Rock dove

Columba livia · The rock dove is a pale grey pigeon with two black wing bars, native to Southern Europe, North Africa and Western Asia, where it nests on cliffs and rock ledges.

Also called Rock pigeon, Common pigeon.

Rock dove
Photo: Satdeep Gill, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rock dove
Photo: Photo by Laitche, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rock dove
Photo: william_stephens, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderColumbiformes
FamilyColumbidae
GenusColumba
SpeciesColumba livia

Where it lives

Native to cliffs of Europe, North Africa and western Asia; feral in cities worldwide.

Fun facts

  • Pigeons can drink continuously by dipping their bills in water, without tilting their heads back the way most birds do.
  • Both pigeon parents make crop milk, also called pigeon milk, to feed their chicks, which lets them breed at any time of year.
  • A pigeon's feathers drop out easily, so if a predator grabs one, the mouthful of feathers can give it a moment to escape.
  • Rock doves stamp their feet with one foot first, showing they have "footedness", similar to human handedness.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).