Rock Pigeon
The rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba livia) is a bird of cliffs and rocky slopes in Europe, North Africa and Asia that has been domesticated for thousands of years. City pigeons are feral descendants of domestic birds.
The rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba livia) is a bird of cliffs and rocky slopes in Europe, North Africa and Asia that has been domesticated for thousands of years. City pigeons are feral descendants of domestic birds.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Rock Dove / Pigeon in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Darwin's Pigeons
Charles Darwin kept and bred pigeons, and the first chapter of On the Origin of Species uses the astonishing variety of fancy breeds, all descended from the rock pigeon, as evidence of how selection can change a species. See On the Origin of Species.
Homing: How Do Pigeons Find Their Way?
Homing pigeons can return to their loft from hundreds of kilometers away. They appear to combine a sun compass, the magnetic field, smell and landmarks. Pigeons carried military messages in both world wars.
Crop Milk
Both parents feed their squabs with "crop milk", a nutritious secretion from the lining of the crop, produced under the control of the hormone prolactin.
Rock Pigeon at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Columba livia |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Plump body and small head, fleshy cere at the base of the bill, drinks by suction, feeds its young on crop milk; superb homing navigation. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019 |
| Feeding the young | Crop milk |