The Columbidae family, commonly known as pigeons and doves, is a large group of birds belonging to the order Columbiformes. This family includes over 300 species of birds found worldwide, except for Antarctica. Pigeons and doves are known for their distinctive cooing calls, small to medium size, and their ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats. While they are often associated with urban environments, many species inhabit forests, grasslands, and coastal areas.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Morphological Characteristics
Pigeons and doves are medium to large-sized birds, with varying sizes ranging from small to larger species, such as the Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria), one of the largest species, to smaller species like the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). They typically have stocky bodies, short legs, and small heads with a distinctive beak.
The plumage of pigeons and doves can vary widely but often includes soft feathers with colors ranging from gray and brown to bright, iridescent hues. Some species, like the Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), have gray feathers with subtle iridescence, while others, like the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), display vivid, multicolored feathers. Many species of doves and pigeons also have a characteristic feature—a small, rounded tail.
Their beaks are typically short, with a slightly bulbous base, and their eyes are often large compared to their head size. Their strong flight muscles and wide wings make them agile fliers, capable of rapid, controlled movements, and they are also known for their endurance in long-distance flight.
Behavior and Feeding Habits
Pigeons and doves are primarily granivorous, feeding mostly on seeds, grains, and fruits. Some species, however, may also consume small insects, especially during the breeding season when extra protein is needed. They are typically ground feeders, often seen foraging in open fields, gardens, or on city streets for food. Their method of feeding involves pecking at the ground, using their beaks to pick up seeds.
Unlike many birds, pigeons and doves do not regurgitate food for their young in the traditional sense. Instead, they produce a unique secretion known as "pigeon milk," a substance rich in fat and protein that is fed to their chicks in the first few days after hatching.
Habitat and Distribution
The Columbidae family has a wide distribution across all continents, except Antarctica. They are found in a variety of habitats, including woodlands, grasslands, mountains, and urban areas. While many pigeons and doves are well adapted to living in cities and towns, others prefer more natural habitats like forests or coastal areas.
Urban environments are particularly suitable for species like the Rock Pigeon, which has become one of the most common birds worldwide. They can be found in cities, towns, and farms, nesting in buildings, under bridges, or in other man-made structures. Other species, such as the Passenger Pigeon, were once common in forests but are now extinct due to overhunting and habitat loss.
Reproduction
Pigeons and doves typically build simple nests made of twigs, grass, and leaves in sheltered locations, such as in trees, on building ledges, or in rocky crevices. They are generally monogamous, with pairs forming strong bonds that last through the breeding season, and in some species, even for life.
Females usually lay two eggs, which are incubated by both parents for a period of 10 to 20 days, depending on the species. Both parents participate in feeding the chicks, providing them with "pigeon milk" until they are old enough to eat solid food. The chicks are altricial, meaning they are born underdeveloped and rely heavily on the parents for care.
Once the chicks are ready to leave the nest, they fledge (learn to fly) and become independent, although they may stay close to their parents for a period of time.
Conservation
While many pigeon and dove species, such as the Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) and the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), are abundant and widespread, other species face significant conservation challenges. The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), once one of the most abundant bird species in North America, went extinct in the early 20th century due to overhunting and habitat destruction.
Some species of pigeons and doves, such as the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) and the Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria), are considered vulnerable or endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, and the introduction of invasive species. Conservation efforts for these birds focus on habitat preservation, the prevention of hunting, and breeding programs for endangered species.
Conclusion
The Columbidae family represents a diverse and important group of birds, known for their adaptability to both natural and human-modified environments. Pigeons and doves play significant roles in ecosystems as seed dispersers and prey for larger predators. Their ability to thrive in urban environments, their enduring migratory behaviors, and their cultural significance make them fascinating birds to study and observe. Conservation efforts are essential to protect vulnerable species and preserve their habitats, ensuring their survival for future generations.
References__________________________________________________________________________
Abolnik, C. (2014). A current review of avian influenza in pigeons and doves (Columbidae). Veterinary Microbiology, 170(3-4), 181-196.
Abstract. Recent reports of the detection of the zoonotic low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7N9 viruses in healthy pigeons have again put the spotlight on the potential role of pigeons and doves in the transmission of avian influenza between infected poultry and humans. A surge in studies followed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 epidemic, and this review collates the new data on AIV in pigeons and doves, both from a surveillance perspective, as well as the results of numerous clinical studies. Collectively, results of 32 field studies representing 24 countries across four continents indicate an antibody prevalence of 8.01% in pigeons and doves but only 0.37% of the total was associated with exposure to the same serotype as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak occurring in poultry at the time. Only 1.1% of 6155 columbids sampled tested positive for the virus, and only 9/6155 (0.15%) viruses were detected in regions that were experiencing outbreaks of a notifiable serotype at the time. In 22 experimental infection studies with HPAI and LPAI viruses since 1944, only 26/715 (3.64%) mortalities were reported, and these could usually be associated with excessive doses of inoculum, which would induce fatal inflammatory responses. Since seroconversion and virus detection was demonstrated in many of these studies, albeit without clinical signs in most cases, it is clear that columbids are susceptible to infection, but ineffective propagators and disseminators of the virus, i.e. “dead end” hosts for AIVs, even HPAI. Viruses are shed in minute quantities from both the choana and in the feces for a short duration but titers are below the minimum threshold require to infect other species.
Walker, J. S. (2007). Geographical patterns of threat among pigeons and doves (Columbidae). Oryx, 41(3), 289-299.
Abstract. Columbidae (pigeons and doves) is one of the most threatened bird families in the world. I analysed data on the BirdLife International Species Information Database to examine the distribution and causes of threat among columbids. Of 304 species extant in the wild, 59 (19%) are threatened with extinction, 48 (83%) of which have restricted ranges. All but two threatened columbid species (97%) inhabit tropical forests, and of these, 45 are island species (78% of all threatened columbid species). The taxonomic distribution of columbids follows three coherent areas: the Americas; Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia; Asia, Australasia and Oceania. Asia, Australasia and Oceania support nearly two-thirds of all extant species and three-quarters of threatened species (44), most of which (84%) are restricted range insular species. Three countries within this area are the most important for the conservation of columbid diversity: Indonesia, the Philippines and French Polynesia. Together these three countries support 40% of extant species and half of all threatened species. The greatest causes of threat to columbids are (1) habitat loss and fragmentation due to agriculture and extraction, (2) hunting for food, and (3) alien predator species. Habitat loss and fragmentation are universal threats to columbids. Hunting, however, is a significantly greater threat to species in Asia, Australasia and Oceania than to species in the other two areas and urgently needs to be addressed. I discuss the conservation implications of these findings and make research recommendations to aid and encourage the conservation of threatened columbids and their habitats.
Khan HA, Arif IA. COI barcodes and phylogeny of doves (Columbidae family). Mitochondrial DNA. 2013 Dec;24(6):689-96. doi: 10.3109/19401736.2013.773319.
Abstract. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been recognized as an authentic tool for species identification. Besides its potential barcoding capacity, COI sequences have also been used for inferring the phylogeny. Phylogenetic relationships among genera of Columbidae (pigeons and doves family) have not been fully resolved because of scarce sampling of taxa and limited availability of sequence data. In this study, we have evaluated the efficiency of COI barcodes for species identification and phylogenetic analysis of various doves. We sequenced the 693 bp region of COI gene of three species of doves including Oena capensis, Streptopelia decaocto, and Streptopelia senegalensis. After retrieving the relevant sequences from the GenBank, the entire data-set of 85 sequences represented 25 dove species from 11 different genera of the family Columbidae. The COI sequences of four species including Chalcophaps indica (two specimens), Columbina inca (five specimens), Geopelia striata (three specimens), and Macropygia phasianella (three specimens) were identical. The mean intraspecific base differences ranged from 0 to 37 while the P-distances ranged between 0 and 0.058. For most of the species, the P-distances were ≤ 0.008. Phylogenetic analysis differentiated the taxa into three major clusters. One of the clusters grouped five genera including Claravis, Columbina, Gallicolumba, Geopelia, and Geotrygon. The remaining two clusters grouped three genera each including Chalcophaps, Oena, and Turtur in one cluster and Macropygia, Streptopelia, and Zenaida in another cluster. Further sub-clustering clearly separated all the genera into individual clusters except two discrepancies for the genera Streptopelia and Turtur. Species-level cladistics clearly separated all the species into distinctive clades. In conclusion, COI barcoding is a powerful tool for species identification with added information on phylogenetic inference. The finding of this study will help to understand the complex phylogeny of the family Columbidae.
Floigl, K., Benedetti, Y., Reif, J., & Morelli, F. (2022). Spatial distribution and habitat overlap of five Columbidae species in the Czech Republic. Animals, 12(6), 743.
Abstract. Habitat overlap occurs when two species co-exist in the same habitat and utilise the same resources. Using common bird monitoring data in Czech Republic from 2015 and 2016, we compared the affinities of five Columbidae species regarding land use types. Moreover, we analysed the effects of land use types and land use heterogeneity on five species distributions. The aim of the study was to quantify the habitat overlap of five Columbidae species regarding types of land use and land use heterogeneity. We predicted a high level of habitat overlap between most of the species and its occurrence in farmlands and urban areas. Our results confirmed the high habitat overlap of all five Columbidae species in farmlands. An almost complete overlap was recorded between Columba livia domestica and Streptopelia decaocto, as well as between Columba palumbus and Streptopelia turtur. Considering land use utilisation, C. livia and S. decaocto mainly utilised farmlands and urban areas. Furthermore, deciduous forests were utilised by Columba oenas and coniferous and mixed forests by C. palumbus. Finally, S. turtur mainly utilised grasslands and avoided urban areas. We conclude that Columbidae species overlap in spatial distributions, mostly in urban areas, forests, and farmlands. Our study provides a summary of these common species habitat affinities.
Wu, C. P., Horng, Y. M., Wang, R. T., Yang, K. T., & Huang, M. C. (2007). A novel sex-specific DNA marker in Columbidae birds. Theriogenology, 67(2), 328-333.
Abstract. That most Columbidae birds have no conspicuous sexual dimorphism often makes it difficult to identify their sex on the basis of external morphology. In the present study, we report a novel sex-specific DNA marker in Columbidae birds. DNA was extracted from one member of this bird group, Streptopelia orientalis (S. orientalis, oriental turtle dove), and used to identify a female-specific DNA marker using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. One hundred and sixty random primers were used for the RAPD-PCR reactions. When using the OPAV17 primer, a novel 902 bp sex-specific PCR product was amplified from known female birds. This fragment of DNA was cloned and sequenced. Two primers, TurSexOPAV17-F and TurSexOPAV17-R, were designed from the cloned sex-specific sequence, and were successfully used to amplify a 777 bp female-specific fragment using PCR from S. orientalis DNA. This sex-specific marker was also amplified from genomic DNA samples of two other female Columbidae, S. chinensis and Columba livia. Sequence analysis showed that this novel sex-specific marker was highly conserved amongst these three bird species. In contrast, the PCR product was not amplified from male DNA of these species, nor from either sex of the S. chinensis formosa birds. Therefore, we concluded that our novel marker can be used to rapidly and accurately identify the sex of birds from three species of Columbidae.
