Rock Dove Columba livia   [JF Gmelin, 1789]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
BTO Codes: DV, ROCDO EURING No: 6650
Number in Britain: 100 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: GREEN
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (AC4)  Resident Breeder
Subspecies: livia recorded in Britain (of 9 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 32 cm Wingspan: 66 cm Weight: M/F: 300 g    
Scientific name from: L.: columba=a pigeon or dove and Mod. L.: liveus=bluish-grey
World Distribution: Originally Eurasia & n Africa
Habitat: Cliffs, caves & eaves
Diet: Seeds of cereals and weeds; feral birds also take scraps extensively
TitBit: The ancestor of all feral pigeons (and domesticated pigeons, of which Darwin counted 228 distinct varieties), 'pure' Rock Doves probably now only exist in the wildest corners of northern Europe and Asia, where they nest on sheer sea-cliffs.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 100 thousand pairs in 1968-72
    First Record: Recorded in Medieval times [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: GREEN
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: livia GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 6.8 to 10 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 39 x 29 mm Egg Weight: 17.8 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 41
Clutch Size: 2 eggs
Incubation: 16- 19 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 35 - 37days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 5+
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.665 ± 0.049       
Juvenile Survival: 0.570 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 7 years 8 months 25 days (set in 2010)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: E
Wing Length Adult: 227.5 ± 7.1     Range 208.0 - 245.0 mm, (N = 58)
Juvenile: 221.8 ± 10.4     Range 202.0 - 242.0 mm, (N = 12)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 348.2 ± 43.06 Range 237.0 - 465.0 g , (N =57)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Seasonal: Summer 337.4 ± 43.94 (N = 49)   Autumn 361.0 ± 58.27 (N = 21)   Winter 369.2 ± 53.67 (N = 19)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Common / Feral Pigeon
Gaelic: Calman-creige Welsh: Colomen Ddôf
Danish: Klippedue Dutch: Rotsduif
Finnish: Kalliokyyhky French: Pigeon biset
German: Felsentaube Hungarian: Szirti galamb
Icelandic: Bjargdúfa Irish: Colm Aille
Italian: Piccione selvatico Norwegian: Klippedue
Polish: Golab skalny Portuguese: Pombo-das-rochas
Spanish: Paloma bravía Swedish: Klippduva

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Goodwin, D. 1983 Pigeons and doves of the world (3rd ed) Cornell University Press, Ithaca [598.623 GOO]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry