Columba livia
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Mass
~350 g
Habitat
Urban areas and gardens
Diet
Seeds and grains
How to recognize it
The Rock Pigeon feels like a very familiar city companion, calm and matter-of-fact in its habits. Wild individuals have a clean pale-grey look with two dark wing bars, while urban ones come in a much wider mix of colours and patterns.
It walks with a steady, head-bobbing stride and takes off with a loud beat of wings. Its voice is a soft, rolling coo, and in spring the courtship display becomes lively, with circling, bowing, puffed-up posture, and fanned tail.
In nature it stays around cliffs, ledges, caves, and rocky places, but near people it settles just as easily on roofs, under bridges, and in building gaps. It feeds on seeds, grains, fruit, berries, and leftover food, so it stays around through the year in towns and open country.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The Rock Pigeon feels like a very familiar city companion, calm and matter-of-fact in its habits. Wild individuals have a clean pale-grey look with two dark wing bars, while urban ones come in a much wider mix of colours and patterns.
It walks with a steady, head-bobbing stride and takes off with a loud beat of wings. Its voice is a soft, rolling coo, and in spring the courtship display becomes lively, with circling, bowing, puffed-up posture, and fanned tail.
In nature it stays around cliffs, ledges, caves, and rocky places, but near people it settles just as easily on roofs, under bridges, and in building gaps. It feeds on seeds, grains, fruit, berries, and leftover food, so it stays around through the year in towns and open country.
