Animal Profiles
Birds

Pigeon

Columbidae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Pigeons include a wide variety of birds. This account describes the rock dove (Columba livia), the wild ancestor of domestic pigeons and the source of familiar feral city flocks.

Columba livia (pigeon)

Representative species: Columba livia.

william_stephens · CC BY

At a glance

Habitat
Coast, Towns and cities
Diet
Herbivore
Food
Mainly seeds and grain.

Classification

Common name
Pigeon
Browse group
Birds
Scientific name or taxon
Columbidae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Columbiformes
Family
Columbidae
Source classification
Aves

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • City pigeons descend from domestic birds.
  • Wild rock doves nest on cliffs.
  • Feral birds vary widely in colour.

Habitat and range

Wild rock doves are native to Europe, North Africa and southwestern Asia, nesting on rocky cliffs. Introduced feral descendants now occupy towns and farmland around much of the world.

Appearance and adaptations

Typical wild birds are grey with two dark wing bars and an iridescent neck. Feral pigeons vary greatly in colour because of their domestic ancestry.

Diet and behaviour

Seeds and grain form the main natural diet, though urban birds use many available foods. Flocks walk across feeding grounds and gather at roosts. Building ledges provide substitutes for the sheltered cliff sites used by wild birds.

Sources

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