Animal Encyclopedia:
Rock pigeon |
Columba livia
SUBFAMILY
Columbinae
TAXONOMY
Columba livia Gmelin, 1789, southern Europe. Thirteen subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Rock dove; French: Pigeon biset; German: Felsentaube; Spanish: Paloma Bravia.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Male, 12.2–13.4 in (31–34 cm), 6.3–12.5 oz (180–355 g). Plumage generally bluish gray with relatively short tail and long, strong wings.
DISTRIBUTION
Including feral pigeons, worldwide.
HABITAT
Breeds in cliffs and human structures from sea level to high alpine Himalayas. Feeds in unwooded areas.
BEHAVIOR
The rock pigeon has a rather fast and long step. It is a skillful flyer. Flight velocities of 115 mph (185 kph) have been recorded. Günther Niethammer notes that rock pigeons in the Ennedi mountains of Africa fly down cliff walls almost vertically when a falcon is spotted, and with surprisingly great velocity into cliff crevices. They are also able to start vertically and use this ability when returning after drinking in narrow and deep wells in the desert. Oskar Heinroth considers rock pigeons to be more clever and resourceful than other wild pigeons. This may be the consequence of adapting to its socioecological niche. The social organization—the hierarchy within the flock—is not well understood. Their curiosity is similar to that of ravens. They pick at every button, and at all things their caretaker handles. They quickly learn the time of day they will be fed, and become accustomed to sounds that initially frighten them, such as vacuum cleaners.
The alarm call is a short "ruh," and the nesting call is a "ruu-ruu-ruu," which can be heard at a distance.
Rock pigeon courtship behavior has been thoroughly described by Oskar and Katharina Heinroth: "Courtship is initiated when each partner rapidly rubs its beak across its back and under the wings in a characteristic manner; it looks as if each bird is preening its back. Occasionally the male during courtship feeds the female; the female sticks her beak inside that of the male, much like the motion of feeding young. They mutually preen each other on the head and neck. Soon the female assumes the copulatory position and is mounted by the male, and generally the female flies away immediately thereafter."
At sundown or earlier, rock pigeons begin roosting. They sleep in recesses and under roofs, but not in trees, and awaken immediately with the onset of dawn. In most regions they are permanent residents.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
The rock pigeon is a typical seed eater, preferring weed seeds, and peas over wheat, barley, and corn.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Particular stimuli evoke egg laying. A captive female will not lay an egg until a caretaker simulates male courtship behavior by stroking the back of the female with his finger or preening neck feathers. Generally a female lays two white eggs that weigh 0.6 oz (17 g). Young hatch after 17–18 days and are initially fed with crop milk by both parents; later, seed that has been soaked is added to the diet. Young make loud peeping sounds, and can fly after 4–5 weeks.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Interbreeding with feral pigeons seriously threatens the species.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
The rock pigeon, which has a wide geographical range, has been domesticated several times and in different locales. There are three theories on domestication. According to one theory, the rock pigeon was domesticated in connection with the start of agriculture 10,000 years ago in the region of the near-East "fertile crescent." A second theory holds that they were domesticated as people collected nestlings for food, and a third from the fact that temples were erected near cliffs and colonized by rock pigeons. The pigeon was transformed into the accompanying bird of Ishtar, and later of Venus.
Carrier pigeons deserve special mention. Pigeons have been used to send communications since earliest times. In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Djoser (2600–2550 B.C.) released house pigeons at the borders of his empire to mail the news that enemies were attacking the frontiers. Today's carrier pigeon was created about 1850 in Belgium by breeding various races. Carrier pigeons can cover up to 621 mi (1,000 km) in a single day, and were trained to live with two lofts 12.4 mi (20 km) apart. In one they were fed, in the other they roosted. If they were released in a place in between, hungry pigeons flew to the feeding loft and fed pigeons flew to the roosting loft. They navigated with the help of an internal map.
Urban predators have become rare. The number of unhealthy pigeons in cities is relatively high, and a lack of predators and availability of food allows sick feral pigeons to withstand poor weather conditions. Pigeons and their nests, especially in crowded situations, are subject to parasites, including bird mites, bed bugs, ticks, and others, which can gain entry to human habitations from pigeon nests. Some feral pigeons carry the parrot disease, psittacosis, which can be fatal in humans. Salmonella organisms, which propagate typhus, have also been found in pigeons. Playgrounds are dangerous if they become soiled with pigeon droppings.
