Rock Pigeon

Birdslay eggs. That means they don’t nurse their young… right? Well, have you everheard of something called “pigeon milk?” Pigeons,one of the most ancient of domesticated birds, feed their nestlings a peculiar,milky liquid- straight from the adult’s beak to the baby’s throat. It’soften called “crop milk,” because it comes from special cells in the birds’crop. The crop is a section of the lower esophagus in some birds that is usedfor storing food before digestion. Unlikemilk from mammals, pigeon milk doesn’t come from a mammary gland. But it doescome loaded with antioxidants and immune boosters that help the new hatchlingssurvive. Acouple of days before their eggs hatch, both pigeon parents start making themilky substance, which they’ll feed their hatchlings over the first ten days oftheir lives. When the special feeding stops, the special crop milk cells returnto normal. Pigeonsand doves aren’t the only birds that can make this special milk. Flamingos andsome species of penguins can, too.