 Pigeon Name of a large family of land birds and, cosmopolitan in temperate and tropical regions, characterized by stout bodies, short necks, small heads, and thick heavy plumage. The names dove and pitching are used interchangeably, though the former generally refers to smaller members of the family . The rock dove of temperate Europe and West Asia is the wild progenitor of the common street and domestic pigeons.
All pigeons have soft swellings (ceres) at the base of the nostrils, regurgitated from the crops of the parents, and have specialized bills through which they can suck up water steadily , and they eat chiefly fruits and seeds. |
