Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
Pigeons possess magnetoreception and can navigate back to their nests from over 1,000 miles away by sensing the Earth's magnetic field.
- Scientific name
- Columba livia
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Columba
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Urban environments, rocky sea cliffs, farmlands, and bridges.
- Diet
- Primarily granivorous, eating seeds and grains, though they frequently scavenge human food scraps.
- Range
- Global distribution, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
- Size
- 29-37 cm in length with a 62-72 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 3-6 years in the wild
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by urban raptors, avian diseases, and human-led culling or pest control.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly social. Observe from any distance. Avoid feeding bread as it causes malnutrition; provide birdseed if feeding is permitted. Wash hands if you come into contact with droppings.
The rock dove or rock pigeon (/ˈpɪdʒ.ən/ also /ˈpɪdʒ.ɪn/; Columba livia ) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons).:624 In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon".
Photo: Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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