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Columba livia domestica
Feral pigeons (Columba livia), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons, are derived from domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild. The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild Rock Dove, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains. Rock (i.e., 'wild'), domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs, have become adapted to urban life, and are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world.
Spotted on Aug 14, 2013
Submitted on Aug 14, 2013
2 Comments
Thanks! I fixed it. It's definitely not a true rock dove then since this is in California
A more correct terminology for these is either Domesticated Pigeon if they are still in captivity or Feral Pigeon if they have effectively returned to the wild, as their direct ancestry is from domesticated stock which was descended from the true Rock Doves but occasionally interbred with other species of pigeon (frequently Stock Doves) and/or fed with artificial feed instead of crop milk to produce countless varieties. Their full scientific name is "Columba livia domestica", the third name denoting a sub-species, or regional variation. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Pi...
There are very few true Rock Doves (Columba livia livia) left in the wild today, most populations throughout the world having been contaminated with Feral stock. The few survivors are confined to extremely isolated rocks and cliffs in North-west Europe, far from human interference. It is possible that only a full DNA analysis would be able to positively identify a true Rock Dove.
Any birds found outside the Western Palearctic region are almost certainly Columba livia domestica.