Bird Gallery Index

Rock Pigeon image © Greg Lavaty

Family: (Columbidae) Pigeons and Doves

Preferred Habitat: Urban

Seasonal Occurrence: Abundant permanent resident

Notes: Native to Europe, Rock Pigeons in a wild setting prefer rocky cliffs, but they have adapted worldwide to the concrete jungles of cities. They have found bridges and buildings to be highly satisfactory nesting sites. Originally Rock Pigeons were gray with two darker wingbars, but many different color variants may be seen. Males are a little big larger than females and have more neck iridescence. The Cornell Lab sponsors PigeonWatch, which is an international study program. Included are webcams, videos, educator resources, participation forms, and much more information. The Houston Bird Survey on the Houston Audubon web site has more information and a distribution map.
- Susan Billetdeaux