Brooklyn Bird Watch: May 16
The Rock Pigeon. Scientific Name: Columba livia
Today, Brooklyn Bird Watch features a Heather Wolf photo of the Rock Pigeon. The Rock Pigeon is the most common pigeon. In New York, it’s probably this species of Pigeon you see in the parks and throughout the city. It was once called the Rock Dove.
The basic color scheme of most Rock Pigeons is a grey-blue plumage with two black bands on the wing and a black tip on the tail with some iridescence along the neck. Sometimes you can see variations in plumage, individuals that are spotted and with reddish plumage, though it’s the same kind of pigeon.
There are 250 species of Pigeons and they are abundant all over North America. Pigeons occur worldwide except in the coldest regions and the most remote islands.
In fact, their range map with the purple color representing “Year-round” completely covers North and South America.
Pigeons usually mate for life. A pair will raise as many as five broods a year. Both the male and the female take care of the young, and it takes about a month before they are able to leave the nest.