Many socially monogamous birds have been shown to be genetically polygamous, and such behavior can be enhanced in captivity. We verified the monogamous behavior of pigeons (Columba livia) in a captive population using DNA fingerprinting with multilocus minisatellite (Jeffreys') probes. No extra pair offspring were detected when 25 chicks from unique matings were analyzed. Two potentially extra-pair offspring were detected among 43 chicks from matings of socially established pairs produced during a two-year period. That the social pair bond remained unbroken throughout the two years of our study was confirmed by molecular analysis of offspring from sequential matings.