Rock pigeon, Blue rock dove
The wild ancestor of the domestic pigeon found the world over, the Rock dove was originally domesticated as a food source. Feral pigeons are all shades of color: some bluer, some blacker, some pale gray with darker chequered markings, some an unusual shade of cinnamon-brown or dull brick-red, some more or less white, and others looking exactly like rock doves in the wild. In urban areas where numbers increase unchecked, they can become pests.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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GlidingGliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Smart Animals
Wild Rock doves are native to North Africa, Europe, and southwest Asia. They nest in caves, canyons, and sea cliffs. They prefer to avoid dense vegetation.
Rock doves are often found in pairs in the breeding season but are usually gregarious. They are most often seen during the daylight - especially perched on buildings or in urban parks. They seek cover during the day when it is hot, and at night. When disturbed in a group, a rock dove takes off with a noisy sound like clapping. They may bow and coo when threatening a rival, inflating their throats, and walking around in a circle. These birds feed early in the morning and during the mid-afternoon, individually or in flocks. They peck food off the ground and drink with their bill directly in water, to use it like a straw. Dove groups typically consist of producers, which locate and obtain food, and scroungers, which feed on food obtained by the producers. Rock doves generally run or walk while bobbing their heads backward and forward. Their flight is a direct and steady path. The call of these birds is a soft, slightly wavering, 'whoo, hoo-witoo-hoo' or 'coo, roo-c'too-coo'. Variations include an alarm call, a nest call, and noises made by juveniles. The alarm call, given at the sight of predators, is a grunt-like 'oorhh'. Non-vocal sounds include a loud flapping noise at take-off, feet stomping, hisses, and beak snapping. Juveniles particularly snap their bills, usually to respond to nest invasion.
Rock doves are omnivorous but prefer plant matter: chiefly fruits and grains. Feral pigeons can eat grass seeds and berries in parks and gardens in the spring, but plentiful sources exist throughout the year from scavenging (e.g., food remnants left inside of dropped fast food cartons) and they also eat insects and spiders.
Rock doves are monogamous and pairs mate for life. Pairs may form any time during the year. Males and females work cooperatively for most aspects of parenting. The male supplies the nesting material and the female constructs the nest, being a platform of grass and twigs. Nest sites are used again and again, with nesting material added for each subsequent brood. Rock doves typically nest communally, often forming large colonies of many hundreds of individuals. One pair may produce 5 or more broods per year. 2 eggs are laid, incubated by both parents for 16-19 days, both parents also feed 'pigeon milk to their young, a fat and protein-rich liquid that they produce in their crops. The chicks leave the nest at around 4 weeks of age.
The numbers of Rock doves are suspected to be decreasing, due to interbreeding with domestic birds; in Israel, declines have been recorded. Rock doves are eaten by humans and are used for laboratory research.
According to the IUCN Red List, the global Rock dove population size is around 260 million individuals. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) resource, the total breeding population of the species in the UK is 550,000 pairs. The population in China is estimated at fewer than 100 breeding pairs, which have possibly been introduced. Overall, currently, Rock doves are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but their numbers today are decreasing.
For several thousand years, Rock doves have been domesticated, being the forerunner of the domestic pigeon. Aside from use as food and pets, the domesticated birds can be used as homing pigeons. In the past, they also had a role as carrier pigeons, and certain “war pigeons” have had significant roles during wartime, many pigeons having received medals and bravery awards for their services in the saving of hundreds of human lives.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...