Rock Pigeon: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Columba livia
- Family
- Pigeons and Doves
- Size
- About 33 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, stations, farms and sea cliffs
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Very variable in town, but the wild type has a white rump, two black bars on a pale grey wing and a white underwing. Stock Dove has no white rump, only short dark bars and a grey underwing.
Voice
A soft, rolling 'oo-roo-coo' cooing.
Good to know
All city pigeons descend from domesticated Rock Pigeons that once lived on sea cliffs.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Stock Dove. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in towns, stations, farms and sea cliffs. It is especially common in Israel, Poland, Thailand and Peru. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.