# Rock Pigeon

Scientific name: Columba livia

Bird group: [pigeon](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/pigeon)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/50/Rock-Pigeon

## Identification

The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon (/ˈpɪdʒ.ən/ also /ˈpɪdʒ.ɪn/; Columba livia) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons).: 624  In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon".


## Distribution and habitat

The Rock Pigeon is native to Europe and Asia, and has been 
introduced throughout the world 
(Oberle 2018), where it is now a 
common resident in the northern 
Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, 
the Virgin and Cayman Islands, 
and in large towns of the Lesser 
Antilles (Raffaele and others 
1998). It regularly inhabits many 
town plazas throughout Puerto 
Rico (Oberle 2018), and it is 
also common in urban areas of 
Vieques (Gemmill 2015). Habitat 
includes mostly city streets 
and parks, buildings (Oberle 
2018), and populated rural areas 
(Raffaele and others 1998). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 
603 records within 347 hexagons or 72 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 347 
hexagons where this pigeon was 
found, breeding met the atlas 
definition of confirmed in 32 
percent (110) of the hexagons, 
probable in 34 percent (117), 
and possible in 35 percent (120) 
(see map). 

## Breeding

The Rock Pigeon builds a nest made of sticks and other plant 
material that is often placed on 
human-made structures such 
as buildings, bridges, store 
fronts (Oberle 2018), or any 
other available ledge (Raffaele 
and others 1998). Previously 
published reports indicate that 
breeding occurs throughout Rock Pigeon distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       41Rock Pigeon/Paloma Domésticathe year (Raffaele and others 1998). Atlas results show that 
this species breeds throughout 
the year with the most breeding 
activity from March to June (see 
chart). Overall, the breeding 
activity peaks in June, and it 
mostly takes place within the 
subtropical moist forest life 
zone (see chart). Atlas results 
show that this species breeds 
mostly within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (63 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table) 
but also in the subtropical dry forest life zone (17 percent 
of the hexagons) and within 
subtropical wet and subtropical 
rain forest life zones at higher elevations (20 and <1 percent of 
the hexagons, respectively) (see 
table and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend of the Rock Pigeon is described as 
decreasing in Israel (del Hoyo 
and others 2013), but elsewhere 
the species is currently listed as a species of least concern by 
the IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016). Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the Rock 
Pigeon has a protected habitat 
in land of 11 percent or 904 
km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (8276 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_050_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_050_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.