The Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) is a robust bird with bluish-gray plumage, two black wing bars, and a white patch on the nape; in favorable light, the neck shows green, violet, and reddish iridescence. Body length varies between 29 and 37 cm, with a wingspan of 62-72 cm, and the iris can be orange, red, or golden, surrounded by a pale ring of bare skin.
Habits
It is a social and territorial species, often found in flocks in urban environments or rocky areas; it flies directly and steadily, with rapid wing beats, pecking seeds and debris on the ground, and drinks by dipping its beak directly into water like a straw.
Reproduction
Pigeons are monogamous and form lifelong pairs; the female usually lays 2 eggs in a simple nest made of twigs, incubated by both parents for 16-19 days, and the chicks leave the nest after approximately 4 weeks.
Distribution
Native to the rocky areas of Western Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia, the Rock Pigeon has been introduced to all continents (except Antarctica), adapting to urban environments, plains, agricultural areas, and rocky regions on a large scale.
