Just a Pigeon?

 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)

I’ll admit right away that the birds you are about to see are certainly not what one might call ‘exotic’. But they were our 'first' birds. Yes, they are Bolivian, but then again, they are global, too. I present to you... THE PIGEONS!

Can anyone name a city where pigeons can NOT be found? I didn’t think so.

Rock Doves in the Plaza Luis de Fuentes, Tarija, Bolivia

Why do I say these were ‘our first birds’? Because the picture above is the first one we took of birds just two days after arriving in our new home of
Bolivia. What I find absolutely delightful is the joy on the faces of the mother and child surrounded by the pigeons.



Now although you may think of these as just pigeons, they are officially named Rock Doves (columba livia) and they are part of the family columbidae. Of the 27 different types of bird in this family that live in this part of the world, it is possible that we might see 10 of them here in Bolivia.

The typical plumage is blue-gray with a green or violet sheen on the neck, and two black bars on the wing. Beyond this there is quite a bit of variety.

They will grow to about 12 or 13 inches, beak to tail. Their natural habitat is narrow canyons, so cities with tall buildings also suit them fine.

I hope someday to post a video of their mating dance and ritual. The male puffs out his neck feathers and does a little song and dance for sweetheart, while the female remains aloof and pretends to ignore him. As she wanders off, he flutters over right in front of her and starts over, but she just goes on pecking at the ground looking for food. (UPDATE: For a video of this, see this post.)

So, what do you think now? Are they just pigeons?

Now for the details:

1. Family: Columbidae 
2. Latin name: Columba livia
3. Size: 33 centimeters (13 inches)
4. Voice: During courtship 'cootooroocoo cootooroocoo'. Also heard during courtship or in the nest is 'boo-hoo-hoo boo-hoo'.
5. Common names: 
• English:  Rock Dove
• South American: Paloma Doméstica (Argentina, Uruguay); Paloma (Paraguay, Chile); Pombo or Pombo-doméstico (Brazil)

 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)