Columbidae: Difference between revisions

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| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Miocene | recent|ref=<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HUyB1DrSsU0C&pg=PA120|title=Avian Biology|last=Farner|first=Donald|date=2012|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-323-15799-5}}</ref>}}

| range_map_caption = {{legend0|#808000|&nbsp;Geographic range of the family Columbidae}}

'''Columbidae''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|l|ʌ|m|b|ᵻ|d|iː}} {{respell|kə|LUM|bih|dee}}) is a bird [[Family (biology)|family]] consisting of '''doves''' and '''pigeons'''. It is the only family in the [[Order (biology)|order]] '''Columbiformes'''. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy [[cere]]s. They primarily feed on plants, and can be taxonomically divided amongst [[granivore]]s, that feed mostly on the ground on seeds, and [[frugivore]]s, that feed mostly on fruits, andfrom plantsbranches. The family occurs worldwide, often in close proximity with humans, but the greatest variety is in the [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]] and [[Australasian realm]]s. Columbidae contains 344 [[species]] divided into 50 [[genera]].

ThirteenColumbidae ofcontains the344 [[species]] divided into 50 [[genera]]. Fifty-nine species are listed as threatened, and thirteen are [[Extinction|extinct]],<ref name="ioc">{{cite web| |editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Pigeons | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/pigeons/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=27 February 2020 }}</ref> including the [[dodo]], an island bird, and the [[passenger pigeon]], thewhose onlyflocks birdwere speciesonce not restricted to a small island to go extinctcounted in modern times, even though it could possibly have been the most numerous bird of one species in the worldbillions.

MostlyIn only bycolloquial English speakers, the smaller species tend to be called "doves", and the larger ones "pigeons",<ref name=floss>{{cite web | last=McDonald | first=Hannah | title=What's the Difference Between Pigeons and Doves? | work=Big Questions | publisher=Mental Floss | date=17 August 2008 | url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/554182/what-is-difference-between-pigeons-and-doves}}</ref> although the distinction is not consistent,<ref name=floss /> and there is no scientific separation between them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dove vs pigeon -– what’swhat's the difference between these two cooing birds? -– Discover Wildlife |author=daniel.hani@sprylab.com |work=discoverwildlife.com |date= |access-date=30 November 2023 |url= https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/dove-vs-pigeon-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-cooing-birds}}</ref> Historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation. The bird most commonly referred to as "pigeon" is the [[domestic pigeon]], or [[rock dove]], which is common in many cities as the [[feral pigeon]].

Unfledged baby doves and pigeons are called squabs and are generally able to fly by 5 weeks of age. These [[Fledge|fledglings]], with their immature squeaking voices, are called squeakers once they are [[weaning|weaned]],<ref name="EoB">{{cite book |editor=Forshaw, Joseph |author= Crome, Francis H.J. |year=1991 |title=Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds |publisher= Merehurst Press |place=London |pages=115–116 115–116|isbn= 978-1-85391-186-6}}</ref> and leave the nest after 25–32 days.

{{lang|fr|Pigeon}} is a [[French language|French]] word that derives from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|pīpiō}}, for a "{{gloss|peeping"}} chick,<ref name="oetymd-pigeon">{{OEtymD|pigeon}}</ref> while ''dove'' is an ultimately [[Proto-Germanic language|Germanic]] word, thatpossibly refersreferring to the bird's diving flight.<ref>{{OEtymD|dove}}</ref> The English dialectal word {{wikt-lang|en|culver}} appears to derive from Latin {{wikt-lang|la|columba}}.<ref name="oetymd-pigeon" /> A group of doves is called a "dule", taken from the French word {{lang|fr|deuil}} ('{{gloss|mourning'}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lipton |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/exaltationoflark0000lipt_x7z9 |url-access=registration |title=An Exaltation of Larks |date=1991 |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-0-670-30044-0 |language=en}}</ref>

The name 'Columbidae' for the [[family (biology)|family]] was introduced by the English zoologist [[William Elford Leach]] in a guide to the contents of the [[British Museum]] published in 1819.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Leach | first=William Elford | author-link=William Elford Leach | year=1819 | chapter=Eleventh Room | title=Synopsis of the Contents of the British Museum | location=London | publisher=British Museum | edition=15th | pages=63-6863–68 [66] | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSlhAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA66 }} Although the name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Bock | first=Walter J. | author-link=Walter Joseph Bock | year=1994 | title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names | series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume= Number 222 | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | location=New York | pages=139, 245 | hdl=2246/830 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 }}<!--Linked page allows download of the 48MB pdf--><!-- Bock cites the 17th edition from 1820 but the name was included in the 15th edition published in 1819--></ref> Columbidae is the only living family in the order [[List of Columbiformes by population|Columbiformes]]. The [[sandgrouse]] (Pteroclidae) were formerly placed here, but were moved to a separate order, [[Pterocliformes]], based on anatomical differences (such as the inability to drink by "sucking" or "pumping").<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=4082983 |title=Drinking Behavior of Sandgrouse in the Namib and Kalahari Deserts, Africa |journal=The Auk |volume=83 |issue=1 |year=1966 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v083n01/p0124-p0126.pdf |author1=Cade, Tom J. |author2=Willoughby, Ernest J. |author3=MacLean, Gordon L. |pages=124–126 |doi=10.2307/4082983}}</ref>

The Columbidae are usually divided into five subfamilies, probably inaccurately.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fLvMdtxHMC4C&pg=PA200|title=Pigeon|last=Allen|first=Barbara|date=2009|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-711-4}}</ref> For example, the American ground and quail doves (''[[Geotrygon]]''), which are usually placed in the [[Columbinae]], seem to be two distinct subfamilies.{{efn|Conventional treatment saw two large subfamilies: one for the fruit doves, imperial pigeons, and fruit pigeons, and another for nearly all of the remaining species. Additionally, three [[monotypic]] subfamilies were noted, one each for the genera ''Goura'', ''Otidiphaps'', and ''Didunculus''. The old subfamily Columbinae consisted of five distinct lineages, whereas the other four groups are more or less accurate representations of the evolutionary relationships.}} The order presented here follows Baptista et{{nbsp}}al. (1997),<ref name="HBW2">{{cite book|title=Handbook of birds of the world|last1=Baptista|first1=L. F.|last2=Trail|first2=P. W.|last3=Horblit|first3=H. M.|publisher=Lynx Edicions|year=1997|isbn=978-84-87334-22-1|editor-last1=del Hoyo|editor-first1=J.|volume=4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos|place=Barcelona|chapter=Family Columbidae (Doves and Pigeons)|editor-last2=Elliott|editor-first2=A.|editor-last3=Sargatal|editor-first3=J.|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse}}</ref> with some updates.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Johnson, Kevin P. |author2=Clayton, Dale H. |year=2000|title= Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes Contain Similar Phylogenetic. Signal for Pigeons and Doves (Aves: Columbiformes)|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=14|issue=1|pages=141–151|url=http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kjohnson/kpj_pdfs/MPE.Johnson.Clayton.2000.pdf|doi=10.1006/mpev.1999.0682|pmid=10631048|bibcode=2000MolPE..14..141J }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Johnson|first1=Kevin P.|last2=de Kort|first2=Selvino|last3=Dinwoodey|first3=Karen|last4=Mateman|first4=A. C.|last5=ten Cate|first5=Carel|last6=Lessells|first6=C. M.|last7=Clayton|first7=Dale H.|name-list-style=amp|year=2001|title= A molecular phylogeny of the dove genera ''Streptopelia'' and ''Columba''|journal=[[Auk (journal)|Auk]] |volume=118|issue=4|pages=874–887|url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/p00874-p00887.pdf|jstor=4089839|doi=10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0874:AMPOTD]2.0.CO;2|hdl=20.500.11755/a92515bb-c1c6-4c0e-ae9a-849936c41ca2|s2cid=26083712 |hdl-access=free|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-date=19 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119190231/https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/p00874-p00887.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Shapiro>{{cite journal|author1=Shapiro, Beth |author2=Sibthorpe, Dean |author3=Rambaut, Andrew |author4=Austin, Jeremy |author5=Wragg, Graham M. |author6=Bininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P. |author7=Lee, Patricia L. M. |author8=Cooper, Alan |s2cid=29245617 |doi=10.1126/science.295.5560.1683|title=Flight of the Dodo|year=2002|journal=Science|volume=295|issue=5560|page=1683|pmid=11872833}} [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5560/1683/DC1 Supplementary information]</ref>

These taxonomic issues are exacerbated by columbids not being well represented in the [[fossil record]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fountaine|first1=Toby M. R.|last2=Benton|first2=Michael J.|last3=Dyke|first3=Gareth J.|last4=Nudds|first4=Robert L.|date=2005|title=The quality of the fossil record of Mesozoic birds|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=272|issue=1560|pages=289–294|doi=10.1098/rspb.2004.2923|pmc=1634967|pmid=15705554}}</ref> with no truly primitive forms having been found to date.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} The genus ''Gerandia'' has been described from [[Early Miocene]] deposits in France, but while it was long believed to be a pigeon,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Olson|first1=Storrs L.|editor1-last=Farmer|editor1-first=Donald S.|editor2-last=King|editor2-first=James R.|editor3-last=Parkes|editor3-first=Kenneth C.|title=Avian Biology, Vol. VIII|date=1985|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-12-249408-6|pages=79–238|chapter=The fossil record of birds|quote=The earliest dove yet known, from the early Miocene (Aquitanian) of France, was a small species named Columba calcaria by Milne-Edwards (1867–1871) from a single humerus, for which Lambrecht (1933) later created the genus Gerandia|hdl=10088/6553}}</ref> it is now considered a [[sandgrouse]].<ref name=auk>{{cite journal|last1=Worthy|first1=Trevor H.|last2=Hand|first2=Suzanne J.|last3=Worthy|first3=Jennifer P.|last4=Tennyson|first4=Alan J. D.|last5=Scofield|first5=R. Paul|title=A large fruit pigeon (Columbidae) from the Early Miocene of New Zealand|journal=The Auk|date=2009|volume=126|issue=3|pages=649–656|doi=10.1525/auk.2009.08244|s2cid=86799657|quote=Because Columba calcaria Milne-Edwards, 1867–1871, from the Lower Miocene at Saint-Gérand-le-Puy in France, is now also considered a sandgrouse, as Gerandia calcaria (Mlíkovský 2002), there is no pre-Pliocene columbid record in Europe.|doi-access=free}}</ref> Fragmentary remains of a probably "[[Ptilinopus|ptilinopine]]" Early Miocene pigeon were found in the Bannockburn Formation of New Zealand and described as ''[[Rupephaps]]'';<ref name=auk/> ''"Columbina" prattae'' from roughly contemporary deposits of [[Florida]] is nowadays tentatively separated in ''[[Arenicolumba]]'', but its distinction from ''[[Columbina (bird)|Columbina]]/Scardafella'' and related genera needs to be more firmly established (e.g. by [[cladistic]] analysis).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=referenceInfo&reference_no=50415|title=Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database|website=fossilworks.org|access-date=17 December 2021|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124085345/http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=referenceInfo&reference_no=50415|url-status=dead}}</ref> Apart from that, all other fossils belong to extant genera.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_TB72RBLLMC&pg=PA110|title=Paleogene Fossil Birds|last=Mayr|first=Gerald|date=2009|publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-540-89628-9}}</ref>

==== Subfamily Raphinae ====

[[File:WoodpigeonCommon onWood aPigeon Telephone(Columba Linepalumbus).jpgJPG|alt=A Woodpigeonwood onpigeon perched in a telephoneplane line.tree|thumb|The [[Common wood pigeon]] (''Columba palumbus'') is common throughout Europe.]]

Columbidae have unique body [[feather]]s, with the shaft being generally broad, strong, and flattened, tapering to a fine point, abruptly.<ref name=":1" /> In general, the aftershaft is absent; however, small ones on some tail and wing feathers may be present.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lK_tb2TICq8C&pg=PA313|title=Aves (Columbidae to Coraciidae)|last1=Schodde|first1=Richard|last2=Mason|first2=I. J.|date=1997|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-06037-1}}</ref> Body feathers have very dense, fluffy bases, are attached loosely into the skin, and drop out easily.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Skutch, A. F.|year=1964|title=Life Histories of Central American Pigeons|url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v076n03/p0211-p0247.pdf|journal=Wilson Bulletin|volume=76|issue=3|page=211}}</ref> Possibly serving as a predator avoidance mechanism,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com/Pigeon|title=DiversityofLife2012 – Pigeon|website=diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com|access-date=23 April 2017|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106102827/http://diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com/Pigeon|url-status=dead}}</ref> large numbers of feathers fall out in the attacker's mouth if the bird is snatched, facilitating the bird's escape. The [[plumage]] of the family is variable.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40mFwoALUFUC&pg=PA316|title=Birds of Venezuela|last=Hilty|first=Steven L.|date=2002|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-3409-9}}</ref>

Columbidae are excellent fliers due to the lift provided by their large wings, which results in low [[wing loading]];<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_oE29KijRlAC&pg=PA253|title=Bird Migration|last=Alerstam|first=Thomas|date=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-44822-2}}</ref> They are highly maneuverable in flight<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DL4qBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT267|title=Pigeons and Doves in Australia|last1=Forshaw|first1=Joseph|last2=Cooper|first2=William|date=2015|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-1-4863-0405-9}}</ref> and have a low [[Aspect ratio (aeronautics)|aspect ratio]] due to the width of their wings, allowing for quick flight launches and ability to escape from predators, but at a high energy cost.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pap|first1=Péter L.|last2=Osváth|first2=Gergely|last3=Sándor|first3=Krisztina|last4=Vincze|first4=Orsolya|last5=Bărbos|first5=Lőrinc|last6=Marton|first6=Attila|last7=Nudds|first7=Robert L.|last8=Vágási|first8=Csongor I.|year=2015|editor-last=Williams|editor-first=Tony|title=Interspecific variation in the structural properties of flight feathers in birds indicates adaptation to flight requirements and habitat|journal=Functional Ecology|language=en|volume=29|issue=6|pages=746–757|doi=10.1111/1365-2435.12419|bibcode=2015FuEco..29..746P |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Pigeons and doves are distributed everywhere on Earth, except for the driest areas of the [[Sahara Desert]], [[Antarctica]] and its surrounding islands, and the high [[Arctic]].<ref name=":02"/> They have colonisedcolonized most of the world's oceanic islands, reaching eastern [[Polynesia]] and the [[Chatham Islands]] in the [[Pacific]], Mauritius, the Seychelles and [[Réunion]] in the Indian Ocean, and the [[Azores]] in the Atlantic Ocean.

The largest range of any species is that of the [[rock dove]], also known as the common pigeon. <ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.beautyofbirds.com/rockpigeons.html|title=Rock Pigeons (''Columba livia'') aka Feral or Domestic Pigeons|website=www.beautyofbirds.com|date=16 September 2021 }}</ref> This species had a large natural distribution from Britain and Ireland to northern Africa, across Europe, [[Arabia]], [[Central Asia]], India, the [[Himalayas]] and up into China and Mongolia.<ref name=":4" /> The range of the species increased dramatically upon domestication, as the species went [[Introduced species|feral]] in cities around the world.<ref name=":4" /> The common pigeon is currently resident across most of North America, and has established itself in cities and urban areas in South America, sub-Saharan Africa, [[Southeast Asia]], Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.<ref name=":4" />

Other species of columbidaeColumbidae have tiny, restricted distributions, usually seen on small islands, such as the [[whistling dove]], which is [[endemism|endemic]] to the tiny [[Kadavu Island]] in Fiji,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beautyofbirds.com/whistlingdoves.html|title=Whistling Fruit Doves|website=www.beautyofbirds.com|date=16 September 2021 }}</ref> the [[Caroline ground-dove|Caroline ground dove]], restricted to two islands, [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] and [[Pohnpei]] in the [[Caroline Islands]],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMGkAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA406|title=Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World|last=Gibbs|first=David|date=2010|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4081-3555-6}}</ref> and the [[Grenada dove]], which is only found on the island of [[Grenada]] in the [[Caribbean]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grenada-dove-leptotila-wellsi/details|title=Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi) -– BirdLife species factsheet|website=datazone.birdlife.org}}</ref>

Seeds and fruit form the major component of the diets of pigeons and doves, and <ref name=":02"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.birdfeedersspot.com/wild-birds-basics-tips/what-do-doves-eat.html|title=What Do Doves Eat – Best Food For Doves|website=www.birdfeedersspot.com|access-date=23 April 2017|archive-date=8 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208144856/https://www.birdfeedersspot.com/wild-birds-basics-tips/what-do-doves-eat.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> the family can be divided between the seed-eating, or [[Granivore|granivorous]], species (subfamily Columbinae) and the fruit-and-mast-eating, or [[Frugivore|frugivorous]], species, which make up the other four subfamilies.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.birdsofeden.co.za/pigeons-and-doves---whats-differance_article_op_view_id_1672|title=Pigeons And Doves – What's The Differance?|publisher=birdsofeden.co.za|date=22 July 2011|access-date=23 April 2017|archive-date=8 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208144855/https://www.birdsofeden.co.za/pigeons-and-doves---whats-differance_article_op_view_id_1672|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The granivorous species typically feed on seed found on the ground, whereas the frugivorous species tend to feed in trees.<ref name=":2" /> The morphological adaptations used to distinguish between the two groups include granivores tending to having thick walls in their gizzards, [[Gastrointestinal tract|intestines]], and [[Esophagus|esophagi]], with the frugivores evolved with thin walls, <ref name=":02"/> and the fruit-eating species have short intestines, as opposed to the seed eaters having longer intestines. <ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_7UBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA462|title=A Dictionary of Birds|last1=Campbell|first1=Bruce|last2=Lack|first2=Elizabeth|date=2010|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4081-3838-0}}</ref> Frugivores are capable of clinging to branches and even hang upside down to reach fruit.<ref name="HBW2"/><ref name=":2" />

[[File:Dickins Medal for Pigeon Royal Blue.jpg|thumb|left|Dickin Medal for the pigeon Royal Blue]] [[File:Cher Ami cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Cher Ami]] was awarded the [[Croix de Guerre]].]]The pigeon was used in both [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], notably by the Australian, French, German, [[United States Army Pigeon Service|American]], and UK forces. They were also awarded for their service with various laurels throughout. On 2 December 1943, three pigeons{{snd}}[[Winkie (pigeon)|Winkie]], [[Tyke (pigeon)|Tyke]], and White Vision,{{snd}} serving with Britain's [[Royal Air Force]], were awarded the first [[Dickin Medal|Dickin medal]] for rescuing an air force crew during World War{{nbsp}}II.<ref name=medal>{{Cite news|url=http://www.historychannel.com.au/articles/pigeons-awarded-first-dickin-medals-for-bravery/|title=Pigeons Awarded First Dickin Medals for Bravery ⋆ History Channel|date=20 June 2016|work=History Channel|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-date=13 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213161202/https://www.historychannel.com.au/articles/pigeons-awarded-first-dickin-medals-for-bravery/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Thirty-two pigeons have been decorated with the Dickin Medal, citing their "brave service"<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4s039PKpc4kC&pg=PA7|title=The Eastman Guide to Birds: Natural History Accounts for 150 North American Species|last=Eastman|first=John|date=2000|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=978-0-8117-4552-9}}</ref> in war contributions, including [[Commando (pigeon)|Commando]], [[G.I. Joe (pigeon)|G.I. Joe]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35967137/see-some-of-the-67-animals-whove-been-handed-the-dickin-medal-for-bravery|title=See some of the 67 animals who've been handed the Dickin Medal for bravery|work=BBC|date=5 April 2016}}</ref> [[Paddy (pigeon)|Paddy]], [[Royal Blue (pigeon)|Royal Blue]], and [[William of Orange (pigeon)|William of Orange]].{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

The [[rock dove]] has been domesticated for hundreds of years.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last1=Shapiro|first1=Michael D.|last2=Domyan|first2=Eric T.|date=2013|title=Domestic pigeons|journal=Current Biology|volume=23|issue=8|pages=R302–R303|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2013.01.063|pmc=4854524|pmid=23618660|bibcode=2013CBio...23.R302S }}</ref> It has been bred into several varieties kept by hobbyists, of which the best known is the homing pigeon or [[racing homer]].<ref name=":11" /> Other popular breeds are tumbling pigeons such as the [[Birmingham roller]], and fancy varieties that are bred for certain physical characteristics such as large feathers on the feet or fan-shaped tails. Domesticated rock pigeons are also bred as [[carrier pigeons]],<ref name=":122"/> used for thousands of years to carry brief written messages,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wysinfo.com/Pigeons/Columbidae_family.htm|title=WysInfo Docuwebs – The Columbidae Family|website=www.wysinfo.com}}</ref> and [[release dove]]s used in ceremonies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pangroove.com/dove.html|title=Release of White Doves for your wedding from Pangroove Elegant Events In Barbados|website=www.pangroove.com|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816100334/http://www.pangroove.com/dove.html|archive-date=16 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> White doves are also used for entertainment and amusement, as they are capable of solving puzzles and performing intricate tricks.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brough|first=Clarice|title=White Dove|url=http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/doves_pigeons/whitedove.php|website=Animal World|access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> A variant called the ''zurito'', bred for its speed, may be used in live [[pigeon shooting]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZuhAQAAQBAJ&q=zuritos+pigeon&pg=PA98|title=Successful Shotgun Shooting|last=Montague|first=Andrew|date=16 August 2000|publisher=Derrydale Press |isbn=9781461702702|access-date=8 October 2021|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216133159/https://books.google.com/books?id=bZuhAQAAQBAJ&q=zuritos+pigeon&pg=PA98|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Successful Shotgun Shooting|last=Montague|first=Andrew|publisher=The Derrydale Press|year=2000|isbn=1568331649|pages=98}}</ref>

In the [[Hebrew Bible]], doves or young pigeons are acceptable burnt offerings for those who cannot afford a more expensive animal.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&pg=PA355|title=Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible|last1=Freedman|first1=David Noel|last2=Myers|first2=Allen C.|date=2000|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=978-90-5356-503-2}}</ref> In Genesis, [[Noah]] sends a dove out of the ark, but it came back to him because the floodwaters had not receded. Seven days later, he sent it again and it came back with an olive branch in her mouth, indicating the waters had receded enough for an olive tree to grow. "Dove" is also a term of endearment in the [[Song of Songs]] and elsewhere. In Hebrew, [[Jonah]] (יוֹנָה) means dove.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H3124&t=KJV Yonah Jonah Blue Letter Bible]. Blueletterbible.org. Retrieved on 5 March 2013.</ref> The "sign of Jonas" in [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/matt/16.1-4?lang=eng Matthew 16] is related to the "sign of the dove".<ref name=":14">[http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/the-laws-of-the-second-coming/chapter-12-the-sign-of-jonah/ God's Kingdom Ministries serious Bible Study Chapter 12: The Sign of Jonah]. Gods-kingdom-ministries.net. Retrieved on 5 March 2013.</ref>

[[Jesus]]'s parents sacrificed doves on his behalf after [[Circumcision of Jesus|his circumcision]] ([[Luke 2|Luke 2:24]]:24).<ref name=":14" /> Later, the [[Holy Spirit]] descended upon Jesus at [[Baptism of Jesus|his baptism]] [[Sign of the Dove|like a dove]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]]), and subsequently the "[[peace dove]]" became a common Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit.<ref name=":14" />

In Europe, the [[common wood pigeon|wood pigeon]] is commonly shot as a [[game bird]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_birds/doves_pigeons/|title=TPWD: Doves and Pigeons – Introducing Birds to Young Naturalists|website=tpwd.texas.gov}}</ref> while rock pigeons were originally domesticated as a food species, and many breeds were developed for their meat-bearing qualities.<ref name=":16" /> The extinction of the passenger pigeon in North America was at least partly due to shooting for use as food.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.audubon.org/magazine/may-june-2014/why-passenger-pigeon-went-extinct|title=Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct|date=17 April 2014|work=Audubon}}</ref> ''[[Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management]]'' contains recipes for roast pigeon and [[pigeon pie]], a popular, inexpensive food in Victorian industrial Britain.<ref>[http://www.mrsbeeton.com/40-chapter40.html CHAPTER 40 – DINNERS AND DINING Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429154041/http://mrsbeeton.com/40-chapter40.html |date=29 April 2013 }}. Mrsbeeton.com. Retrieved on 5 March 2013.</ref>

| Passenger Pigeon Monument || [[Wyalusing State Park]], Wisconsin, USA || 1948 || The plaque on this conservationist statue's inscription reads: "DEDICATED TO THE LAST PASSENGER PIGEON Shot at Babcock, Sept. 1899. This Species Became Extinct Through the Avarice and Thoughtlessness of Man."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM34683|title=Passenger Pigeon Plaque|website=[[Wisconsin Historical Society]]|date=December 2003 |access-date=March 17, 2023|language=en}}</ref> It honors the [[passenger pigeon]], which had once perhaps been the most numerous bird on the planet before going extinct in 1914, largely due to unregulated hunting and habitat destruction committed by European settlers of North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aldoleopold.org/post/a-monument-for-a-lost-bird/|title=A Monument for a Lost Bird|website=[[Aldo Leopold]] Foundation|date=29 July 2021 |access-date=March 17, 2023|language=en}}</ref> || ||

| {{interlanguage link|Monument voor de Oorlogsduif|nl}} || [[Brussels, Belgium]]|| 1931 || This metal statue, designed by Georges Hano and sculpted by Victor Voets, honors the [[war pigeons]] who died in [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/nl/buildings/37465|title=Monument voor de Oorlogsduif|website=monument.heritage.brussels/|access-date=March 17, 2023}}</ref> Then-Brussels Mayor [[Adolphe Max]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.erfgoedklassen.brussels/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/14-Monument-voor-de-oorlogsduif-Brussel-leraar.pdf|title=Monument voor de oorlogsduif en duivenliefhebbers voor het|access-date=March 17, 2023}}</ref> at the 1931 dedication ceremony of this statute said that carrier pigeons perhaps made the greatest and most painful contribution to the victory and liberation of Belgium during the First World War. The metal statue depicts a pigeon landing on a topless woman's outstretched arm. || [[file:Bruxelles_Bruxelles -_Monument_au_Pigeon Monument au Pigeon-Soldat_Soldat -_02 02.JPG|180px]] ||

| [https[Monument to Carrier Pigeons]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/monument-to-carrier-pigeons|title=Remembering Monumentthe toAllied CarrierAvians Pigeons]of the Great War|website=Atlas Obscura}}</ref> || [[Lille, France]] || 1936 || This stone monument depicts a woman flocked by birds, erected in honor of the approximately tens of thousands of birds who served as [[carrier pigeons]] or otherwise served the [[Triple Entente]] during World War I. The statue is in front of the Lille Zoo. It was erected by the édération Nationale des Sociétés Colombophiles (National Federation of Pigeon Societies).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/monument-to-carrier-pigeons|title=Monument to Carrier Pigeons -– Lille, France|website=[[Atlas Obscura]]|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=en}}</ref> || [[file:Au pigeon voyageur.jpg|180px]] ||

| Hato PopoPoppo monument || [[Tokyo, Japan]]|| 1962 || This is one of multiple statues dedicated to the beloved Japanese children's song, "Hato PopoPoppo". The words of the song were written by Kume Higashi while watching children play with pigeons at the Buddhist [[Sensō-ji]] temple in Tokyo, near where this statue now is. A plaque on the monument includes the [[musical notation]] of the song. Atop the monument, five bronze pigeons are perched.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vsuete.com/pigeon-monument-in-tokyo/|title=Pigeon monument in Tokyo|website=Monuments Reveal|date=2 February 2022 |access-date=March 17, 2023|language=en}}</ref>|| ||

| {{interlanguage link|Monument au Pigeon-Soldat|fr}} || [[Charleroi]], Belgium || 1951 || A depiction of a bird with outstretched wings honors the pigeon soldiers of World War I.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/50867/Memorial-War-Pigeons.htm|title=Memorial War Pigeons|website=Traces of War|access-date=March 17, 2023|language=en}}</ref> The sculptor was {{interlanguage link|Alphonse Darville|fr}}. || [[file:Charleroi-Au pigeon soldat.jpg|180px]]
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* [[Marquesan imperial pigeon]]

{{Commons|Columbidae}}