# 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.

- **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.

## About

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".

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/8c3ab5fa-3673-4151-9e76-f8291f4ead8b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3017
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba livia
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/466776975/medium.jpg (Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.