Do I possibly have gay pigeons?

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

So my pigeons have had a nest for around three weeks now, and still no eggs. But when one gets in the nest, the other one tries to get in too. Is this normal, or are my pigeons gay? I’m still not too sure about genders so I thought it was a possibility...

 

[sourland]

Sharing the nest is not totally unusual, but neither are male/male or female/female pairings.

 

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

One gets in the nest, and then the other kind of stacks on top. Definitely not mating though.

 

[Eelantha]

Maybe bundling up for the night against the cold? Sharing heat is something most animals do to survive cold nights. The nest isn't big enough for two pigeons laying side by side, but if one lays on it (burrows in, really) and the other stacks on top (takes what's left of the empty space over his bird mate), there's just enough room in the nest for two pigeons to cram themselves in and keep warm thanks to each other and the retaining walls of the nest.

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

how old are they?

 

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

I’m not sure. I asked the previous owner but they didn’t reply.

 

[Old_Strain_Lover]

how long have you had them?

 

[PigeonLady]

Gay? No.
It is not uncommon for a very affectionate pair to sit in the nest together. Maybe you need larger nest bowls. I use large dog bowls for nesting. Mine are 10 inches in diameter with straight sides 5 inches high. WalMart. The pair can sit in there together with no problem. Maybe just try one and see how they take to it.

 

[SarahRackowski]

ummm maybe?
Same-sex pairs are not uncommon in the bird world, most regularly in non-sexually dimorphic species (like pigeons!). While same-sex pairing has been recorded most commonly in gulls, penguins, and albatrosses it would not be impossible for it to occur in pigeons.
This being said, the explanations for the behaviors in your birds proposed by the commenters above seem to be more likely-but the only way to know is a DNA sexing test on both birds.
here's a review of same-sex pairing in birds if you are interested:
https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/18/1/21/209396

 

[KiwiandPeachthePigeons]

Oof I look back on this thread and cringe. Why? Why did I do this?