Family: Columbidae
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Order: Columbiformes
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Dove: smaller
○
Pigeon: larger
○
Pigeonsvs doves:
no scientific taxonomic basis fordistinguishing
•
Squabs:
youngdoves/pigeons
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Strongflight ability
○
Worldwide distribution
•
Shadesof gray and brown, tovery colorful
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Fruits, seeds, or fresh green leaves
•
Drink water by suckingup in one continuous draft
•
Diet
Flimsynests
made of twigs/vegetative material
•
Foundin trees, onledges, or in groundborrows
•
Monogamouspairfor breeding season/life
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Lay 1
-
2 eggs
•
Altricial chicks
•
Nests
Controlled by hormone
prolactin
•
Milk is producedin the
crop and/or esophagus
•
More nutritiousthan human/cow
○
Greater fat/protein
○
Highly nutritious
•
Not a secretedsolution
•
MilkProduction
305 species of extant pigeons
•
20%consideredthreatened
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9 critically endangered
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Current State of PigeonSpeciesWorldwide
C10 Pigeons
Sunday, July 12, 2015
2:31 PM
12 speciesextinct
•
Caused by
overhunting(market hunting)
○
Traveled/mated in
large groups
○
26 dovesin NA; 13 in US
•
Passengerpigeonmost abundant bird to extinction
Most widespreadnative species
•
Year-roundresident
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All terrestrial systems
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Hunting of the mourning dove is ALLOWED
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High reproductive rate
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MourningDove
Introducedspecies
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Has been in the US the longest
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Domesticatedand feral pigeonsoriginatedfromthe blue barred rock dove
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Rock Dove
Not Native to US
•
Commonlykept pet species that has escaped captivity andestablished
feral
populations
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Urbanand agricultural habitats
•
Grain diet
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Larger than MourningDove
•
MourningDoves lack the black colored half collar
•
