Domestic pigeon

Domestic pigeon
A selection of domestic pigeon breeds and colors, the result of centuries of selective breeding[a]
Domesticated
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Columba
Species:
C. livia
Subspecies:
C. l. domestica
Trinomial name
Columba livia domestica
Gmelin, 1789[1]
Synonyms
  • Columba domestica
  • Columba livia rustica

The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica or Columba livia forma domestica)[2] is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove or rock pigeon. The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics. Pigeons were most likely domesticated in the Mediterranean at least 2000–5000 years ago, and may have been domesticated earlier as a food source.[3] Research suggests that domestication of pigeons occurred as early as 10,000 years ago.[4]

Pigeons have held historical importance to humans as food, pets, holy animals, and messengers. Due to their homing ability, pigeons have been used to deliver messages, including during the world wars.[5] Despite this, city pigeons, which are feral birds released for one reason or another, are generally seen as pests, mainly due to their droppings. Feral pigeons are considered invasive in many parts of the world,[6][7] though they have a positive impact on wild bird populations, serving as an important prey species for birds of prey.[citation needed]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Columba livia Gmelin, 1789" (Web data). ITIS Report. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  2. ^ Krautwald-Junghanns, Maria-Elisabeth; Zebisch, Ralph; Schmidt, Volker (2009). "Relevance and Treatment of Coccidiosis in Domestic Pigeons (Columba livia forma domestica) with Particular Emphasis on Toltrazuril". Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery. 23 (1). Association of Avian Veterinarians: 1–5. doi:10.1647/2007-049R.1. JSTOR 27670700. PMID 19530399. S2CID 31939394.
  3. ^ Stringham, Sydney A.; Mulroy, Elisabeth E.; Xing, Jinchuan; Record, David; Guernsey, Michael W.; Aldenhoven, Jaclyn T.; Osborne, Edward J.; Shapiro, Michael D. (February 2012). "Divergence, Convergence, and the Ancestry of Feral Populations in the Domestic Rock Pigeon". Current Biology. 22 (4): 302–308. Bibcode:2012CBio...22..302S. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.045. PMC 3288640. PMID 22264611.
  4. ^ Blechman, Andrew (2007). Pigeons-The fascinating saga of the world's most revered and reviled bird. St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press. ISBN 978-0-7022-3641-9.
  5. ^ Levi, Wendell (1977). The Pigeon. Sumter, S.C.: Levi Publishing Co, Inc. ISBN 978-0-85390-013-9.
  6. ^ Capoccia, Stella; Boyle, Callie; Darnell, Tedd (2018). "Loved or loathed, feral pigeons as subjects in ecological and social research". Journal of Urban Ecology. 4 (1). doi:10.1093/jue/juy024.
  7. ^ Rodríguez, Beneharo; Rodríguez, Airam; Siverio, Felipe; Martínez, Juan M.; Sacramento, Enrique; Acosta, Yarci (June 2022). "Introduced predators and nest competitors shape distribution and breeding performance of seabirds: feral pigeons as a new threat – Biological Invasions". Biological Invasions. 24 (6): 1561–1573. doi:10.1007/s10530-022-02746-1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.