Dove Bird

Doves or as they are very commonly known as pigeons all over the world belong to the Columbidae family and is the only family that belongs to the order of Columbiformes. As both doves and pigeons belong to the same order and family, they are often used interchangeably. They are structurally stout with a short neck and short and slender beak, in some species the bills are fleshy in nature. There are about 344 species of Columbidae that are also considered as wild doves or commonly known as wild pigeon out of which 13 are already extinct and the rest are categorised into 50 genera. Though the doves are a little different from pigeons as they are of smaller size with a comparatively long tail of the pigeon family. The exceptions are the rock doves that are also famously known as the domestic pigeons. This is one of the typical pigeons of the Columbidae family that is portrayed and is known as a peace dove or “dove of peace”. The common names given to these birds do not reflect their biological relationship. The wide variety of their family is spread worldwide but the most popular ones are the Indomalayan and Australiasian realms. They are absolute herbivorous and feed on various plants, seeds and fruits. The doves and pigeons are not very good nest binders and usually make loosely nit nests on the ground, branch of a tree or ledges of the window with debris, sticks, straws etc. the female dove pigeon lay either 1 or 2 eggs at a time and both the male and female dove or pigeon takes care of the newborns and unlike other bird species, both the gender of dove and pigeon can produce crop milk to feed the babies. Squabs are the babies of the pigeon and dove are ready to fly in usually 5 weeks and leave the nest in 25 -32 days. As the squabs, while weaning produce squeaking voice and are therefore also referred to as squeakers. The fooling picture is of a pink neck green pigeon that is very rare and one of its kind.

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Description of Dove Bird

Size and Appearance: 

The doves and pigeons due to their wide variety of species their body length and weight varies extensively where the length of their body ranges from 15 to 75 centimetres, the weight of the birds ranges from 30 to 2000 grams. One of the largest species that is found in New Guinea, known as crowned pigeon whose size is as big as a turkey. It weighs 2-4kg on average. Whereas, the smallest bird of the Columbidae family that is known as the new world ground dove weighs as little as 22 grams and is the size of a house sparrow. Another bird species that belong to the Columbidae family found in the forest of Raja Ampat island and New Guinea measures a little more than 13cms. The total length of this bird is marginally smaller than the other kinds of birds belonging to the same family. One of the largest sized bird that was an ancestor to the pigeon family known as the Marquesan imperial pigeon of arboreal species is now extinct.

Physiology and Anatomy: 

The anatomy of most of the birds that belong to the Columbidae family has a stout compact body with a short neck, short legs and short beak and in some of the species the bill is fleshy in nature. Just like other birds, Columbidae birds have no gall bladder. Even some of the medieval theories developed by the naturalists concluded that they do not possess any bile and the theory of four humours allegedly explained this as a sweet disposition of doves. However, it was later studied that they possess bile in their body that is directly secreted into the gut. The dove feathers attached to their body are quite unique in nature as their shaft is usually broad, strong, flattened and are abruptly tapering into a fine point. The aftershaft is majorly absent but the small ones are seldomly seen on the tail and wing feathers in some of the dove species. They are considered among the strong fliers as they have wide wings with a strong wing muscle that comprises 31 to 44 % of the total muscle of their body. There are eleven primary feathers found in their wings.  A series of experiments carried out by a scientist named Dr Mark B.Friedman in 1975 to justify the bobbing of their head is actually to keep the vision constant.

Feathers: 

The feathers of the dove and the pigeons are unique with 11 primary feathers present in their wings. Their body feathers are fluffy and densely constructed but are attached very loosely in their body that easily fall out as they flatter their wings or take a flight. This is mainly a predator avoidance mechanism, that is when a predator tries to grab the bird or snatch it by its mouth, the feathers fall out of its body and they can be released off from the predator. The plumage orientation of the different species varies widely. The plumage of the carnivorous species is usually dull with exceptions whereas the plumage of the frugivorous is a bight in texture. There are some of the brightest colour pigeons and one of them is the fruit dove that is biologically known as Ptilinopus. Whereas the three endemic species that belongs to Figi and the Indian Ocean is known as Alectroenas are the brightest. Other than the bright colours of the pigeons they have various ornamentations and sometimes spot crests. Both the sexes of the pigeons and doves are monochromatic and also dichromatic in various species. Some of the feathers of various species of pigeon are illustrated below.

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Flight: 

They are considered as one of the strongest fliers as their large wings provide them with the lift results in the reduction of wing load. As they have a low aspect ratio thus it allows them to manoeuvre the flight greatly.  Due to the low aspect ratio they are capable of quick flight launch to escape the predators but costs them very high energy. The skeletal anatomy of the dove flying is illustrated with a labelled diagram.

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Origin and Evaluation

The pigeons and doves that are non- passerine cladding are one of the most diverse neoavians that is a clad consisting of all the modern birds excluding palaeognathae and galloanserae. It comprises over 10000 species of modern bird that makes roughly 95% of the total bird species known. It belongs to the geological period of the Mesozoic era that lasted about 80 million years, which is the longest of any geological period starting from 145 to 66 million years ago. Thus it had a huge diversification at the end of the Cretaceous - Paleogene boundary. The analysis of the Columbidae family has related them closely to the cuckoos. Their sister clad group is declared to be sandgrouses and mesites.   

Major Types of Dove Bird

There has been a wide range of pigeons and doves of the Columbidae family that comprises more than 300 species that are divided into 50 genera out of which 13 are already extinct. They have been considered as wild doves or wild pigeons in which the rock dove has been the most popularly searched pigeon. Some of them are considered domestic birds and have been domesticated for several years and have also served a major role in the Australian, French, German, United States and UK military forces in both 1st and 2nd world wars. They were mostly used on the battlefield of Normandy to serve as a delivery agent of vital plans to the forces that are alliances on the fringe of Germany. An Oke Leaf cluster was awarded a prestigious medal from the French army force as it managed to travel twenty-five hundred miles despite being short on the chest and losing a leg to deliver a message that saved the lives of 194 men of the lost battalion in the Argonne battle in October 1918. The rock doves have been domesticated for hundreds of years and have been selective bred for many years that gives rise to the best-known species called homing pigeon or racing pigeon. They are also used as a messenger and as release doves in many ceremonies. Another species of dove known as feral pigeons are mostly found in India and is the only major variety of pigeon in the nation. Thus they are also known as Indian doves. They are also known as street pigeons as they are originated from domestic pigeons but have returned to the wild. As the wild species, they were habitant of the sea cliffs and mountains. But the domesticated breed is derived from the wild rock doves. Thus now they substitute their habitat on the ledge of the windows or high rise buildings in absence of sea cliffs and mountains. The shape and the size of these pigeons are the same as that of the wild rock doves but they vary a lot in terms of colouration as compared to their ancestral species. The feathers of the Indian doves have two kinds of melanin, namely, eumelanin and pheomelanin. A study of the colouration of this type of pigeon with their genetic background taking the concentration, distribution and proportions of the two melanin as the primary factor. The studies showed that with the genetic mutation the concentration, distribution and proportions of the two melanins vary greatly. They usually feed on grass seeds and berries during spring but greatly depend on the leftover food that is thrown out or the fast-food cartons that are available throughout the year.     

Habitat, Distribution and Behaviour

Habitat and Distribution

Except for the dried and extreme areas in terms of temperature such as Sahara, Antarctica and its surrounding islands and high Arctic regions, they are found worldwide in many varieties and features. They have been a dominant species in most of the oceanic island in the world that stretches from eastern Polynesia to Chatham Island and are also distributed in large numbers in Mauritius, the Seychelles and reunion island of the Indian ocean and also at the Azores in the Atlantic ocean. These species are divided as arboreal, terrestrial or semi-terrestrial. Several wild species of doves and pigeons also habitat in Savanna, deserts, Greenlands, temperate woodlands, hangover forests and even in the barren lands and the gravels of the atolls. Some of the species of doves have been widespread in South America that stretches from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego whereas the Eurasian collared doves have a wide distribution in Britain and across Europe, the middle east, India, Pakistan, China. The largest range of rock doves is found in entire Australia and New Zealand. The laughing doves are generally found in the Sub-Sahara of Africa and India whereas the other species of the laughing dove have very tiny and restricted distributions in most of the common endemics on the Island. Another major species known as the whistling dove is found in Kadavu Inland in Fiji and the other form of this species known as Caroline ground dove is found in just two islands, namely, Truk and Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands and the Grenada dove habitats in the Caribbean. 

Feeding Behaviour

Most of the doves and pigeons are frugivorous and granivorous. The granivorous primarily feed on the seeds found on the ground or grass seeds but the frugivorous completely depends on the plants and feed on trees. It is because of the difference in their morphological pattern. The granivorous have gizzards, intestine and esophagi that are thick-walled whereas the frugivorous are thin-walled. The frugivorous have an additional feature to cling on the branches as well as hang upside down to reach the fruits hanging on the trees. In addition to these species, there are several species of ground doves that are quail doves that each insect and worms in very large numbers and are primarily interested in praying these items. Also, a species named atoll fruit dove mainly pray the reptiles and insects. The white-crowned pigeons, orange fruit dove and ruddy ground doves feed on snails, moths and other insects. 

Conclusion

Doves and pigeons are the only species that belong to the order of Columbiformes and belong to the Columbidae family in which 344 species are divided into 50 genera and out of the 13 are extinct and are considered as their ancestral species. They are spread all over the world with domestication and selective breeding of the wild species that mostly habitat in mountains and sea cliffs. But domestication has bound them to change the habitat to the ledges of the windows, construction sites etc. they generally vary in their shape that ranges from 30 to 75 cms and weighs from 60 to 2000 grams. One of the earlier extinct species weighs as much as an ostrich. They usually are frugivorous and granivorous but some of the wild species also prey on insects, snails, reptiles etc. they vary a lot in their colouration due to genetic mutation and differ in the concentration and distribution and promotion of their two kinds of melanin, namely, eumelanin and pheomelanin