The domestic pigeon (Columba livia)
(also called the rock dove or city pigeon)
was originally found in Europe, Northern
Africa, and India. Early settlers introduced
it into the eastern United States as a
domestic bird in the 1600s. Since then,
it has expanded throughout the United
States to Alaska, across southern Canada, and south into South America.
Pigeons originally lived in high places—cliffs, ledges, and caves near the sea—that provided them with safety.
Over time they have adapted to roosting and nesting on windowsills, roofs, eaves, steeples, and other man-made
structures.
Pigeons typically have a gray body with iridescent feathers around their neck, a broad black band on their tail,
and salmon-colored feet (Fig. 1). Breeders have created color variations, so the body color may also be white, tan,
black, or a combination of several colors. Pigeons have a strutting walk and their call is a long, drawn-out coo that
can be heard quite easily. When they take off, their wing-tips touch, making a characteristic clicking sound.
Washington’s band-tailed pigeon (Columba fasciata) is sometimes confused with the domestic pigeon. Band-tailed
pigeons are similar in size but have a purplish head and breast, a dark-tipped yellow bill, yellow feet, and a small
white crescent on top of the neck.