Rock Pigeon

The Rock pigeon or Rock dove (Columba livia) is a member of the Columbidae bird family. This bird is often simply referred to as the 'pigeon', in common usage and also known as Blue Rock Dove.

The species includes the domestic pigeon, including the fancy pigeon. Escaped domestic pigeons have given rise to populations of feral pigeons around the world.

And it is the most abundant species in the world, with an estimated population of 17-28 million wild and feral birds in Europe.

It is an ancient species, and it was first described by Gmelin in 1789. But the Fossil evidence suggests the rock dove originated in southern Asia and skeletal remains unearthed in Israel confirm their existence there for at least three hundred thousand years.

However, the Rock pigeon has such a long history with humans that it is impossible to tell exactly where the species' original range was. Read some more information about this ancient pigeon breed below.

Rock Pigeon Appearance

The Rock pigeon is an average sized bird with beautiful appearance. Most of the feral and domestic pigeons are very variable in color and pattern. While the wild Rock pigeons are usually pale grey in color with two black bars on each wing.

The males and females are easily identified, and there are some visible differences between the males and females. These birds usually have a dark bluish grey head, neck and chest with glossy yellowish, greenish and reddish purple iridescence along their neck and wing feathers.

rock pigeon, rock pigeons, about rock pigeon, rock pigeon appearance, rock pigeon breed, rock pigeon breed info, rock pigeon breed facts, rock pigeon color, rock pigeon characteristics, rock pigeon eggs, rock pigeon facts, rock pigeon for meat, rock pigeon history, feral rock pigeon, rock pigeon info, rock pigeon images, rock pigeon lifespan, rock pigeon meat, rock pigeon origin, rock pigeon photos, rock pigeon pictures, rock pigeon rarity, rock pigeon size, rock pigeon tame, rock pigeon uses, rock pigeon habitat, rock pigeon weight, rock dove, blue rock dove

Their bill is grey-black with a conspicuous off-white cere. The iris is of orange, red or golden colored with a paler inner ring, and the bare skin round the eye is bluish-grey. Their feet are usually of purplish-red color.

Average wingspan of the Rock pigeon is between 62 and 72 cm. Average mature body weight of the wild or feral Rock pigeons vary from 238 to 380 grams. Photo and info from Wikipedia.

Uses

Rock pigeon is a feral bird, and mostly found in the wild.

Special Notes

The Rock pigeon is a very hardy and active bird. It is a strong flyer and is mostly seen in the fields searching for grains or green foods.

The species is usually monogamous, with two squabs per brood. Both males and females care for the young for a time. Main habitats of these birds include various open and semi open environments.

Rock ledges and cliffs are used for breeding and roosting in the wild. They are usually found all over the world, especially in Europe, North Africa and western Asia. In some areas, these birds are viewed as pest.

A rock pigeon's lifespan is anywhere from 3–5 years in the wild to 15 years in captivity, though longer-lived specimens have been reported. However review full breed profile of the Rock pigeon in the following chart.

Breed Name	Rock
Other Name	Rock dove, blue rock dove
Breed Purpose	Feral or wild
Special Notes	Beautiful birds, very hardy and active, good flyer, usually seen the field searching for grains or green foods, good parents, sometimes viewed as pest, long lived
Breed Class	Average
Weight	238-380 grams
Climate Tolerance	All climates
Flying Ability	Good
As Pets	Good
Color	Grey
Rarity	Common
Country/Place of Origin	Wild

Comments

Murray Grey Cattle

The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...

Sorting Cattle

Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...

Cleaning A Cow

Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...

Agerolese Cattle Farming

Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...

Search This Blog