---
title: "What the sources say about the Rock Dove | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "39 claims from the Rock Dove profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/rock-dove-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/rock-dove/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Rock Dove (*Columba livia*)

> 39 claims from the Rock Dove profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Rock Dove](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/rock-dove/)

## Columba livia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T22690066A281965783.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t22690066a281965783.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List rated the species Least Concern in its 2025 assessment. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: 2025 is the assessment year in the cited DOI; category read through GBIF copy) |

## Lowther & Johnston (2020). Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). Birds of the World.

https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rocpig.01

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| work on orientation and navigation has depended heavily on research using domestic and feral rock pigeons | orientation and navigation, learning (the original subjects in Skinner boxes), genetics of color, pattern, behavior and other characteristics, and Darwinian evolutionary biology have depended heavily on research using domestic and feral Rock Pigeons |
| prolactin, a hormone (a chemical messenger in the blood), was discovered through work with pigeons | prolactin was discovered through work with pigeons |
| The wild rock dove is native to Europe, North Africa, and western, southwestern, west-central and southern Asia | Wild Rock Pigeons, native to Europe, North Africa, and western, southwestern, west-central, and southern Asia, gave rise to domestics as a result of artificial selection by humans |
| Domestic pigeons descend from it | gave rise to domestics as a result of artificial selection by humans |
| Wild rock pigeons gave rise to domestic pigeons through selection by humans, and domestic birds readily go feral | gave rise to domestics as a result of artificial selection by humans ( Darwin 1868 Darwin, C. (1868). The variation of animals and plants under domestication. Vol. 1. London: John Murray. Close ). Domestics readily go feral (note: quote spans an inline citation; the sentence is continuous on the page) |
| Domestic and feral pigeons are among the most intensively studied of all birds | Domestic and feral pigeons are among the most intensively studied of all birds. |
| In North America the rock pigeon itself is now feral and lives broadly on the continent | the Rock Pigeon (formerly the Rock Dove) is now feral and lives broadly on the continent (note: faq 3: feral birds are the same species) |

## Smith et al. (2022). Limited domestic introgression in a final refuge of the wild pigeon. iScience.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104620

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the wild pattern keeps turning up in feral birds | The “wildtype” plumage of the Rock Dove regularly manifests in feral domestic pigeons, hindering the discrimination of the two forms at an individual level |
| A 2022 genetic study of rock doves in the British Isles found the Outer Hebrides populations had the least gene flow with domestic pigeons | Outer Hebridean populations experience the least gene flow with domestic pigeons (note: 2022 is the paper's year (reference list)) |

## Rock Pigeon. Audubon Guide to North American Birds.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/rock-pigeon

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| fed on "pigeon milk" as a chick | Both parents feed young "pigeon milk." (note: tagline) |
| in its trained homing form able to find its way back to the loft from far away | trained homing pigeons can return to home loft from long distances away (note: tagline; trained homing pigeons are domestic, as the body says) |
| A cliff bird turned city bird | Natural sites are on sheltered cliff ledges. In cities and around human dwellings, uses artificial replacements such as window ledges of tall buildings (note: tagline) |
| Coastal and inland cliffs and gorges in its native range, and cities, farms and bridges across the world | In native range, nested on cliffs along coast and in inland mountains and gorges. (note: stats.habitat) |
| cities, farms and bridges across the world | Sustains itself in the wild around cities, farms, cliffs, bridges. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly seeds | Mostly seeds. (note: stats.diet) |
| in cities it may live largely on bread crumbs and popcorn | In cities, may live largely on bread crumbs, popcorn, or other junk food provided by humans. (note: stats.diet) |
| Homing: trained pigeons can return to their home loft from long distances away | trained homing pigeons can return to home loft from long distances away (note: stats.superpower) |
| Both parents feed their young "pigeon milk." | Both parents feed young "pigeon milk." |
| The chicks leave the nest at about 25 to 32 days, or later in cold weather | Young leave nest at about 25-32 days, or later in cold weather. |
| a pair may raise up to 5 or more broods in a year | A pair may raise up to 5 or more broods per year. |
| If displaced from its nesting area, the rock dove has good homing ability, and trained homing pigeons can return to their home loft from long distances away. | If displaced from nesting area, has good homing ability; trained homing pigeons can return to home loft from long distances away. |
| People domesticated the species and trained it for homing, racing and carrying messages | It has been domesticated and taken around the world, raised for food, trained for homing, racing, and carrying messages, and used in research. |
| nested on cliffs along coasts and in inland mountains and gorges | In native range, nested on cliffs along coast and in inland mountains and gorges. |
| the species now lives in a wild or semi-wild condition in cities all over the world, including most of North America | it now lives in a wild or semi-wild condition in cities all over the world, including most of North America |
| mostly seeds, with waste grain and sometimes berries away from cities | Mostly seeds. Away from cities, feeds on waste grain, seeds of many grasses and other plants, sometimes berries or acorns |
| An adult is about 34 cm long | 13 1/2" (34 cm) |
| A clutch is 2 eggs, sometimes 1. | Eggs 2, sometimes 1. |
| Both parents incubate them, for 16 to 19 days. | Incubation is by both parents, 16-19 days. |
| Pairs may mate for life. | May mate for life. |
| In courtship the male spreads his tail, puffs up his chest and struts, often in circles around the female, repeatedly bowing and cooing. | In courtship, male spreads tail, puffs up chest, and struts about, often strutting in circles around female, repeatedly bowing and cooing. |
| The long-distance part belongs to trained homing pigeons, which are domestic birds | trained homing pigeons can return to home loft from long distances away |
| city birds may live largely on bread crumbs and popcorn | In cities, may live largely on bread crumbs, popcorn, or other junk food provided by humans. |
| Trained homing pigeons can return to their home loft from long distances away | trained homing pigeons can return to home loft from long distances away (note: vibe.reason) |

## Columba livia (rock dove). AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Columba_livia

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge gives an adult weight of 358.7 g | Adult weight 358.7 g |
| In captivity, one bird reportedly lived to 35 years. | One captive specimen reportedly lived to the age of 35 |
| The maximum recorded in the AnAge longevity database is 35 years, for one captive bird. | Maximum longevity 35 years (captivity) |
| unlike most mammals, older pigeons have larger and heavier brains than younger ones | unlike most mammals, older pigeon brains are larger and heavier when compared with their younger counterparts |
| weightKg: 0.36 | Adult weight 358.7 g (note: battleStats.weightKg) |