pigeon’s milk
Quick Summary
Pigeon's milk is a nutritive substance produced by pigeons to feed their young. It is not true milk but rather a fluid containing solid particles that resembles cheese. This substance is created when the cells lining the parent pigeon's crop break down and are discharged. The parent then regurgitates this fluid for the nestlings. This unique feeding method is stimulated by the hormone prolactin.12
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pigeonNatural history and distribution…parents feed their young “pigeon’s milk,” the sloughed-off lining of the crop, the production of which is stimulated by the hormone prolactin. The nestling obtains this “milk” by poking its bill down the parent’s throat.
Read More…parents feed their young “pigeon’s milk,” the sloughed-off lining of the crop, the production of which is stimulated by the hormone prolactin. The nestling obtains this “milk” by poking its bill down the parent’s throat.
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columbiformPigeon’s milk is similar in composition to mammalian milk and is also induced by the secretion of the hormone prolactin from the pituitary gland. Pigeons also are distinctive in their unusual manner of drinking, in which water is sucked in as a continuous draft, the…
Read MorePigeon’s milk is similar in composition to mammalian milk and is also induced by the secretion of the hormone prolactin from the pituitary gland. Pigeons also are distinctive in their unusual manner of drinking, in which water is sucked in as a continuous draft, the…
Read More- columbiformBehaviour
…become secretory, so that “pigeon milk” is available when the eggs hatch. From this time onward the crop gland gradually regresses, so that the young, by the time they are ready to leave the nest, are fed almost entirely on environmental supplies. The production of a highly proteinaceous milk…
Read More…become secretory, so that “pigeon milk” is available when the eggs hatch. From this time onward the crop gland gradually regresses, so that the young, by the time they are ready to leave the nest, are fed almost entirely on environmental supplies. The production of a highly proteinaceous milk…
Read More