**Scientific Information:**
– Etymology:
– ‘Pigeon’ from the French word ‘pīpiō’ meaning a peeping chick
– ‘Dove’ is a Germanic word referring to the birds diving flight
– The English dialectal word ‘culver’ likely derives from Latin ‘columba’
– Group of doves called a dule, from the French word ‘deuil’ (mourning)
– Origin and Evolution:
– Columbiformes is a diverse clade of neoavians
– Origins in the Cretaceous period
– Rapid diversification at the end of the K-Pg boundary
– Whole genome analyses show columbiformes form a sister clade with sandgrouses and mesites
– Taxonomy and Systematics:
– Named by William Elford Leach in 1819
– Only living family in the order Columbiformes
– Usually divided into five subfamilies
– Complicated by lack of primitive forms in the fossil record
**Physical Characteristics:**
– Size and Appearance:
– Vary in size, from 15 to 75 centimeters in length
– Largest species is the crowned pigeon of New Guinea
– Smallest is the common ground dove, weighing as little as 22g
– Dwarf fruit dove is one of the smallest species
– Marquesan imperial pigeon is one of the largest arboreal species
– Anatomy and Physiology:
– Short legs, bills with a fleshy cere, and small heads
– Lack gall bladders
– Feathers types and adaptations for flight
**Habitat and Behavior:**
– Distribution and Habitat:
– Adapted to various habitats worldwide, except for the driest areas
– Some species have large natural ranges, with others restricted to small islands
– Behavior:
– Feeding habits include seeds, fruit, insects, and worms
– Some species have expanded ranges due to human activity
**Conservation and Extinction:**
– Status and Conservation:
– Many species benefited from human activities, while others faced decline or extinction
– Extinction of species like the dodo and passenger pigeon
– Approximately 19% of all species are threatened with extinction
– Extinction:
– Threats include introduced predators, habitat loss, and hunting
– Conservation efforts involve laws, protected areas, and captive populations
**Cultural and Historical Significance:**
– Military and Domestication:
– Pigeons used in World War I and II for delivering messages
– Domesticated for various purposes, including carrier pigeons
– Religion and Food:
– Symbols in various ancient religions, associated with peace and love
– Used as food sources globally, with specific roles in religious practices
– Monuments:
– Various monuments worldwide honoring pigeons for their roles in history and war
Columbidae (/kəˈlʌmbɪdiː/ kə-LUM-bih-dee) is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily feed on plants, and can be taxonomically divided amongst granivores, that feed mostly on the ground on seeds, and frugivores, that feed mostly on fruits, from branches. The family occurs worldwide, often in close proximity with humans, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms.
| Columbidae Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
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| Pink-necked green pigeon | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Columbimorphae |
| Order: | Columbiformes Latham, 1790 |
| Family: | Columbidae Leach, 1819 |
| Type genus | |
| Columba Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Subfamilies | |
|
See text | |
| |
| Geographic range of the family | |
Columbidae contains 344 species divided into 50 genera. 59 species are listed as threatened, and thirteen are extinct, including the dodo, an island bird, and the passenger pigeon, the only bird species not restricted to a small island to go extinct in modern times, even though its flocks were counted in the billions.
Mostly only by English speakers, the smaller species tend to be called "doves", and the larger ones "pigeons", although the distinction is not consistent, and there is no scientific separation between them. Historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation. The bird most commonly referred to as "pigeon" is the domestic pigeon, or rock dove, which is common in many cities as the feral pigeon.
Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests, often using sticks and other debris, which may be placed on branches of trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or (usually) two white eggs at a time, and both parents care for the young. Unlike most birds, both sexes of doves and pigeons produce "crop milk" to feed to their young, secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop.
Unfledged baby doves and pigeons are called squabs and are generally able to fly by 5 weeks of age. These fledglings, with their immature squeaking voices, are called squeakers once they are weaned, and leave the nest after 25–32 days.
Since ancient times, many Columbidae species have developed intricate cultural and practical relations with humans. Doves were important symbols of the goddesses Innana, Asherah, and Aphrodite, and revered by the early Christian, Islamic and Jewish religions. Domestication of pigeons led to significant use of homing pigeons for communication, including war pigeons, such as the 32 pigeons who were awarded the Dickin Medal for "brave service" to their country, in World War II.
