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.