Origins: Pigeons and doves have been around for a long time—long before humans. Rock Doves are thought to have originated in southern Asia several million years ago. Compare this to modern humans that first appeared about 120,000 years ago.
Size and weight: A pigeon is about 13 inches (32 cm) in length from bill to tail and weighs a little less than a pound (0.35 kg). Males are slightly bigger than females.
A pigeon family:
That's what some people say about pigeons. In fact, that's what a lot of people say about these birds.
But did you ever notice that pigeons come in so many colors and feather patterns? Did you ever notice their shiny, rainbow-like neck feathers or their red feet? Did you ever notice the interesting way that pigeons coo and strut?
The fact is, pigeons are special. They are special because there is such variety in the way they look. Blue Jays all look very much alike, and so do robins and cardinals. But find a flock of pigeons and you will see white ones and gray ones. You will see pigeons with blue-gray feathers and pigeons with red feathers. You will see solid-colored pigeons and speckled pigeons. Look long enough and you will be able to tell them apart, give them names, and get to know their habits.
Pigeons are special because they can fly very fast. In fact, some can fly 50 miles per hour! Pigeons also have very strong "homing instincts" that help them find their way back from far away. Pigeons make great pets, too. Many people build little houses called "coops" for pigeons in their backyards or on rooftops. They let their pet pigeons fly free because, unlike canaries or parrots, pigeons will come back home.
There is one other thing that is special about pigeons. This is the fact that bird scientists know less about city pigeons than they do about many other wild birds. It is surprising that such a common bird is such a mystery. But because they are everywhere, scientists seem to have overlooked them.
Only recently did many scientists realize how interesting pigeons are. They have many questions about them. For example, they want to know why pigeons come in so many colors. They want to know how pigeons choose their mates. These questions are important because the answers will tell us not only about pigeons but about birds in general. The answers also will help us learn more about other wildlife, about our land and skies, and about ourselves as "human animals."
Taxonomy
The Rock Dove was first described by Gmelin in 1789.[8] The genus name Columba is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kolumbos), "a diver", from κολυμβάω (kolumbao), "dive, plunge headlong, swim".[9] Aristophanes (Birds, 304) and others use the word κολυμβίς (kolumbis), "diver", for the name of the bird, because of its swimming motion in the air. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin livor, "bluish".[10] Its closest relative in the Columba genus is the Hill Pigeon, followed by the other rock pigeons: the Snow, Speckled and White-collared Pigeons.[4]
The species is also known as the Rock Pigeon or Blue Rock Dove, the former being the official name from 2004 to 2011, at which point the IOC changed their official listing to its original British name of Rock Dove.[3][11] In common usage, this bird is still often simply referred to as the "pigeon". Baby pigeons are called squabs.[7]
Size and weight: A pigeon is about 13 inches (32 cm) in length from bill to tail and weighs a little less than a pound (0.35 kg). Males are slightly bigger than females.
A pigeon family:
- Hen: an adult female pigeon
- Cock: an adult male pigeon
- Hatchling: a newly hatched pigeon
just a few days old - Squab: a young pigeon from 1–30 days old.
When ready to leave its nest, a squab can sometimes weigh more than its parents. - Peeper or Squeaker: a young bird that is learning to eat
- Fledgling: a bird that is ready to fly or that has just taken its first flight
- Juvenile: a bird out of its nest and flying but less than eight months old
What's So Special About Pigeons?
 | "Pigeons are dumb."They poop on people's heads.""They smell." |
But did you ever notice that pigeons come in so many colors and feather patterns? Did you ever notice their shiny, rainbow-like neck feathers or their red feet? Did you ever notice the interesting way that pigeons coo and strut?
The fact is, pigeons are special. They are special because there is such variety in the way they look. Blue Jays all look very much alike, and so do robins and cardinals. But find a flock of pigeons and you will see white ones and gray ones. You will see pigeons with blue-gray feathers and pigeons with red feathers. You will see solid-colored pigeons and speckled pigeons. Look long enough and you will be able to tell them apart, give them names, and get to know their habits.
Pigeons are special because they can fly very fast. In fact, some can fly 50 miles per hour! Pigeons also have very strong "homing instincts" that help them find their way back from far away. Pigeons make great pets, too. Many people build little houses called "coops" for pigeons in their backyards or on rooftops. They let their pet pigeons fly free because, unlike canaries or parrots, pigeons will come back home.
There is one other thing that is special about pigeons. This is the fact that bird scientists know less about city pigeons than they do about many other wild birds. It is surprising that such a common bird is such a mystery. But because they are everywhere, scientists seem to have overlooked them.
Only recently did many scientists realize how interesting pigeons are. They have many questions about them. For example, they want to know why pigeons come in so many colors. They want to know how pigeons choose their mates. These questions are important because the answers will tell us not only about pigeons but about birds in general. The answers also will help us learn more about other wildlife, about our land and skies, and about ourselves as "human animals."
Taxonomy
The Rock Dove was first described by Gmelin in 1789.[8] The genus name Columba is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kolumbos), "a diver", from κολυμβάω (kolumbao), "dive, plunge headlong, swim".[9] Aristophanes (Birds, 304) and others use the word κολυμβίς (kolumbis), "diver", for the name of the bird, because of its swimming motion in the air. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin livor, "bluish".[10] Its closest relative in the Columba genus is the Hill Pigeon, followed by the other rock pigeons: the Snow, Speckled and White-collared Pigeons.[4]
The species is also known as the Rock Pigeon or Blue Rock Dove, the former being the official name from 2004 to 2011, at which point the IOC changed their official listing to its original British name of Rock Dove.[3][11] In common usage, this bird is still often simply referred to as the "pigeon". Baby pigeons are called squabs.[7]
] Subspecies
There are 12 subspecies recognised by Gibbs (2000); some of these may be derived from feral stock.[4]- C. l. livia, the nominate subspecies, occurs in western and southern Europe, northern Africa, and Asia to western Kazakhstan, the northern Caucasus, Georgia, Cyprus, Turkey, and Iraq.
- C. l. atlantis (Bannerman, 1931) of Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde, is a very variable population with chequered upperparts obscuring the black wingbars, and is almost certainly derived from feral pigeons.
- C. l. canariensis (Bannerman, 1914) of the Canary Islands, is smaller and averages darker than the nominate subspecies.
- C. l. gymnocyclus (Gray, 1856) from Senegal and Guinea to Ghana and Nigeria is smaller and very much darker than nominate C. l. livia. It is almost blackish on the head, rump and underparts with a white back and the iridescence of the nape extending onto the head.
- C. l. targia (Geyr von Schweppenburg, 1916) breeds in the mountains of the Sahara east to Sudan. It is slightly smaller than the nominate form, with similar plumage, but the back is concolorous with the mantle instead of white.
- C. l. dakhlae (Richard Meinertzhagen, 1928) is confined to the two oases in central Egypt. It is smaller and much paler than the nominate subspecies.
- C. l. schimperi (Bonaparte, 1854) is found in the Nile Delta south to northern Sudan. It closely resembles C. l. targia, but has a distinctly paler mantle.
- C. l. palaestinae (Zedlitz, 1912) occurs from Syria to Sinai and Arabia. It is slightly larger than C. l. schimperi and has darker plumage.
- C. l. gaddi (Zarodney & Looudoni, 1906), breeds from Azerbaijan and Iran east to Uzbekistan is larger and paler than C. l. palaestinae with which it intergrades in the west. It also intergrades with the next subspecies to the east.
- C. l. neglecta (Hume, 1873), is found in the mountains of eastern Central Asia. It is similar to the nominate subspecies in size, but is darker with a stronger and more extensive iridescent sheen on the neck. It intergrades with the next race in the south.
- C. l. intermedia (Strickland, 1844) occurs in Sri Lanka and in India south of the Himalayan range of C. l. neglecta. It is similar to that subspecies, but darker with a less contrasting back.
- C. l. nigricans (Buturlin, 1908) in Mongolia and north China is variable and probably derived from feral stock.
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