Pigeons are one of the few bird species that can drink water by sucking it up like a straw.

While most birds rely on a 'scoop and tilt' method known as 'lingual suction' or gravity-assisted swallowing, pigeons and other members of the Columbidae family use a unique 'double-suction' mechanism. This process involves the bird keeping its beak submerged while using its tongue like a piston to create a vacuum. This specialized anatomy allows them to draw water upward against gravity without needing to lift their heads between sips.Research published in journals like 'The Auk' highlights that this adaptation is relatively rare in the avian world. Most birds lack the muscular coordination in the pharynx and esophagus to create the necessary negative pressure for continuous suction. By drinking in one long draft, pigeons can finish hydrating in a fraction of the time it takes other birds. This efficiency is a vital survival strategy because it minimizes the time their heads are down and their vision is obscured.Studies by ornithologists have shown that a pigeon can drink its entire daily water requirement in less than 20 seconds. In contrast, a songbird might take several minutes of repeated dipping and tilting to achieve the same intake. This evolutionary trait is also shared by some species of sandgrouse and buttonquail. It remains one of the most distinctive physiological differences between pigeons and the majority of the world's 10,000 bird species.