hollow areas extend throughout the pigeon's body. Air flows through this system of interconnected sacs almost like blood in the circulatory system.

B

Billing - Pigeon kissing. When the female sticks her bill down the male's throat and takes an offering of regurgitated food. A behavior known as a prelude to mating.

Bloom - A white, powder-like dust found in the feathers of pigeons.

Bowing - A courtship behavior of a male pigeon like puffing out his neck feathers, lowering his head and turning around in circles.

C

Calcification - Abnormal deposits of calcium salts in the tissue; often in sites with dead tissues, parasites or abnormal circulation.

Callus - Bony or fibrous material that forms around th ends of a broken bone, which is absorbed when repair is complete.

Canker - A yellowish cheesy deposit usually in the birds mouth or throat caused by the protozoan, Trichomonas.

Cere (eye) - Bare skin around the eye.

Closed (simple) Fracture - Bone fracture in which the ends do not penetrate rhrough the skin.

Cock - A male pigeon

Contusion - Crushing bruise or injury where the skin is not broken.

Cooing - Pigeons make many sounds during courtship, such as "coo-roo-coo-tooo...".

Crest - Reversed feathers on the back of the head.

Crop - The first stomach of the bird for storing feed located in a fleshy pocket on the neck. Here food is stored for around 12 hours inside the bird before it's passed into the stomach and intestines.

D

Debridement - The removal of dead, bruised or damaged tissue or foreign material from or adjacent to a lesion until healthy tissue is exposed.

Distal - Away from the center of the body.

Down - Yellowish fuzzy type covering on newly hatched pigeons.

Driving - Male pigeon runs closely behind his hen like chasing and pecking until she gets into the nest box.

Droppings - Excrement's of the pigeon.
Also commonly known as 'poop'.

E

Edema - The accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues or serous cavities (serum-fluid portion of the blood).

Egg-bound - A hen is unable to lay a completely formed egg.

F

Flights - The 20 long feathers on the wing

Frill - Line of reversed feathers on the neck or crop.

G

Grit - Finely grouind up natural materials of pumice, oyster shell, brick and other materials used for pigeon digestion.

H

Hematoma - A localized mass of blood which has come from a ruptured vessel and is relatively or completely confined within an organ, tissue or space; a bruise, a black and blue mark.

Hen - A female pigeon.

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis - This is a human illness, often times related to birds.
Inflammation of the lungs due to breathing in a foreign substance, usually certain types of dust, fungus, or molds.

I

J

K

Keel (breast) bone- Bone running down the middle of the breast to which the pectoral muscles are attached.

L

M

Mandible - Beak or bill.

Molt - Normal process of shedding feathers

N

Necrosis - Death of cells in an organ or tissue.

O

Old Bird - A pigeon over one year old.

Open (compound) Fracture - Fracture in which the skin is perforated and there is an open wouind down to the bone (the bone ends aer visible).
Note: The skin can close over the wound area and appear to be a simple fracture.

P

Pectorals - The muscle lying on both sides of the keel bone.

Pigeon Milk - A dense watery, milk like fluid which is passed from the parents to the young birds upon hatching and continues for five to eight days. It is a soft easily digestible food.

Pipping - The chipping of the egg during hatching.

Plumage - General feathering

Primary flights - The 10 large outer wing flights

Proximal - Towards the center of the body.

Pumpers - Pigeons used as foster parents.

Q

R

Runt - A youngster that did not develop properly.
Also known as a very large pigeon.

S

Secondary flights - The 10 smaller flights closest to the body

Shock - A state of profound depression of vital processes of the body characterized by pallor, rapid but weak pulse, rapid and shallow respiration and often mental dullness (calmness).
Note: The skin may feel cool or 'clammy to the touch'. Not all symptoms will manifest.
The most common type of shock is hypovolemic shock which is caused by a reduction of blood volume and fluids.
Septic shock results when gram negative bacteria overwhelms the cell wall. There are no obvious symptoms for diagnosing septic shock.

Silky - Term used to describe healthy feathers.

Squab - A young pigeon from 1 to 30 days of age.

Squeaker - A young pigeon just learning to eat by itself.

Stargazing - When a bird turns it's head upside down and stares upward.

T

U

V

W

Wattle - Fleshy cover on the nostrils behind the upper beak.

X

Y

Young Bird - A pigeon that is not a year old.

Z