Baby Pigeon Meets Woman And Decides She's Her Mom Forever

When Sarah Barbosa moved from Massachusetts to Texas a couple of years ago, she planned on retiring from wildlife rehabbing to concentrate on her growing family. 
 
But recently, Barbosa saw a post online. A construction worker had knocked a bird's nest with eggs inside off a man’s roof. The homeowner felt horrible and was trying to get help.

Although Barbosa had “retired,” she figured a couple of eggs would be OK. She prepped her incubator, told the man she would help and met him in a parking lot.
 
“He handed us this little tiny box, and I thought, ‘What kind of eggs are these?’ These were tiny. They were smaller than my thumb,” Barbosa told The Dodo.

She got the eggs home and started researching what type of bird might be inside. 
 
“It came down to pigeon or dove,” Barbosa said. “I was hoping for pigeons because they have the ability to suck. You can make a makeshift bottle, and they can take in food on their own, you just monitor how much.” 
 
When the birds hatched, it was clear they were pigeons. Unfortunately, one didn’t make it, but the one who survived was feisty and full of life.

Soon the bird associated Barbosa with food, and the moment she would walk into the room, the baby pigeon would “remind her” she was hungry. 

When she wasn’t doing round-the-clock feedings, Barbosa started posting about her new featherless, giant-eyed pal online. 

“A friend of mine said, ‘Oh my gosh, she looks just like Kevin, the bird from the movie “Up.”’ And the name Kevin just kind of stuck. We actually don’t know if Kevin is a girl or boy, but we refer to her as she and call her Kevin,” Barbosa said.

Barbosa’s goal is always to release animals she rehabs back into the wild, but as Kevin started to make an incredible transformation, she also started to make herself at home. 

Kevin decided Barbosa was her mom. “Most birds imprint if a human raises them,” Barbosa said. “The pigeon is a super cuddly baby.”
 
Now Kevin’s morning cries have evolved into a happy dance when Barbosa comes to get her. 
 
“When I walk into the room, she starts to squeak. She taps her feet and flaps her wings. She wants the attention,” Barbosa said.

Kevin won Barbosa’s heart. Then the bird started working on winning over the rest of the family. 

Kevin started having morning coffee with Barbosa’s husband. 

She joined in on TV time.

She spent quality time with Barbosa’s son. 

And she supervised breakfast.

Kevin even won the approval of Barbosa’s preteen daughter. 

“She is 12, and we started rehabbing when she was a year old, so she's so used to this,” Barbosa said. “It's normal for her. She tells her friends, ‘Yeah, we have this pigeon, and we all hang out.’”

And the family’s giant rescue dogs were no problem for the brave bird. 

“All three of our dogs are rescues,” Barbosa said. “We've taken in kittens, birds; you name it, we've had it. The dogs are just like, ‘Yup. We have another rescue.’ They're all really good with all the animals we help out.”
 
Soon it became clear that Kevin was officially the newest member of the growing family Barbosa wanted. 

“Kevin is not going anywhere. We're in love,” Barbosa said. “We didn't expect to have a pigeon so attached to us. We are 100 percent enjoying this.”
 
Now Kevin is learning how to fly and practicing her landings.

She also likes hanging out with Barbosa in the garden.

One thing is clear: Kevin is officially adopted.

“She, or he, has become part of the Barbosa family, and will stay forever,” Barbosa said.