Rock Pigeon Columba livia Scientific name definitions

Introduced to North America in the early 17th-century by colonists who brought domestic pigeons to Atlantic coast settlements (Schorger 1952a Schorger, A. (1952a). Introduction of the domestic pigeon. Auk 69:462-463. Close ), the Rock Pigeon (formerly the Rock Dove) is now feral and lives broadly on the continent. Wild Rock Pigeons, native to Europe, North Africa, and western, southwestern, west-central, and southern Asia, gave rise to domestics as a result of artificial selection by humans (Darwin 1868 Darwin, C. (1868). The variation of animals and plants under domestication. Vol. 1. London: John Murray. Close ). Domestics readily go feral, and have done so widely throughout the world (Long 1981 Long, J. L. (1981). Introduced Birds of the World: The Worldwide History, Distribution, and Influence of Birds Introduced to New Environments. Universe Books, New York, NY, USA. Close ).

Domestic and feral pigeons are among the most intensively studied of all birds. Knowledge of avian flight mechanics, thermoregulation, water metabolism, endocrinology (prolactin was discovered through work with pigeons [Riddle et al. 1932 Riddle, O., R. W. Bates and S. W. Dykshorn. (1932). A new hormone of the anterior pituitary. Proc. Soc. Exp. Bio. Med. 29:1211-1212. Close ]), sensory perception, orientation and navigation, learning (the original subjects in Skinner boxes), genetics of color, pattern, behavior and other characteristics, and Darwinian evolutionary biology have depended heavily on research using domestic and feral Rock Pigeons. The total scientific literature referring to these birds is enormous, and can only be sketched here. Recent reviews include those of Abs (Abs 1983b Abs, M. (1983b). Physiology and behaviour of the pigeon. London: Academic Press. Close : physiology and behavior), Baldaccini (Baldaccini 1986 Baldaccini, N. E. (1986). Il colombo viaggiatore. Bologna: Edagricole. Close : homing pigeons), Cramp (Cramp 1985a Cramp, S. (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Terns to Woodpeckers. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close : wild C. livia), Goodwin (Goodwin 1983b Goodwin, D. (1983). Pigeon and Doves of the World. 3rd edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close : general biology of the family), Haag (Haag 1991 Haag, D. (1991). Ethogramm der Taube. Basel: Medizinische Biologie. Close : behavior), Hollander (Hollander 1983 Hollander, W. (1983). Origins and excursions in pigeon genetics. Burrton, KS: The Ink Spot. Close : pigeon genetics), Granda and Maxwell (Granda and Maxwell 1979 Granda, A. M. and J. H. Maxwell. (1979). Neural mechanisms of behavior in the pigeon. NY: Plenum Press. Close : neural basis of behavior), Levi (Levi 1965 Levi, R. (1965). Encyclopedia of pigeon breeds. Jersey City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. Close : domestic breeds; Levi 1974 Levi, R. (1974). The pigeon. Sumter, SC: Levi Publ. Co. Close : general biology), Murton and Westwood (Murton and Westwood 1977 Murton, R. K. and N. J. Westwood. (1977). Avian breeding cycles. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Close : reproduction), and Berthold (Berthold 1991 Berthold, P. (1991). Orientation in birds. Berlin: Birkhauser Verlag. Close : navigation). Darwin (Darwin 1859 Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species by means of natural selection or the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life. London: Murray. Close , Darwin 1868 Darwin, C. (1868). The variation of animals and plants under domestication. Vol. 1. London: John Murray. Close : evolutionary theory) should be noted irrespective of date. In addition, a monographic treatment of feral pigeons (Johnston and Janiga 1995 Johnston, R. F., and M. Janiga (1995). Feral pigeons. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. Close ) provides another comprehensive review of Rock Pigeon biology with an extensive bibliography.

Despite all this work, the breeding biology and population ecology of this species remain poorly known and little studied, especially in the wild.

Body size and plumage color of Rock Pigeons vary appreciably, usually clinally, in wild populations; plumage variation is nearly limitless in polymorphic domestic and feral birds. Geographic size and color variation is recognized in Eurasia and Africa by use of several subspecies (Cramp 1985a Cramp, S. (1985). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 4. Terns to Woodpeckers. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but such variation in feral populations has not been partitioned subspecifically. This species' presence in North America dates from 1606 (at least) with feral individuals existing soon afterwards (Johnston and Janiga 1995 Johnston, R. F., and M. Janiga (1995). Feral pigeons. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. Close ). Biology of ferals has been largely ignored in North American ornithology, so some of the basic information on life history comes from studies of European ferals, confined ferals, and domestics of several varieties.