Rock Pigeon

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A rock pigeon photographed in Arusha, Tanzania
PHOTOGRAPH BY athuman zuberi, educational blog tanzania

COMMON NAME: Rock Pigeon

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Columba livia

TYPE: Birds

SIZE: Length, 12.5 in

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: ?

Least Concern

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

LEAST CONCERNEXTINCT

CURRENT POPULATION TREND: Decreasing 

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ABOUT THE ROCK PIGEON

This highly variable city pigeon is familiar to all urban dwellers. Multicoloured birds were developed over centuries of near domestication. Polytypic (12 ssp.; nominate in North America.). Length 12.5".

Identification

A medium-size compact pigeon with long wings and a short tail. Birds most closely resembling their wild ancestors are gray with head and neck darker than back, and a prominent white rump. Black tips on the greater coverts and secondaries form bold black bars on inner wing, and there is a broad black terminal band on the tail. Adult male: metallic green and purple iridescence on the neck and breast; iris orange to red; orbital skin blue-gray; bill grayish black; and feet dark red. Adult female: like male, but iridescence on neck and breast more restricted and subdued. Juvenile: generally browner, lacks iridescence; orbital skin and feet gray.

Voice

Call: a soft coo-cuk-cuk-cuk-cooo.

Status and Distribution

The rock pigeon was introduced from Europe by early settlers; it is now widespread and common throughout the United States and southern Canada, particularly in urban settings. Gregarious and forming large flocks, it feeds on handouts and grains during the day in city parks and open fields; roosts on buildings at night. Flocks or otherwise displaced pigeons can be found far from civilization. Breeding: nest is loosely constructed of twigs and leaves, primarily on structures such as window ledges, bridges, and in barns; has 2 white eggs.

Population

Primarily associated with human development and dependent on people for food and shelter.

ABOUT BIRDS

Birds are vertebrate animals adapted for flight.

Many can also run, jump, swim, and dive. Some, like penguins, have lost the ability to fly but retained their wings. Birds are found worldwide and in all habitats. The largest is the nine-foot-tall ostrich. The smallest is the two-inch-long bee hummingbird.

Everything about the anatomy of a bird reflects its ability to fly. The wings, for example, are shaped to create lift. The leading edge is thicker than the back edge, and they are covered in feathers that narrow to a point. Airplane wings are modeled after bird wings.

The bones and muscles of the wing are also highly specialized. The main bone, the humerus, which is similar to the upper arm of a mammal, is hollow instead of solid. It also connects to the bird’s air sac system, which, in turn, connects to its lungs. The powerful flight muscles of the shoulder attach to the keel, a special ridge of bone that runs down the center of the wide sternum, or breastbone. The tail feathers are used for steering.

Birds have a unique digestive system that allows them to eat when they can—usually on the fly—and digest later. They use their beaks to grab and swallow food. Even the way a bird reproduces is related to flight. Instead of carrying the extra weight of developing young inside their bodies, they lay eggs and incubate them in a nest.

The fossil record shows that birds evolved alongside the dinosaurs during the Jurassic period 160 million years ago. The best known fossil is archaeopteryx, which was about the size of a crow.