pigeon

The laughing dove Stigmatopelia senegalensis is found over the whole of Africa south of the Sahara and then eastwards as far as India. Throughout most of this region it is one of the most familiar garden birds, often becoming tame.

Bird of the family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, distinguished by its large crop, which becomes glandular in the breeding season and secretes a milky fluid (‘pigeon's milk’) that aids digestion of food for the young. There are many species and they are found worldwide.

New World species include the mourning-doves, which live much of the time on the ground. The fruit pigeons of Australasia and the Malay regions are beautifully coloured. In the USA, there were once millions of passenger pigeons Ectopistes migratorius, but they have been extinct since 1914.

Domestic pigeons There are many domesticated varieties (including the city pigeon) derived from the Eurasian rock dove Columba livia. All parts of the body have been developed to give the marked characteristics of the different breeds, from the dainty fantail to the pouters and croppers that can distend the crop or pout; from the tiny tumblers to the huge runts. Wide differences occur also in the plumage; in the archangel it has a beautiful lustre; in the jacobin the feathers of the neck and head form a large hood and mane, and among the numerous breeds is a wide range of colouring. The scandaroon has a long curved beak, the owl a very short and stout one; in the carrier the beak and eye wattles are enormously developed.

Extinct species In 1999 the bones of an extinct giant flightless pigeon were discovered in Fiji. The pigeon was 80 cm/31.5 in tall and became extinct at least 2,800 years ago.