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The rock dove is the most common breed of pigeons. The urban form of this bird is known to almost everyone. It is impossible to imagine the streets of cities and towns without the flight and cooing of a blue dove. It can be found on city streets, in parks, squares, squares, where there is sure to be someone who wants to feed blue doves. This is what they expect from a person who treats the bird with understanding and love.
Description of the blue dove
A person has long been accustomed to the fact that a blue-gray dove must settle next to his home, the cooing of which on the roof of a house is associated with peace and tranquility. Since ancient times, many peoples have shown honor and respect for this bird. For some, the dove was a symbol of fertility, for others - love and friendship, for others - divine inspiration.
The Dove species belongs to the family of pigeons and includes two main forms that are common in almost all continents of the globe.
Wild doves living in nature, far from humans.
Wild sisari are monotonous in appearance and have the same gray-gray color, which is dictated by the conditions of survival and for safety reasons allows you to merge with the whole flock.
Synanthropic pigeons living next to people.
At the same time, among the urban blue-gray pigeons, there are individuals that have significant differences in the color of the plumage.
Appearance
Among other species of pigeons, the dove is considered a large bird, second only in size to the wood pigeon. Differing from each other in color, blue-gray pigeons can otherwise be described in the same way:
- body length reaches 30-35 cm, wingspan - from 50 to 60 cm;
- the weight can be up to 380-400 g;
- plumage color - light gray with a metallic, greenish or purple tint on the neck;
- the wings are wide and pointed towards the end, have two clearly pronounced transverse stripes of dark color, and the upper tail is white;
- in the lumbar region, there is a remarkable light spot about 5 cm in size, which is noticeable with the wings of the bird open;
- pigeon legs can be from pink to dark brown in color, sometimes with slight plumage;
- the eyes have an orange, yellow, or red iris;
- the beak is black with a light waxen at its base.
Urban gray pigeons are more varied in color than wild ones. Currently, in accordance with the color scheme, they are distinguished by 28 species or morphs. Among them there are doves with brown and white feathers. Apparently, this is the result of crossing street blue pigeons with domesticated pedigree pigeons.
Externally, the male rock dove can be distinguished from the female by a more intense color. Also, the rock dove is somewhat larger than the dove. Young birds at the age of 6-7 months have not as bright plumage as adult pigeons.
The eyes of a dove are capable of distinguishing all shades of colors that are available to the human eye, as well as the ultraviolet range. A pigeon sees "faster" than a person, since his eye is able to perceive 75 frames per second, and a human's only 24. The eye of a dove cannot be blinded by a sudden flash or the sun due to connective tissue, which has the property of timely changing its density.
Sisar's hearing is well developed and is able to pick up sounds with low frequencies that are inaccessible to human perception.
Vote
The blue dove can be recognized by its voice - its cooing, with which it accompanies its active life, is characteristic of the entire family and differs depending on the feeling it expresses:
- inviting cooing - the loudest, emitted to attract the attention of the female resembles the howl "gut ... guuut";
- the invitation to the nest sounds the same as the inviting one, but at the moment the female approaches, it is supplemented with a wheeze;
- pigeon song at the beginning of courtship resembles a quiet murmur, which intensifies when the male is excited and turns into loud sounds "guurrkruu ... guurrkruu";
- to inform about the danger, the blue-gray pigeon makes short and sharp sounds "gruuu ... gruuu";
- the dove accompanies feeding the chicks with soft cooing, similar to a meow;
- the hiss and clicking sounds are emitted by pigeon chicks.
In fact, there are a lot of sounds made by blue doves. The voice palette changes depending on the period, condition and age of the bird. Only the birds themselves and, to some extent, people studying pigeons can distinguish them.
Movement
The wild rock pigeon settles in mountainous areas, on rocks, in crevices or caves. He is not used to sitting on a tree and does not know how to do it. The city rock dove has learned to sit on a tree branch, as well as on a cornice or roof of a house.
The pigeon spends all day in motion. In search of food, he can fly for several kilometers, he is known as an excellent pilot. A wild individual can reach speeds of up to 180 km / h. Domesticated pigeons gain speed up to 100 km / h. A blue-gray dove flies up from the ground very noisily, loudly flapping its wings. The flight itself in the air is strong and focused.
Observations of the movement of a blue-gray dove in the air are interesting:
- if you need to slow down, the pigeon opens its tail like a butterfly;
- at the threat of an attack by a bird of prey, it folds its wings and falls rapidly downward;
- the wings connected at the top help to fly in a circle.
The step of the bird when it moves on the ground is also peculiar. It seems that the rock dove nods its head when walking. First, the head moves forward, then it stops and the body catches up with it. At this time, the image is focused in the retina of a fixed eye. This method of movement helps the pigeon to navigate well in space.
Bird spread
The wild rock dove lives in mountainous and lowland areas with abundant herbaceous vegetation and nearby flowing bodies of water. He does not settle in woodlands, but prefers open areas. Its habitat passed through North Africa, South and Central Europe, as well as Asia. At present, the populations of the wild rock dove have been greatly reduced and have survived only in some places remote from humans.
Synanthropic, that is, accompanying humans, the rock dove is common on all continents, except Antarctica. These birds can be found all over the world. Urban saezar settles where there is an opportunity to safely nest and feed in the most difficult times of the year. In cold seasons, the wild pigeon descends from the mountains to the lowlands, and the urban pigeon - closer to human habitation and garbage dumps.
Blue dove subspecies
The rock dove from the genus of pigeons (Columba) of the family of pigeons (Columbidae) has been described by many researchers. In the reference book "Guide to the Doves of Peace", David Gibbs gives the classification of rock pigeons into 12 subspecies, which were described at different times by ornithologists from different countries. All these subspecies differ in the intensity of coloring, body size and the width of the stripe on the lower back.
It is believed that currently only 2 subspecies of the rock dove live in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (the territory of the former USSR).
Columba livia - a nominative subspecies inhabiting Eastern and Central Europe, North Africa, Asia. The overall color is slightly darker. There is a 40-60 mm white spot in the lumbar region.
Columba livia neglecta - Turkestan rock dove, common in the mountainous areas of Central Asia. The color of the plumage is slightly lighter than the nominative subspecies, on the neck there is a brighter metallic sheen. The spot in the sacrum is often gray, less often dark, and even less often white and small in size - 20-40 mm.
It has been noticed that synanthropic doves living next to humans at the present time are very different in color from their relatives described by ornithologists a hundred years ago. This is believed to be the result of crossbreeding with domesticated individuals.
Lifestyle
Sisari live in packs in which there is no hierarchy, and peaceful neighborhood is widespread. They do not make seasonal migrations typical for many birds, but they can fly from place to place in search of food. In cold weather, wild individuals descend from the mountains to the valleys, where it is easier to find food, and return home with the onset of warmth. City pigeons prefer to stay in one place, periodically flying around an area of several kilometers.
In the wild, doves nest in rock crevices. This makes them difficult for predators to reach. They can also settle in river estuaries and in flat areas. Urban individuals settle next to humans in places that remind them of natural conditions: in the attics of houses, in the voids of roofs, under the beams of bridges, on bell towers, and water towers.
Rock pigeons are diurnal and move actively during daylight hours. City pigeons are able to fly up to 50 km from their nest only in search of food. Sisari spend about 3% of their energy on such flights. By the onset of dusk, they must return home and sleep all night, ruffled and hiding their beak in feathers. In this case, the duties of the male include guarding the nest, while the female sleeps there.
A wild pigeon is wary of a person and does not give him the opportunity to get close, he flies away in advance. The urban bird is accustomed to a person, waits for food from him, therefore it allows him to come very close and even eats from his hands. It is rare to see a lone dove. The dove always keeps in flocks.
It is characteristic of a pigeon flock to attract its fellows to places favorable for living. They do this during and after nesting. Having chosen a convenient place for building a nest, the pigeon invites not only the pigeon there, but also other pigeons to settle nearby and create a pigeon colony in which he feels safer.
They also use sending scouts in search of food. When such a place is found, the scouts return for the rest of the pack. If there is a danger, then it is enough for one to give a signal, as the whole flock instantly rises up.
Food
Rock doves are omnivorous birds. Due to the small number of developed taste buds in the mouth (there are only 37 of them, and in humans there are about 10,000), they are not very picky in the choice of food. Their main diet is plant food - seeds of wild and cultivated plants, berries. Less often, pigeons eat small insects, worms. The type of diet depends on the habitat and what the environment has to offer.
Synanthropic individuals have adapted to eat human food waste. They visit crowded places - city squares, markets, as well as elevators, garbage dumps, where they can easily find food for themselves.The weight and structure of the body do not allow pigeons to peck grains from spikelets, but only to lift those that have fallen to the ground. Thus, they do not damage agricultural land.
It is noted that birds tend to eat large chunks first, evaluating food by size. Do not hesitate to snatch a piece, pushing relatives and swooping down from above. During feeding, they behave decently only in relation to their pair. Gray pigeons feed mainly in the morning and in the daytime, eating at a time from 17 to 40 g of grains. If possible, the city pigeon fills its stomach with food to the limit, and then the goiter in reserve, as hamsters do.
Doves drink water differently from most birds. Sisari immerse their beak in water and draw it into themselves, while other birds scoop up a small amount with their beak and throw their heads back so that the water rolls down the throat into the stomach.
Reproduction
Pigeons are monogamous birds and form permanent pairs for life. Before starting to lure the female, the male finds and takes a nesting place. Depending on the region and its climatic conditions, nesting takes place at different times. It can start at the end of February, and eggs are laid throughout the year. But the main time for laying eggs for pigeons is in the spring, summer and the warm part of autumn.
Before mating, there is a dove courting ritual for a dove. With all his movements, he tries to attract her attention to himself: he dances, moving alternately in one direction or the other, inflates his neck, spreads his wings, coos loudly, makes his tail fan out. Often during this period, the male makes current flights: the pigeon rises up, loudly flapping its wings, and then plans, raising its wings above its back.
If all this is accepted by the dove, then the male and the female show attention and affection to each other, clean the feathers of their chosen one, kiss, which allows them to synchronize their reproductive systems. And after mating, the male makes a ritual flight, loudly flapping his wings.
The nests look flimsy, carelessly made. They are built from small branches and dry grass that the pigeon brings, and the dove has the building material at its discretion. Nesting lasts from 9 to 14 days. The female carries out a clutch of two eggs with an interval of 2 days. The eggs are mostly incubated by the dove. The male replaces her from 10 am to 5 pm at the time when she needs to feed and fly to the watering place.
The incubation period ends in 17-19 days. The shell pecking lasts from 18 to 24 hours. Rock dove chicks appear one after another at intervals of 48 hours. They are blind and covered with a sparse yellowish fluff, in places with completely bare skin.
For the first 7-8 days, the parents feed the chicks with bird milk, which is produced in their goiter. It is a very nutritious food with a consistency reminiscent of sour cream with a yellowish tinge and rich in protein. From such nutrition, already on the second day, the blue dove chicks gain twice in weight. Feeding with milk occurs for 6-7 days 3-4 times a day. Then the parents add various seeds to the milk. Starting from the 10th day of birth, chicks are fed with a highly moistened grain mixture with a small amount of goiter.
Chicks get up on the wing in 33-35 days after hatching. At this time, the female begins to incubate the next batch of eggs. Sexual maturity of young pigeons occurs at the age of 5-6 months. The average lifespan of a wild rock dove is 3-5 years.
Human relationship
Since ancient times, the dove has been revered as a sacred bird. The mention of him was found in the manuscripts of 5000 years ago. In the Bible, the dove is present in the story of Noah, when he sent a bird to search for land. In all religions, the dove symbolizes peace.
Rock pigeons are known to be good postmen. For centuries, people have used their help to deliver important messages. Helping pigeons in this is their ability to always find their way home, wherever they are taken. Until now, scientists have not given an exact answer as to how pigeons do it. Some believe that birds are guided in space by magnetic fields and sunlight. Others argue that blue-gray pigeons use landmarks laid by a person - traces of their vital activity.
Synanthropic pigeons are accustomed to humans and are not afraid to come close, take food directly from their hands. But in reality, hand-feeding the pigeons is not so safe. These birds can infect a person with a dozen dangerous diseases for him. Also, birds are carriers of about 50 species of dangerous parasites. Another problem with urban pigeons is that they contaminate monuments and city buildings with their droppings.
For a long time, blue pigeons have been used as farm animals. They were bred for meat, fluff, eggs, fertilizers. A century ago, pigeon meat was considered more valuable than any other poultry.
According to statistics, the number of urban saezars is increasing, and the number of wild ones is decreasing. It is necessary to approach the issue of cohabitation of a person and a blue dove with understanding. This question should not be left to chance. Help in feeding street blue pigeons and getting rid of avian diseases must be done intelligently by humans.
Conclusion
The rock dove is a small bird, the benefit of which people have found at all times, using its unusual abilities. At first it was a postman delivering important news, then a member of the rescue team to search for missing people. A person has a lot to learn from pigeons - devotion and loyalty, love and friendship - these qualities symbolize the purity of the soul and thoughts. To see in a blue dove the good that it brings to a person, you need to know as much as possible about it.
