Rock Pigeon (White Variation)

Description:

The rock pigeon, there are different types, variable in colour,but most of the birds are bluish grey with two black bands on the wing and a black tip to the tail. Larger and plumper than a Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeons are tubby birds with small heads and short legs (Wingspan: 20-26 inches Weight: 9 - 13 ounces). Rock pigeons are usually with their flock so they don`t really interact with other species. Rock pigeons interact mostly with the human species and usually it`s mutual, but also commensalism between the two because the rock pigeons can destroy human structures, but they also clean streets by eating what is left behind from people. They can navigate by sensing the earth’s magnetic fields, and perhaps also by using sound and smell. The rock pigeon also has a unique way of drinking water by sucking it up instead of throwing it`s head back. When mating they reproduce with two parents (male and female) the pair may preen one another and the male may grasp the female’s bill, bring food as a courtship gesture. When ready to mate, the female crouches and the males jumps on her back. Eight to 12 days after mating, the females lay 1 to 3 (usually 2) white eggs which hatch after 18 days. Breeding may occur at all seasons, but peak reproduction occurs in the spring and fall. A population of pigeons usually consists of equal numbers of males and females.

Habitat:

Pigeons are familiar birds of cities and towns. You'll also see them around urban parks and neighborhoods, around farms, under highway or railroad bridges, and around tall rocky cliffs. They can nest on a ledge on either cliffs or manmade structures, often beneath eaves or an overhang. They eat human waster or left overs from food that is dropped. Their niche is completely dependant on the human species. Consumers: opossums, raccoons, great horned owls, screech-owls, golden eagles, American kestrels, and peregrine falcons.

Notes:

References: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock... http://ovocontrol.com/pigeons/pigeons/ http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/rock...