Pigeons are very different from the more common pet bird, parrots, and if you don’t have any experience with them, you may not know what do expect. This page will give you a very brief, surface-level overview, but each item also has a specialized guide—or an entire section—so if you want more details, make sure to check the other guides out.

1. Diet. Pigeons are strict granivores! This means that they should only be fed a good quality seed diet. They also need a good quality, balanced, pigeon specific grit.
2. Housing and enrichment. Pigeons are simple to keep compared to other birds. They don’t need as many toys to entertain themselves, and a large dog crate works very well as a cage for a pigeon. They do best on flat, not rounded, perches. One or two rounded ones can be provided for variety, as long as they have plenty of flat places to walk on.
3. Bathing. Pigeons love to bathe and need it to keep themselves clean. You should offer your pigeon a bath at least once a week in a large, shallow dish; a cat litter box, a large bowl, or a plastic food container can all work well. The water should cover their legs.
4. Noise level. Pigeons are pretty quiet as far as pet birds go; they coo and contact-call, but nowhere near the level where your neighbors would complain—or most of the time even hear.
5. Cleaning and maintenance. Pigeons poop a lot and can’t be potty trained. Pigeon diapers exist, but can only be used for a few hours at a time and mainly with birds who are bonded to their owners. Pigeons also produce a lot of dust, and you need an air filter in a room where you keep your bird.
6. Training. Pigeons can be trained to step up, fly to your hand, touch objects, or stay off certain surfaces. They can also be taught simple tricks, although the tricks are not going to be as advanced as with some parrots.
7. Day-to-day behavior. Pigeons can get used to your hands and be very cuddly and attached to you, although a lot depends on your specific bird; sometimes training them may require a lot of time and patience. Pigeons also don’t shred or destroy objects. If a pigeon does bite, they can’t easily hurt you or pierce the skin.
8. Courtship behavior. Pigeons are very social and will engage in courtship behaviors with you. You cannot sexually frustrate your pigeon like you would a parrot just by petting them, and in fact petting a pigeon who’s bonded with you is very encouraged!
9. Nesting. Pigeons will nest; hens will lay eggs. Generally, they will lay eggs every month and sit on them for 2–3 weeks, then take some time off before laying the next clutch.
10. Veterinary care. Pigeons can get sick or hurt and will require you to have an avian vet nearby. Finding a vet familiar with pigeons may be more difficult than finding a parrot vet; some vet advice for parrots is harmful when applied to pigeons.