Stock Pigeons
(Columbidae - Please see also Doves)
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The Stock Pigeon (Columba oenas) (formerly Stock Dove) is a member of the family Columbidae, doves and pigeons.
Distribution / Range:
In the northern part of its European and western Asiatic range the Stock Pigeon is a migrant, elsewhere it is a well distributed and often plentiful resident.
Description:
The three western European Columba pigeons, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characters;
- the Wood Pigeon may at once be told by the white on its neck and wing, but
- the Rock Pigeon and Stock Pigeons are more alike in size and plumage.
The former, however, has a white rump, and two well-marked black bars on the wing, but the rump of the Stock is grey, and the bars are incomplete.
Its flight is quick, performed by regular beats, with an occasional sharp flick of the wings, characteristic of pigeons in general.
It perches well, and in nuptial display walks along a horizontal branch with swelled neck, lowered wings, and fanned tail. During the circling spring flight the wings are smartly cracked like a whiplash.
The Stock Pigeon is sociable as well as gregarious, often consorting with Wood Pigeons, though doubtless it is the presence of food which brings them together.
Nesting / Breeding:
The haunts of the Stock Pigeon are in more or less open country, for though it often nests in trees it prefers parklands to thick woods. It is common on coasts where the cliffs provide holes.
The nest, though it is seldom that any nest material is used, is usually in a hole in a tree, a crack in a rock face, or in a rabbit burrow, but the bird also nests in ivy, or in the thick growth round the boles of linden trees.
Diet / Feeding:
Most of its food is vegetable; young shoots and seedlings are favoured, and it will take grain.
Call / Song:
The short, deep, "grunting" Ooo-uu-ooh call is quite distinct from the modulated cooing notes of the Wood Pigeon; it is loud enough to be described, somewhat fancifully, as "roaring".
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Personality & Pet Potential:
Elizabeth Young, Mickaboo Pigeon & Dove Coordinator, provides the following info:
Pigeons need:
- Safe place (indoors or outdoors, protected from weather and predators)
- Room to move (a space that is 3’ high, 3’ wide, 6’ long is good for 1 to 2 birds)
- Fresh food (pigeon feed), water, grit & greens daily
- Easy clean-up floor &/or Pigeon Pants (www.birdwearonline.com)
- Company (either yours or another pigeon’s)
- Family planning (if you have a mated pair, you need to replace real eggs w/ fake ones)
- Avian Vet Care if they become sick or injured
To adopt a pigeon, contact Elizabeth at AdoptKings@gmail.com or (415) 420-7204
For more info:
- Come meet King Pigeons at Andy’s Pet Shop on 1280 The Alameda (at Julian) in San Jose
- Visit Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue at www.mickaboo.org
- Check out www.pigeons.biz/forums (a great web group with lots of info and resources) Read about King Pigeon rescue at www.RescueReport.org
Pigeon Rescue:
Mickaboo Pigeon & Dove Coordinator - Contact: Elizabeth Young
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