No, Pigeons Aren't Stupid. Here's Why Their Nests Look So Horrible

A bird's nest says a lot about its maker, to the point that some species have attained considerable fame for their architectural exploits. Weaverbirds get their name from the intricately-woven nests they build from grass, bowerbirds decorate elaborate twig structures with flowers and shiny objects, and some birds even build nests that hang from branches, like delicate Christmas tree ornaments. Then, there are pigeons, who do things a bit ... differently.

Pigeon nests typically consist of just a few twigs dropped in a loose pile. You can find them all over most cities, on rooftops, balconies, air conditioning units, and even doormats, but unless there happens to be a pigeon and/or a pigeon egg occupying the nest, you'd assume you were looking at some yard debris. It's as if the bird gave up on the project before they even got halfway through collecting supplies. Photos of pigeon nests are routinely subject to internet mockery, but our criticisms miss the mark.

Laughing at pigeons' "sloppy" nests fits into the broader public perception of the bird, which, safe to say, is far from flattering. We tend to think of pigeons as dimwitted pests, but they are actually highly intelligent animals. Pigeons are capable of counting and recognizing written words, their memories are likely much better than those of humans. In this situation, we are the unenlightened ones, who fail to see that pigeon nests are really a brilliant conservation of effort and resources.

There is an old adage that says, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," and pigeon nests are the perfect example of this philosophy in action. Even before humans urbanized much of the world, pigeons were never big nest builders; they utilized natural roosts, favoring pockets in the sides of cliffs. With the rocks providing ample area to roost and incubate eggs, all the pigeons needed to do was to place a couple of twigs around the egg to keep it from rolling away. As cities grew in the wake of industrialization, pigeons adapted to use concrete structures in place of these natural cliff roosts, still sparing them the effort of building a complex nest.

Simple nests also point to an important feature of pigeon reproduction. Unlike many other birds, pigeons co-incubate their eggs, with both the female and male parent taking turns on egg-sitting duties. This means that pigeon eggs are almost never unsupervised, and with a parent always on hand, the nest itself doesn't need to provide much protection.

While the sight of a pigeon nest might not inspire any awe, they speak to the very reason that pigeons have been able to thrive in a human-made environment where so few other animals can. Pigeons are masters of surviving on whatever is available. Less time spent on foraging and nest building means that pigeons can devote their time to the real objective: reproducing.