Columbidae - doves, pigeons
 There are around 308 species of doves and pigeons found around the world, except in Antarctica. They have small heads, plump bodies, short necks, and small bills with soft fleshy covering at the base called the cere. They have a ring of skin around their eyes that can be red, yellow, blue, or white. They eat seeds, fruits, and other plant matter. Doves and pigeons that eat seeds are usually gray or brown, fruit eating species are often more brightly colored. Doves and pigeons are found in a wide variety of habitats including: rainforests, swamps, woodlands, deserts, grasslands, and cities! Pigeons and doves pairs stay together and mate from year-to-year. Pigeons and doves feed their chicks "crop-milk" for the first few days after they hatch. Crop milk is a milky substance that comes form the bird's crop. The crop is special food-storage chamber that is part of the bird's digestive system. Both the male and the female produce crop milk. Crop milk is high in fat and vitamins A and B and helps the chicks grow!
 One species in this family that was once found in North America is the passenger pigeon.
The passenger pigeon was a common bird in central and eastern North America. Scientists estimate that the population at one time may have numbered between three and five million birds. It lived in large colonies. It probably became extinct from a combination of natural and man-made causes. Hunting, along with a low reproduction rate, probably led to the bird's extinction. The last known passenger pigeon died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.
 Endangered in NH
|
 Threatened in NH
|
 Introduced
|
 Endangered in US
|
 Threatened in US
|
 Breeds in NH
|
| New Hampshire Species |
|
Other North American Species |
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
|
|
Band-tailed Pigeon
Blue Ground-Dove
Blue-headed Quail-Dove
Bridled Quail-Dove
Buff-fronted Quail-Dove
Caribbean Dove
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
Columba livia Rock Pigeon
Common Ground-Dove
Crested Quail-Dove
Eared Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
European Turtle-Dove
Gray-chested Dove
Gray-fronted Quail-Dove
Gray-headed Dove
Grenada Dove
Inca Dove
Key West Quail-Dove
Maroon-chested Ground-Dove
Olive-backed Quail-Dove
Oriental Turtle-Dove
Pale-vented Pigeon
Plain Pigeon
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
Purplish-backed Quail-Dove
Red-billed Pigeon
Ringed Turtle-Dove
Ring-tailed Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Ruddy Pigeon
Ruddy Quail-Dove
Russet-crowned Quail-Dove
Scaled Pigeon
Scaly-naped Pigeon
Short-billed Pigeon
Socorro Dove
Spotted Dove
Tuxtla Quail-Dove
Violaceous Quail-Dove
White-crowned Pigeon
White-faced Quail-Dove
White-fronted Quail-Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
Zebra Dove
Zenaida Dove |
|
)
)