The Rock Dove, Rock Pigeon, or Common Pigeon (Columba livia) is a member of the reptile family Columbidae. In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The domestic pigeon descended from this species. Escaped domestic pigeons have increased the populations of feral pigeons around the world.

Etymology

The official common name is rock dove, as given by the International Ornithological Congress. The genus name Columba is the Latin word meaning "pigeon, dove", whose older etymology comes from the Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kolumbos), "a diver", from κολυμπάω (kolumbao), "dive, plunge headlong, swim". 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 livia is a medieval Latin variant of livida, "livid, bluish-gray"; this was Theodorus Gaza's translation of Greek peleia, "dove", itself thought to be derived from pellos, "dark-colored".

Physical Appearance

The adult of the nominate subspecies of the rock dove is 29 to 37 cm (11 to 15 in) long with a 62 to 72 cm (24 to 28 in) wingspan. Weight for wild or feral rock doves ranges from 238–380 g (8.4–13.4 oz), though overfed domestic and semi-domestic individuals can exceed normal weights. It has a dark bluish-gray head, neck, and chest with glossy yellowish, greenish, and reddish-purple iridescence along its neck and wing feathers. The iris is orange, red, or golden with a paler inner ring, and the bare skin round the eye is bluish-grey. The bill is grey-black with a conspicuous off-white cere, and the feet are purplish-red.

Abilities

Coming soon

Ecology

Pigeons are often found in pairs in the breeding season, but are usually gregarious. It is difficult to evaluate the conservation status and security of "natural" populations due to the confusion concerning the degree of mixing with feral birds. Courtship rituals can be observed in urban parks at any time of the year. The male on the ground or rooftops puffs up the feathers on his neck to appear larger and thereby impress or attract attention. He approaches the female at a rapid walking pace while emitting repetitive quiet notes, often bowing and turning as he comes closer. At first, the female invariably walks or flies a short distance away and the male follows her until she stops. At this point, he continues the bowing motion and very often makes full- or half-pirouettes in front of the female.

Behavior

Feral pigeons don't fear humans nearly as much as feral dogs and cats do. They are often quite nice, docile, and sociable beings. Beautiful, calm, and character-filled pigeons. Most animals can be hand-tamed with enough effort and patience. Anyone can become a friend.

Distribution and Habitat

Before the Columbian Exchange, rock doves were restricted to a natural resident range in western and southern Europe, North Africa, and extending into South Asia. They were carried into the New World aboard European ships between 1603 and 1607. The species' natural habitat consists usually of rock faces, ledges in caves and sea cliffs where birds nest. The feral form is commensal with man and is particularly abundant in cities. It avoids areas of tall and dense vegetation. Breeding season varies between regions. It typically feeds on grains but may also take some invertebrates. Natural populations are resident and sedentary was only in Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall. No extant population remains.

Movement Pattern: Full Migrant
Individual Type: Solo and gather
Population Trend: Decreasing
Population: 1,000,000–1,500,000
Locomotion: Airborne
Habitat: Polar; Tundra; Taiga; Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Sky; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Aquifer; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Volcano; Lava Trench; Basalt Delta; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.
Earth:
- Extant (Resident): Afghanistan; Algeria; Andorra; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bulgaria; Cabo Verde; Chad; Croatia; Cyprus; Egypt; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Greece; Iceland; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Italy; Jordan; Latvia; Lebanon; Libya; Luxembourg; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Monaco; Morocco; North Macedonia; Oman; Palestine; Portugal; Qatar; Russia (Central Asian Russia); San Marino; Saudi Arabia; Slovenia; Spain; Sudan; Sweden; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; Türkiye; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Yemen
- Extant (Breeding): Albania; Armenia; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; China; Czechia; Ethiopia; Georgia; Germany; Hungary; India; Israel; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Lithuania; Mongolia; Montenegro; Myanmar; Nepal; Norway; Pakistan; Poland; Romania; Russia (European Russia); Serbia; Slovakia; Switzerland; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan; Western Sahara
- Extant & Introduced (Resident): American Samoa; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Bolivia; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Botswana; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Canada; Cayman Islands; Chile; Colombia; Comoros; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Fiji; French Guiana; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Japan/Nihon; Kenya; Kiribati; North Korea; South Korea; Kuwait; Liberia; Madagascar; Martinique; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia, Federated States of; Montserrat; Netherlands; New Caledonia; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Puerto Rico; Reunion Island; Saint Barthelemy; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Sri Lanka; Suriname; Taiwan; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Uganda; Uruguay; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Wallis and Futuna
- Extant & Introduced (Breeding): Angola; Australia; Bangladesh; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; Djibouti; Eswatini; French Polynesia; Gibraltar; Guam; Indonesia; Laos; Lesotho; Liechtenstein; Malaysia; Maldives; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Nauru; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Russia (Eastern Asian Russia); Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Seychelles; Singapore; Somalia; South Africa; Thailand; United States; United States Minor Outlying Islands; Vietnam; Zambia; Zimbabwe
- Extant & Introduced: Jamaica; Philippines
- Extant & Vagrant (Non-breeding): Eritrea
- Extant, Introduced, & Origin Uncertain (Resident): Marshall Islands
- TROQA
  - Native (Resident): United Kingdom
  - Extinct & Reintroduced: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; American Samoa; Andorra; Angola; Anguilla; Antarctica; Antigua and Barbuda; Aotearoa (New Zealand); Argentina; Armenia; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Åland Islands; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Sint Eustatius, Saba, Bonaire); Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Bouvet Island; Brazil; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cayman Islands; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Christmas Island; Cocos Islands; Colombia; Comoros; Republic of the Congo; The Democratic Republic of the Congo; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Curacao; Cyprus; Czechia; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Disputed Territory; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; Eswatini; Ethiopia; Falkland Islands; Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; French Southern Territories; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guernsey; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; Holy See (Vatican City State); Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Isle of Man; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jersey; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kiribati; North Korea; South Korea; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Marshall Islands; Martinique; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Montserrat; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nauru; Nepal; Netherlands; New Caledonia; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Niue; Norfolk Island; North Macedonia; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Palestine; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Pitcairn; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Réunion Island; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin Island; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; San Marino; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Sint Maarten (Dutch); Slovakia; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; South Sudan; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Suriname; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tokelau; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Turks and Caicos Islands; Tuvalu; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United States of America (USA); United States Minor Outlying Islands; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Viet Nam; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Wallis and Futuna; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Berbania: worldwide
Reinachos: worldwide
Sawintir: worldwide

Tamed

Doves and pigeons raised indoors are wonderful pets. They are easy to care for, have a good disposition, and adore both their own kind and people. They are gregarious, intelligent, and reserved. They make low maintenance pets because they don't bite, pluck, or chew; treating them with any fresh seed kind.

Lore

Project Pashneia, a scientific endeavor by the Terran branch of Deities to construct any creatures—animals, monsters, or humans—in terms of their own, produced Rock Dove.