Do pigeons feel happy?

Yes, pigeons feel happy, or at least they experience positive emotional states similar to happiness, as well as other emotions like fear, stress, and affection, though they express emotions differently than humans. Research on bird behavior and neuroscience suggests pigeons have complex emotional lives. Signs that pigeons feel happy or content include soft, gentle cooing and purring sounds when with their mate or trusted human, relaxed body posture with smooth feathers, preening themselves and each other which indicates comfort and bonding, bowing and dancing displays during courtship, and playful behavior like chasing each other gently. When eating favorite foods, pigeons show enthusiastic feeding behavior. Pet pigeons that are happy may nuzzle their owner's hand, close eyes when petted gently, and follow their owner around. Pigeons that are bonded to a mate show affection by allopreening, feeding each other, and cuddling close on ledges. They also show excitement when their mate or owner appears after absence. Conversely, unhappy or stressed pigeons show puffed up feathers, hiding, loss of appetite, and repetitive behaviors. While we cannot know exactly what happiness feels like to a pigeon, their body language, vocalizations, and bonding behaviors indicate they experience positive emotional states when they feel safe, well fed, and socially connected, similar to happiness in mammals.