Pigeons
Columbidae
INDEX
WHAT ARE PIGEONS?
PIGEONS FEATURES
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION
PIGEONS, MAN AND CONSERVATION
PIGEONS OF THE BAHAMAS
PIGEONS OF ARDASTRA
WHAT ARE PIGEONS?
Doves and pigeons are placed in the order, Columbiformes, which they share with a group of extinct flightless birds, the best known of these is the Dodo. Sandgrouse (Pteroclididae) are also often placed in this order but genetic studies now place them in their own order. There is much controversy as to the differences between a dove and a pigeon. Scientifically, there is no difference between the two, except that small pigeons are often called doves.
Pigeons are found on every continent except Antarctica and in nearly all terrestrial habitats, from deserts to dense forests and even heavily populated urban areas. The highest diversity of pigeons is in South America. This family tends to be grainivorous (grain-eating) or frugivorous (fruit-eating) but they will also eat insects, worms, snails, lizards, leaves, buds and flowers. The seed-eaters mostly feed on the ground and tend to be grey-brown in color to help camouflage them whilst foraging, whereas the fruit-eaters tend to be more brightly colored as they feed mostly in trees and can blend in to the tree camouflaged as a piece of fruit or flower.
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PIGEON FEATURES
Members of the Columbidae are stocky birds that range between 15 and 75 cm (6-30 inches) from beak to vent. They have small heads, small beaks and short legs.
Awesome flyers
Their stocky appearance is due to the presence of large flight muscles, making up about 40% of their total body weight. This makes them excellent flyers, covering distances to thousands of miles (particularly in migrating species) and maintaining speeds of up to 44mph in flight.
The doves and pigeons also have short wings compared to body size, which is good for maneuvering through trees in a forest or to escape the clutches of a bird-of-prey.
Pigeon milk
Pigeons are unusual amongst birds in that they produce a type of milk-like substance to feed their young. This “milk” is produced in the crop glands (found at the base of the neck) of both the male and the female pigeons. The chemical composition of the milk is very similar to that of mammals and is also produced by the secretion of a pituitary hormone and prolactin (hormones also responsible for milk production in mammals).
This milk production is confined to the pigeon family and the flamingo family only! It is an adaptation to ensure that the young receive the adequate supply of nutrients needed for rapid growth characteristic in both of these families.
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SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION
Pigeons are often very gregarious (living in flocks) and gather at good feeding grounds and nesting sites, except for a couple of solitary species such as the Quail-doves in the West Indies. Pigeons are monogamous birds, often staying with the same partner from year to year. Most species build a fragile-looking nest often in a tree, but sometimes on man-made structures. Some species nest on the ground in open areas and some in rock crevices. The males gather the nesting material and bring it to the females to build the nest. Pigeons can nest year round in areas where food and water are readily available. Otherwise, nesting usually occurs during the spring and summer months. The pigeons have numerous displays that are performed either on the ground or in the air (forest or ground dwelling pigeons do not usually have aerial displays). Displays vary greatly from species to species and birds with elaborate ornamentation usually show them off during the display.
Pigeons usually have one to three eggs. The frugivorous species usually only have one chick as fruit has very little protein. Incubation is done by both the male and the female and can take from 11 – 30 days. When the chicks hatch, they are altricial (dependent on parents) and are fed crop milk by both the male and the female.
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PIGEONS, MAN & CONSERVATION
Many species of pigeons have actually increased their numbers and range due to human activities. They have benefited from the decline of birds of prey and many species, such as the Eurasian collard-dove, has adapted well to urban areas. However, not all species have been so lucky as pigeons in many countries are hunted for meat as well as for their eggs.
Pigeons have been bred for more different purposes than any other bird in the world. In fact, they were bred so that certain traits were exaggerated to such a degree that when Charles Darwin wrote his paper on Variation under domestication in his book the "Origin of Species", he wrote it on the domestication of pigeons.
 The domestication of pigeons was first recorded in Egypt (about 3000 BC). They have been exploited for their excellent flying abilities to carry messages to distant cities. The Sultan of Baghdad first setup a pigeon postal system in 1150 AD, and Europe used pigeons for emergancy messages in the 1800's and during both World wars I and II. Today, technology has exceeded the capabilities of pigeons in carrying messages but their excellent flying abilities has been fine tuned for racing instead. Pigeons have also been bred for different colors and feather "styles" to be shown off in pigeon pagent shows. The elaborate courtship aerial displays have been exaggerated through selective breeding, forming the ever popular, domesticated "Tumbler pigeons". Man has created thousands of different varieties of pigeons to suit his needs and all dmesticated pigeons have originated from the Rock dove (Columba livia) as even in the wild they come in different color variations.
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PIGEONS OF THE BAHAMAS
The West Indies has many different species of pigeons. Nine different species are found in the Bahamas (shown in the list below).
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Common name
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Scientific name
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White-crowned pigeon
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Columba leucocephala
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Rock dove
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Columba luvia
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Eurasian-collard dove
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Streptopelia decaocto
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White-winged dove
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Zenaida asiatica
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Zenaida dove
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Zenaida aurita
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Mourning dove
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Zenaida macroura
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Common-ground dove
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Columba passerina
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Caribbean dove
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Leptotila jamaicensis
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Key-West quail-dove
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Geotrygon chrysia
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PIGEONS OF ARDASTRA GARDENS
There are several species of pigeons that fly into Ardastra Gardens and utilize the waterways and any extra food that has been left by the resident animals. Some of the more common visitors include the White-crowned pigeon, Eurasian collard-dove and the Common ground dove. Ardastra also has the White-crowned pigeon on exhibit.
White-crowned pigeon
(Columba leucocephala)
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Threatened species
This pigeon is a dark, slate-grey color with a conspicuous white crown on top of the head and iridescent feathers on the back of the neck. This is a Caribbean species, breeding year-round in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica and Antigua but is also found throughout the whole of the West Indies and the Florida keys. The White-crowned pigeon is a colonial nester (except on Antigua and Barbuda) and only has one chick every year. They are frugivores, feeding mostly on the berries from Poison wood but also from the strangler fig, mastic, pigeon plum, sea grape and other tropical fruits, plus some seeds and insects.
Currently they are labeled as a threatened species as their population numbers are at risk from habitat loss and hunting. A survey done in the Bahamas in 1976 estimated that there were about 80,000 birds but during the hunting season this number drops rapidly. The hunting of White-crowned pigeon persists in the Bahamas and many Caribbean islands, and it is the principle game-bird of the Bahamas. Today, there are some measures being taken to help preserve the species by establishing more national parks and enforcing the hunting laws. In the Bahamas, White-crowned pigeons cannot be hunted from March 1st to September 28th and there is a bag limit of 50 birds per person per day. Anyone found disobeying these laws is liable to a fine of up to $500.00 or one month imprisonment.
Eurasian collard-dove
(Streptopelia decaocto)
This large dove is a sandy-grey color with a pinkish chest and a distinctive black half-collar on the back of the neck. Though it originates from the warm temperate regions of Southeastern Europe to Japan, it has successfully colonized the whole of Europe. It was introduced to New Providence, the Bahamas in 1974 and spread to Florida by 1982 where it made its way through much of the United States. This pigeon mostly feeds on seeds but will also eat many things left out by people, such as bread and dog food. They are gregarious (hangout in groups) and are not very shy of people. Although the Eurasian dove is not native to the Bahamas, and is not a threatened species, it cannot be hunted between March 1st and September 15th.
Common ground dove
(Columbina passerina)
This is a tiny dove, only reaching about 17 cm (7 inches) from beak to vent. This is the only tiny dove in the West Indies, very common throughout all of the Bahamas and the Caribbean region but is also found from the Southern most part of the United States through Mexico into Northern South America. These doves are ground-dwellers, foraging in pairs or small flocks for seeds, small fruits and berries, and the occasionally insect.
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