Rock Dove

Rock Dove

Scientific Name: Columba livia

Malay Name: Merpati Biasa

Chinese Name: 原鸽

Alternative Name(s): Rock Pigeon, Common Pigeon

Range: Found from North Africa to Palearctic, Middle East, Indian subcontinent and northern China with feral populations worldwide

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: livia, gymnocycla, targia, dakhlae, schimperi, palaestinae, gaddi, neglecta, intermedia.

Size: 33 cm

Identification: Adult is typically grey with noticeable darker hood and breast, blackish tail-tip and paler wing-coverts with two broad blackish bars. May also be highly variable with patches of white and brown in plumage and some are entirely blackish.

Habitat: Urban and open areas.

Behaviour/Ecology: Forages on the ground.

Local Status: Very common introduced resident

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Location: Housing estates, urban gardens, reclaimed lands and any suitable patch of habitat.

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Columba livia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690066A155493121.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

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