Rock Pigeon

The rock pigeon is one of the most familiar birds in the world. You have probably seen them strutting around town squares, parks, and railway stations, nodding their heads as they walk. They have soft blue-grey feathers, and their necks shine with shimmery green and purple when the light catches them just right.

Long ago, wild rock pigeons made their homes on rocky sea cliffs and inside caves. That is why today’s city pigeons love to perch on tall buildings, ledges, and bridges. To a pigeon, a skyscraper looks a lot like the stony cliffs where their wild cousins have always nested.

People and pigeons have been friends for a very long time. The rock pigeon is the great-great-grandparent of every pet pigeon and racing pigeon alive today, and folks have kept them for thousands of years. Clever pigeons were even trained to fly home over long distances, carrying tiny messages tucked to their legs.

Pigeons are gentle plant-eaters at heart. They peck up seeds, grains, and bits of fruit from the ground, and now and then they nibble a small worm or insect. When they have babies, both the mother and father make a special milky food called “crop milk” right inside their bodies to feed their tiny chicks.

There are many, many rock pigeons in the world, so scientists list them as Least Concern, which means they are not in danger. From Europe to Asia to busy cities everywhere, these friendly, hardworking birds have made their homes right alongside people, and they are one of the easiest wild animals to spot up close.