Pigeon Facts

About the pigeon

There is no scientific line between pigeons and doves. In everyday English, smaller species tend to get called doves and bigger ones pigeons, but the habit is inconsistent. The bird most people picture is the domestic pigeon, which comes from the wild rock dove and now lives in cities as the feral pigeon.

The family holds 353 species in 52 genera and is the only family in its order. These birds live worldwide, often close to people, though the Indomalayan and Australasian regions have the most variety. They eat seeds, fruit and leaves. Some species have a fleshy patch at the base of the bill called a cere. Sadly, 118 species are at risk, and 13 have died out entirely.

Did you know?

• The dodo, a big island bird that could not fly, belonged to the pigeon family.
• The extinct passenger pigeon once gathered in flocks numbering in the billions.
• About 34 percent of pigeon and dove species are considered at risk.