There are usually two eggs in each clutch, elliptical in shape and white, with a faint bluish tinge. The young can fly when they are three weeks old. Pigeons are unusual among birds in that they produce a milk which has a chemical composition similar to that produced by mammals. Flamingos are the only other birds to share this feature. Pigeon or crop milk is a secretion of the adult crop which forms the complete diet of nestlings for the first few days of life.
Crop milk is produced by both sexes.