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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.
The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon (/ ˈ p ɪ dʒ. ə n / also / ˈ p ɪ dʒ. ɪ n /; Columba livia) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). [3]: 624 In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although this is the wild form of the bird; the pigeons most familiar to people are the domesticated form of the wild rock dove.
This is an alphabetical list of pigeon breeds; these are exclusively breeds of the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica). Other Columbidae species (e.g., the Barbary dove , Streptopelia risoria ) have been domesticated and developed into breeds, but these are generally simple colour variations of the plumage .
The bird most commonly referred to as "pigeon" is the domestic pigeon, or rock dove, which is common in many cities as the feral pigeon. Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests, often using sticks and other debris, which may be placed on branches of trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species.
Columba species are mostly termed "pigeons", and in many cases "wood pigeons", but some (including the type species of the genus), are termed "doves". The rock dove (C. livia) has given rise to the majority of domesticated pigeon breeds, such as the racing pigeon and the fantail pigeon, some of which have become feral.
No other domestic animal has branched out into such a variety of forms and colours. [5] Charles Darwin is known to have crossbred fancy pigeons, particularly the ice pigeon, to study variation within species, [6] this work coming three years before his groundbreaking publication, On the Origin of Species.
Modern-day homing pigeons do have English carrier blood in them because they are in part descendants of the old-style carriers. [citation needed] The domestic pigeon is derived from the wild rock dove (Columba livia sspp.); the rock dove has an innate homing ability, [7] meaning that it will generally return to its nest using magnetoreception. [8]
Pigeon keeping or pigeon fancying is the art and science of breeding domestic pigeons. People have practiced pigeon keeping for at least 5,000 years [ 1 ] and in almost every part of the world. In that time, humans have substantially altered the morphology and the behaviour of the domesticated descendants of the rock dove to suit their needs ...