Rock Pigeon

Columba livia

Order COLUMBIFORMES - Family COLUMBIDAE

Menu

1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A common sight in urban areas throughout the world, the Rock Pigeon was introduced into North America in the early 1600s. City buildings and their window ledges mimic the rocky cliffs used by wild pigeons.

Cool Facts

• Because of their domestic roots, and because people have bred pigeons for many different colors and adornments, feral Rock Pigeons can have a variety of plumages. For a description of the most common varieties, as described for PigeonWatch, go here.
• The Rock Pigeon makes a flimsy nest, but it often reuses the location repeatedly, building a new nest on top of the first. Because the pigeons do not try to remove the feces of their nestlings, the nest turns into a sturdy, potlike mound that gets larger month by month. Unhatched eggs and mummies of dead nestlings may also get cemented into the nest.

• The Rock Pigeon has such a long history of association with humans, having been used for food and entertainment for over 5,000 years, that the original range of the species is impossible to determine. Escaped (feral) pigeons from pigeon breeders readily form flocks, and wild birds may join them.

• Homing pigeons, domestic Rock Pigeons, are well known for their ability to find their way home from long distances. Despite these demonstrated abilities, wild Rock Pigeons are rather sedentary and rarely leave their local areas.

• You can help discover new information about Rock Pigeons by joining the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's PigeonWatch.

Description

• Size: 29-36 cm (11-14 in)
• Wingspan: 50-67 cm (20-26 in)
• Weight: 265-380 g (9.35-13.41 ounces)

• Large pigeon.
• Color variable, but wild birds are gray.
• White rump.
• Rounded tail, usually with dark tip.
• Pale gray wings have two black bars.
• Wings broad with moderately pointed wingtips.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, but male averages larger and has more iridescence on neck.

Immature

Juvenile similar to adult, but duller and with less iridescence.

Similar Species

• Mourning Dove is slim, with long, pointed tail with white outer tail feathers.
• Band-tailed Pigeon has a dark rump and the tail tip is lighter than the base.
• Red-billed and White-crowned pigeons have dark rumps and dark underwings.

Sound

Song a rolling "Coo, rooc'too-coo."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident from southern Alaska and Canada, southward throughout the Americas. Introduced throughout the world.

Habitat

Found around rocky cliffs, urban areas, and agricultural areas.

Food

Seeds, fruits, rarely invertebrates.

Behavior

Foraging

Feeds on ground, in flocks.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Flimsy platform of straw and sticks, put on ledge, under cover. Often window ledges of buildings.

Egg Description

White.
Incubation period 18.5 days.

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-3.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, with sparse yellow or white down.
Chicks fledge in 25-32 days (45 days in midwinter).

Conservation Status

Common and widespread. Populations stable. Periodic trapping and poisoning efforts are made to reduce populations in some areas. Because of its use of urban and human-modified environments, it probably has not had a significant negative impact on many native species. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Pigeon biset (French)
Paloma bravia (Spanish)
Rock Dove, Domestic Pigeon (English)

Sources used to construct this page:

Johnston, R. F. 1992. Rock Dove (Columba livia). In The Birds of North America, No. 13 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.