Squab

Columba livia domestica

What squab has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

1 Limited
1 Insufficient

Iron statusWomen's Health · 3 sourcesLimited— jump to the detail and sources
Muscle protein synthesisMuscle & Physical Performance · no source yetInsufficient— jump to the detail and sources

3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About squab

A young domestic pigeon slaughtered before it has flown, which is why the meat is tender and uniformly dark red rather than tough like wild pigeon. The USDA entry named here is the raw meat without skin.

Also known as Pigeon, Young pigeon, Pigeonneau, Paloma

Women's Health Muscle & Physical Performance

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Iron status

Women's Health

Limited evidence

Has been studied as a source of heme iron. Squab is unusually iron-dense for a bird because the flight muscle is fully dark, but the human evidence is about heme iron in general rather than about pigeon.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Dietary Adaptation of Non-Heme Iron Absorption in Vegans: A Controlled Trial.(opens in a new tab)
Unclassified · Molecular nutrition & food research · 2025 · PMID 40320969
Iron and cancer risk--a systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiological evidence.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2014 · PMID 24243555
A comparative analysis of heme vs non-heme iron administration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · European journal of nutrition · 2024 · PMID 39708071

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance

Insufficient evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a complete protein. The claim rests on animal protein quality generally; squab itself is unstudied.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Squab

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
Nutrient	Amount	% DV
Macronutrients
Calories	142 kcal	7%
Protein	17.5 g	35%
Total fat	7.5 g	10%
Carbohydrate	0 g	0%
Fibre	0 g	0%
Water	72.8 g	—
Fats
Saturated fat	1.96 g	10%
Monounsaturated fat	2.66 g	—
Polyunsaturated fat	1.6 g	—
Cholesterol	90 mg	30%
EPA (omega-3)	0.01 g	—
DHA (omega-3)	0.03 g	—
DPA (omega-3)	0.09 g	—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)	1.03 g	—
Vitamins
Vitamin A	28 µg	3%
Vitamin C	7.2 mg	8%
Thiamin (B1)	0.283 mg	24%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.285 mg	22%
Niacin (B3)	6.86 mg	43%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.787 mg	16%
Vitamin B6	0.53 mg	31%
Folate	7 µg	2%
Vitamin B12	0.47 µg	20%
Minerals
Calcium	13 mg	1%
Iron	4.51 mg	25%
Magnesium	25 mg	6%
Phosphorus	307 mg	25%
Potassium	237 mg	5%
Sodium	51 mg	2%
Zinc	2.7 mg	25%
Copper	0.594 mg	66%
Manganese	0.019 mg	1%
Selenium	13.5 µg	25%
Other measured compounds
Ash	1.17 g	—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Squab, (pigeon), meat only, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171079).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

Worth knowing
Traditionally served rare
Squab is conventionally cooked pink to rare, which is a real departure from the cooking advice for other poultry. Salmonella and Campylobacter are the relevant hazards, and the usual advice to cook poultry through does not stop applying because the bird is small and expensive.
Worth knowing
Wild pigeon is a different proposition
Wild wood pigeon may carry lead shot fragments, and handling wild columbids also carries a small risk of Chlamydia psittaci exposure. Neither applies to farmed squab.
Allergy
Poultry meat allergy
Uncommon; bird-egg syndrome and feather sensitisation are the usual context when it occurs.