Pigeon

Pigeon, any of several hundred species of birds constituting the family Columbidae (order Columbiformes). Smaller forms are usually called doves, with larger forms referred to as pigeons. An exception is the white domestic pigeon, the symbol known as the “dove of peace.” Pigeons are divided into several subfamilies; however, taxonomies differ widely in how multiple genera are sorted among them, with up to seven subfamilies (Claravinae, Columbinae, Didunculinae, Gourinae, Otidiphabinae, Raphinae, and Treroninae) used.

Natural history and distribution

Pigeons are gentle, plump, small-billed birds with a skin saddle (cere) between the bill and forehead. All pigeons strut about with a characteristic bobbing of the head. Because of their long wings and powerful flight muscles, they are strong, swift fliers. Pigeons are monogamous, that is, they mate for life, and the survivor accepts a new mate only slowly. The female lays two glossy white eggs in a flimsy nest that barely holds them. The female generally incubates the eggs by night, the male by day. The incubation period is 14 to 19 days, but the young are cared for in the nest for another 12 to 18 days.

Pigeons occur worldwide except in the coldest regions and the most remote islands. More than 300 species are known, with two-thirds of them occurring in tropical Southeast Asia, Australia, and the islands of the western Pacific, but the family also has many members in Africa and South America and a few in temperate Eurasia and North America. All members of the family suck liquids, rather than sip and swallow as do other birds, and all pigeon parents feed their young “pigeon’s milk,” the sloughed-off lining of the crop, the production of which is stimulated by the hormone prolactin. The nestling obtains this “milk” by poking its bill down the parent’s throat.

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The subfamily Columbinae—which is made up of the typical, or true, pigeons—is the largest group consisting of more than 120 species in roughly 14 genera. These often gregarious seed and fruit-eaters are found worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. Some are ground feeders, others feed partly or wholly in trees. They are generally colored soft gray and brown to black, sometimes with iridescent patches on the plumage.

Domesticated pigeons

The cosmopolitan genus Columba—including the Old World wood pigeons and the New World band-tailed pigeons—is classified in the subfamily Columbinae, along with the Streptopelia species, the Old World turtledoves and ringdoves. To this genus also belong the street pigeons so common in urban areas. These are composed of a bewildering array of crossbreeds of domesticated strains, all of them ultimately traceable to the Old World rock dove (C. livia). The rock dove is typically dull in color—gray and white rump and two large black wing bars; this Eurasian species nests above 5,000 feet (1,525 metres) in Asia. It has been domesticated and selectively bred since 4,500 bce with the production of numerous color variants and about 200 named strains—show pigeons, racing pigeons, and large edible types (see also domestic pigeon). Among such strains, pouter pigeons have a large, inflatable gullet; carrier pigeons have a long bill; runts, a massive bill and body; barbs, a short bill. Fantails may have 42 tail feathers; owl pigeons have diverging throat feathers; frillbacks, the feathers reversed; jacobins, hoodlike neck feathers. Tumblers tumble backward in flight.

Homing and passenger pigeons

Homing pigeons are a variety of domesticated pigeons (C. livia) that have been trained to find their way home over long distances. When these birds are trained to deliver messages contained in small tubes attached to one of their legs, they are called carrier pigeons. Homing pigeons possess a group of neurons that are used to help the birds process changes in the direction, intensity, and polarity of magnetic fields around them. The sensitivity of the pigeons to these physical properties allows them to determine their directional heading and altitude by using Earth’s magnetic field. The identity of the physical structure within the pigeon’s body that collects this magnetic field information and sends it to the brain remains unknown, but some scientists suspect that it may lie within the inner ear.

The last known New World passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) died out in 1914 and later became an icon for the modern conservation movement. Prior to its extinction, however, the bird was so numerous that it garnered a reputation for darkening the skies over eastern North America for days on end during its migrations. The species became an attractive quarry for settlers, who slaughtered the birds by the millions. The passenger pigeon resembled the mourning dove and the Old World turtledove but was bigger (32 cm [about 13 inches]), with a longer pointed tail (see also passenger pigeon)

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Other types

Other notable members of the subfamily Columbinae include the chicken-sized pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis) of New Guinea, which is sometimes listed in the subfamily or in the single-species subfamily Otidiphabinae, but most taxonomies place it in the subfamily Raphinae. New World columbinids include the white-winged doves and the mourning dove (Zenaida), which are popular game birds, as well as the quail doves (Geotrygon) and terrestrial ground doves (Metriopelia) of Central America and South America. Terrestrial ground doves are sometimes listed in the subfamily Claravinae.

The Treroninae, or the fruit pigeons, are found primarily in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. These fruit-eating birds are soft-billed, short-legged, and arboreal in habit. Their plumage is usually greenish, often with yellow, red, or other brightly colored markings. The genus Treron, known for their crimson legs, is the most speciose, containing roughly 30 species. Traditionally, the group has also included the heavyset imperial pigeons (Ducula), the small and extremely colorful fruit doves (Ptilinopus), and the blue pigeons (Alectroenas), the latter of which are known for their dark blue coloration with red wattles. Some taxonomies place these three groups of birds in the subfamily Raphinae.

The Gourinae consist solely of three species of crowned pigeons found in New Guinea that belong to the genus Goura. Blue-gray birds with fanlike head crests, they are the largest of all pigeons—nearly the size of a turkey. The genus Goura is sometimes placed in the subfamily Columbinae.

The Didunculinae consists of a single species, the tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), which is native to Samoa. This fruit-eating, terrestrial pigeon has adopted arboreal ways in response to near extermination by introduced predators. Unlike most pigeons, it uses its feet to hold down its food while pecking off pieces.