Editing Columbidae (section)

== Description ==

=== Anatomy and physiology ===
[[File:Touchdown (pigeon).jpg|thumb|A landing [[Eurasian collared dove|collared dove]] (''Streptopelia decaocto'') displays the contour and [[flight feather]]s of its wings.]]
Overall, the [[Bird anatomy|anatomy]] of Columbidae is characterized by short legs, short bills with a fleshy [[Beak|cere]], and small heads on large, compact bodies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.faunaparaguay.com/columbidae.html|title=COLUMBIDAE Pigeons and Doves FAUNA PARAGUAY|last=Smith|first=Paul|website=www.faunaparaguay.com}}</ref> Like some other birds, the Columbidae have no [[gall bladder]]s.<ref name="Hagey">{{cite journal|last1=Hagey|first1=LR|last2=Schteingart|first2=CD|last3=Ton-Nu|first3=HT|last4=Hofmann|first4=AF|year=1994|title=Biliary bile acids of fruit pigeons and doves (Columbiformes)|journal=Journal of Lipid Research|volume=35|issue=11|pages=2041–8|doi=10.1016/S0022-2275(20)39950-8|pmid=7868982|doi-access=free}}</ref> Some medieval naturalists concluded they have no [[bile]] (gall), which in the medieval theory of the [[four humours]] explained the allegedly sweet disposition of doves.<ref name="Isidore">{{cite web|url=http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast253.htm|title=Doves|work=The Medieval Bestiary|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref> In fact, however, they do have bile (as [[Aristotle]] had earlier realized), which is secreted directly into the [[Gut (anatomy)|gut]].<ref name="Browne">{{cite book|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/pseudodoxia/pseudo33.html|title=Pseudodoxia Epidemica|last=Browne|first=Thomas|publisher=available online at [[University of Chicago]]|year=1646|edition=1672|volume=III.iii|author-link=Thomas Browne|access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref>

The wings of most species are large, and have eleven [[Flight feather|primary feathers]];<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/columbiformes-pigeons-doves-and-dodos|title=Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves, and Dodos) – Dictionary definition of Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves, and Dodos)|website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> pigeons have strong wing muscles (wing muscles comprise 31–44% of their body weight<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BTj1ao8leWgC&pg=PA42|title=Twirl: A Fresh Spin at Life|last=Clairmont|first=Patsy|date=2014|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=978-0-8499-2299-2}}</ref>) and are among the strongest fliers of all birds.<ref name=":1" />

In a series of experiments in 1975 by Dr.{{nbsp}}Mark B. Friedman, using doves, their characteristic head bobbing was shown to be due to their natural desire to keep their vision constant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/pigeon.html|title=Why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk? Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref> It was shown yet again in a 1978 experiment by Dr.{{nbsp}}Barrie J. Frost, in which pigeons were placed on [[treadmill]]s; it was observed that they did not bob their heads, as their surroundings were constant.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Necker|first1=R|year=2007|title=Head-bobbing of walking birds|url=http://www.reinhold-necker.de/Head%20bobbing%20print.pdf|journal=Journal of Comparative Physiology A|volume=193|issue=12|pages=1177–83|doi=10.1007/s00359-007-0281-3|pmid=17987297|s2cid=10803990}}</ref>

===Feathers===
[[File:Pigeon Feathers - A Dissection Sampling.pdf|thumb|Pigeon feather types, excluding [[Down feather|down]]]]
Columbidae have unique body [[feather]]s, with the shaft being generally broad, strong, and flattened, tapering to a fine point, abruptly.<ref name=":1" /> In general, the aftershaft is absent; however, small ones on some tail and wing feathers may be present.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lK_tb2TICq8C&pg=PA313|title=Aves (Columbidae to Coraciidae)|last1=Schodde|first1=Richard|last2=Mason|first2=I. J.|date=1997|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-06037-1}}</ref> Body feathers have very dense, fluffy bases, are attached loosely into the skin, and drop out easily.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Skutch, A. F.|year=1964|title=Life Histories of Central American Pigeons|url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v076n03/p0211-p0247.pdf|journal=Wilson Bulletin|volume=76|issue=3|page=211}}</ref> Possibly serving as a [[Anti-predator adaptation|predator avoidance mechanism]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com/Pigeon|title=DiversityofLife2012 – Pigeon|website=diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com|access-date=23 April 2017|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106102827/http://diversityoflife2012.wikispaces.com/Pigeon|url-status=dead}}</ref> large numbers of feathers fall out in the attacker's mouth if the bird is snatched, facilitating the bird's escape. The [[plumage]] of the family is variable.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40mFwoALUFUC&pg=PA316|title=Birds of Venezuela|last=Hilty|first=Steven L.|date=2002|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-3409-9}}</ref>

[[Seed predation|Granivorous]] species tend to have dull plumage, with a few exceptions, whereas the [[Frugivore|frugivorous]] species have brightly coloured plumage.<ref name="HBW2">{{cite book|title=Handbook of birds of the world|last1=Baptista|first1=L. F.|last2=Trail|first2=P. W.|last3=Horblit|first3=H. M.|publisher=Lynx Edicions|year=1997|isbn=978-84-87334-22-1|editor-last1=del Hoyo|editor-first1=J.|volume=4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos|place=Barcelona|chapter=Family Columbidae (Doves and Pigeons)|editor-last2=Elliott|editor-first2=A.|editor-last3=Sargatal|editor-first3=J.|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse}}</ref> The genera ''Chalcophaps'', ''Ptilinopus'' and ''Alectroenas'' include some of the most brightly coloured pigeons. Pigeons and doves may be sexually monochromatic or [[Sexual dimorphism|dichromatic]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Valdez|first1=Diego Javier|last2=Benitez-Vieyra|first2=Santiago Miguel|date=2016|title=A Spectrophotometric Study of Plumage Color in the Eared Dove (''Zenaida auriculata''), the Most Abundant South American Columbiforme|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=11|issue=5|pages=e0155501|bibcode=2016PLoSO..1155501V|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0155501|pmc=4877085|pmid=27213273|doi-access=free}}</ref> In addition to bright colours, some pigeon species may have crests or other ornamentation.<ref name=":122">{{Cite web|url=http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/pigeons.html|title=Pigeon family Columbidae|website=creagrus.home.montereybay.com}}</ref>
[[File:Snow Pigeon Flock Flying Pangolakha WLS Sikkim India 11.02.2016.jpg|thumb|right|[[Snow pigeon]]s flying at an altitude of {{Convert|12000|ft|m}} above sea level]]
=== Flight ===
Many Columbidae are excellent fliers due to the lift provided by their large wings, which results in low [[wing loading]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_oE29KijRlAC&pg=PA253|title=Bird Migration|last=Alerstam|first=Thomas|date=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-44822-2}}</ref> They are highly maneuverable in flight<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DL4qBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT267|title=Pigeons and Doves in Australia|last1=Forshaw|first1=Joseph|last2=Cooper|first2=William|date=2015|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-1-4863-0405-9}}</ref> and have a low [[Aspect ratio (aeronautics)|aspect ratio]] due to the width of their wings, allowing for quick flight launches and ability to escape from predators, but at a high energy cost.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pap|first1=Péter L.|last2=Osváth|first2=Gergely|last3=Sándor|first3=Krisztina|last4=Vincze|first4=Orsolya|last5=Bărbos|first5=Lőrinc|last6=Marton|first6=Attila|last7=Nudds|first7=Robert L.|last8=Vágási|first8=Csongor I.|year=2015|editor-last=Williams|editor-first=Tony|title=Interspecific variation in the structural properties of flight feathers in birds indicates adaptation to flight requirements and habitat|journal=Functional Ecology|language=en|volume=29|issue=6|pages=746–757|doi=10.1111/1365-2435.12419|bibcode=2015FuEco..29..746P |doi-access=free}}</ref> A few species are long-distance [[bird migration|migrants]], with some populations of the [[European turtle dove]] migrating in excess of 5,000 km between northern Europe in summer and tropical Africa in winter, and the [[Oriental turtle dove]] nearly as far in eastern Asia between eastern Siberia and southern China.

=== Size ===
Pigeons and doves exhibit considerable variation in size, ranging in length from {{convert|15|to|75|cm}}, and in weight from {{convert|30|g|lb|abbr=on}} to above {{convert|2000|g|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Columbidae/|title=Columbidae (doves and pigeons)|website=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref> The largest extant species are the [[crowned pigeon]]s of [[New Guinea]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arkive.org/victoria-crowned-pigeon/goura-victoria/|title=Victoria crowned-pigeon videos, photos and facts – Goura victoria|website=Arkive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424015104/http://www.arkive.org/victoria-crowned-pigeon/goura-victoria/|archive-date=24 April 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref> which are nearly [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]]-sized, with lengths of {{convert|66|–|79|cm|ft|abbr=on}} and weights ranging {{convert|1.8|–|4|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arkive.org/southern-crowned-pigeon/goura-scheepmakeri/|title=Southern crowned-pigeon videos, photos and facts – Goura scheepmakeri|website=Arkive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424015544/http://www.arkive.org/southern-crowned-pigeon/goura-scheepmakeri/|archive-date=24 April 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Western Crowned-Pigeon Goura cristata |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/wecpig1/cur/introduction |website=birdsoftheworld.org |date=2020 |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |doi=10.2173/bow.wecpig1.01 |access-date=16 February 2025 |last1=Baptista |first1=Luis F. |last2=Trail |first2=Pepper W. |last3=Horblit |first3=H.M. |last4=Kirwan |first4=Guy M. |last5=Bonan |first5=Arnau |editor-first1=Josep |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-first3=Jordi |editor-first4=David |editor-first5=Eduardo |editor-last1=Del Hoyo |editor-last2=Elliott |editor-last3=Sargatal |editor-last4=Christie |editor-last5=De Juana }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Scheepmaker's Crowned-Pigeon Goura scheepmakeri |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/soucrp2/cur/introduction |website=birdsoftheworld.org |date=2020 |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |doi=10.2173/bow.soucrp2.01 |access-date=16 February 2025 |last1=Baptista |first1=Luis F. |last2=Trail |first2=Pepper W. |last3=Horblit |first3=H.M. |last4=Kirwan |first4=Guy M. |last5=Garcia |first5=Ernest |editor-first1=Josep |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-first3=Jordi |editor-first4=David |editor-first5=Eduardo |editor-last1=Del Hoyo |editor-last2=Elliott |editor-last3=Sargatal |editor-last4=Christie |editor-last5=De Juana }}</ref> One of the largest [[arboreal]] species, the [[Marquesan imperial pigeon]] with a length of {{convert|55|cm|in|abbr=on}}, currently battles extinction.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Thorsen, M., Blanvillain, C., & Sulpice, R. (2002). Reasons for decline, conservation needs, and a translocation of the critically endangered upe (Marquesas imperial pigeon, Ducula galeata), French Polynesia. Department of Conservation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Nuku Hiva Imperial-Pigeon Ducula galeata |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/marimp1/cur/introduction |website=birdsoftheworld.org |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |doi=10.2173/bow.marimp1.01 |access-date=16 February 2025}}</ref> The extinct, flightless [[dodo]] is the largest columbid to have ever existed, with a height of about {{cvt|62.6|-|75|cm}}, and a range of suggested weights from {{convert|10.2|-|27.8|kg}}, although the higher estimates are thought to be based on overweight birds.<ref name=Hume2017>{{cite book | last1 = Hume | first1 = J. P. | author-link1 = Julian Pender Hume | year = 2017 | title = Extinct Birds | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4729-3744-5 | pages = 155–158}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Parish|first1=Jolyon C.|title=The Dodo and the Solitaire: A Natural History|date=2013|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington (US)|isbn=978-0-253-00099-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bp8wK8zCg7wC|pages = 265–282}}</ref><ref name=Angst2011>{{cite journal| doi= 10.1007/s00114-010-0759-7| last1= Angst | first1= D.| last2= Buffetaut | first2= E.| last3= Abourachid | first3= A.| date=March 2011| title= The end of the fat dodo? A new mass estimate for ''Raphus cucullatus''| journal= Naturwissenschaften| volume= 98| issue= 3| pages= 233–236| pmid= 21240603| ref= {{sfnRef|Angst|Buffetaut|Abourachid March 2011}} |bibcode= 2011NW.....98..233A| s2cid= 29215473 }}</ref><ref name=KitchenerAugust1993>{{cite magazine |last=Kitchener |first=A. C. |date=28 August 1993 |title=Justice at last for the dodo |magazine=[[New Scientist]] |page=24 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13918884.300-justice-at-last-for-the-dodo.html |ref={{sfnRef|Kitchener August 1993}} |access-date=26 August 2017 |archive-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626154703/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13918884.300-justice-at-last-for-the-dodo.html |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref>

The least massive columbids belong to species in the genus ''[[Columbina (bird)|Columbina]]''; the common ground dove (''[[Columbina passerina]]'') and the plain-breasted ground dove (''[[Columbina minuta]]'') which are about the same size as a [[house sparrow]], weighing a little above {{convert|22|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name="HBW2"/><ref name="Uni StA pdf">{{cite web |title=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago: Columbina minuta (Plain-breasted Ground Dove) |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Columbina_minuta%20-%20Plain-breasted%20Ground%20Dove.pdf |website=sta.uwi.edu |publisher=The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Plain-breasted Ground-Dove (Columbina minuta) |last1=Soberanes-González |first1=C. |last2=Rodríguez-Flores |first2=C. |last3=Arizmendi |first3=M.C.| url=http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=173941 |website=Neotropical Birds Online |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref> The [[dwarf fruit dove]], which may measure as little as {{convert|13|cm|abbr=on}} long, has a marginally smaller total length than any other species from this family.<ref name="HBW2"/>

<gallery class="center" mode="nolines" widths="250" noborder="no" caption="Diversity of Pigeons and Doves">
File:Nicobar Pigeon on the bar.jpg|The Nicobar pigeon (''[[Caloenas nicobarica]]'') is often stated to be the dodo's closest living relative.
File:SNOW-PIGEON-SELA.jpg|Snow pigeon (''[[Columba leuconota]]'') in Sela, [[Arunachal Pradesh]]
File:2019-03-17 Columba oenas, Jesmond Dene 4.jpg|The stock dove (''[[Columba oenas]]'') of Europe is a typical member of the Columbinae.
File:2018-03-14 Columba palumbus eating Cotoneaster frigidus berries.jpg|The common wood pigeon (''[[Columba palumbus]]'') is common throughout Europe. This one is eating ''[[Cotoneaster frigidus]]'' berries.
File:Columbina passerina.jpg|The common ground dove (''[[Columbina passerina]]'') is one of the smallest species in the family.
File:Ducula galeata Nuku Hiva.jpg|Nuku Hiva/Marquesan imperial pigeon (''[[Ducula galeata]]'')
File:Goura victoria LC0384.jpg|The Victoria crowned pigeon (''[[Goura victoria]]'') is one of the largest extant pigeons.
File:Blue-headed quail dove (Starnoenas cyanocephala).JPG|The blue-headed quail-dove (''[[Starnoenas cyanocephala]]'') of Cuba is a [[Relict (biology)|relictual]] species with no close relatives.
File:Red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata).jpg|A red-eyed dove (''[[Streptopelia semitorquata]]'') on the [[Zambezi]] in [[Zimbabwe]]
</gallery>