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The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon (/ ˈ p ɪ dʒ. ə n / also / ˈ p ɪ dʒ. ɪ n /; Columba livia) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). [3]: 624 In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although this is the wild form of the bird; the pigeons most familiar to people are the domesticated form of the wild rock dove.
Historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation. The bird most commonly referred to as "pigeon" is the domestic pigeon, descendant of the wild rock dove, which is a common inhabitant of cities as the feral pigeon. Columbidae contains 51 genera divided into 353 species. [4]
The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica or Columba livia forma domestica) [2] is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove or rock pigeon. The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Rock, domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. [4] Many domestic birds have gotten lost, escaped or been released over the years, and these gave rise to populations of feral pigeons. Feral pigeons inhabit man-made structures such as buildings as a substitute for cliffs and other rock formations.
Although dove release businesses advertise that their birds will be able to safely return home, released doves are frequently killed in accidents or by predators before they can return home. [6] Trained white homing pigeons , domesticated forms of the rock dove, stand a better chance of returning home if vigorously trained prior to release by a ...
Pigeon is a generalized term for a variety of breeds and even species of birds, but the urban pests most people use the word for are technically “rock doves.” The wild version of the animals ...
Adult birds bear a series of green and white patches on their necks, and a pink patch on their chest. The eye colour is a pale yellow, [9] in contrast to that of rock doves, which is orange-red, and the stock dove, which is black. Juvenile birds do not have the white patches on either side of the neck.
Columba species are mostly termed "pigeons", and in many cases "wood pigeons", but some (including the type species of the genus), are termed "doves". The rock dove (C. livia) has given rise to the majority of domesticated pigeon breeds, such as the racing pigeon and the fantail pigeon, some of which have become feral.