Dove (Columbidae)

Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms « dove » and « pigeon » are used somewhat interchangeably.

This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. The young doves and pigeons are called « squabs. Their usually flimsy nests are made of sticks, and the two white eggs are incubated by both sexes.

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. The species commonly referred to just as the « pigeon » is the feral Rock Pigeon, common in many cities. Doves feed on seeds, fruit and plants.