Rock pigeons: how they live and what they eat. Rocky wild and city pigeon

Kira Stoletova

The rock pigeon is the most common species of pigeon. Habitats in ancient times were northern Africa, southern and central Europe. Over time, the species began to be domesticated and spread to all corners of the world.

Exterior

The Rock Pigeon breed is divided into:

• wild individuals;
• synanthropic representatives, that is, those that live and nest in close proximity to humans.

Pigeons living in urban areas are characterized by a wide variety of colors. External description The rock pigeon is as follows:

• body length is 30-36 cm;
• body weight - about 370 g, with good food in urban conditions it can be more;
• eyes may be golden or red;
• beak with a slightly blunt tip, medium length;
• the feather is thick, attached to the top layer of the skin, so it often falls off;
• the plumage is bluish with a purple, greenish or metallic tint.

More typical for wild individuals light color plumage. There is a black stripe on the wings. Synanthropic individuals have a more varied color pattern, among them there are chocolate, blue, white-tailed, and snow-white birds. Both varieties are distinguished by the unusual structure of the ears, hidden under the feathers. Thanks to this structure, pigeons are able to hear sounds that humans cannot hear.

The Wild Rock Pigeon prefers to live on rocky cliffs, so it is very rarely seen on tree branches. Synanthropic birds are more adapted to branches, but still more often walk on the ground or perch on roofs and various eaves. When the Rock Pigeon walks, it moves its head back and forth to focus its vision. Visually, a pigeon can distinguish almost any color.

The rock pigeon is an excellent flyer. Can reach speeds of about 100 km/h. The bird rises vertically into the air. It is perfectly oriented in space, capable of flying home from a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers.

Features of behavior and habitat

The typical habitat for wild birds is open areas, rocky cliffs, and steppes. In African countries they can often be found in desert oases. The distribution area of ​​the wild Rock Pigeon is the northern part of Africa, just above the Sahara, South and Central Europe, Asia.

Semi-domestic birds settle over a wider area. They can be found in every corner of the world. For nesting sites, attics and abandoned construction sites, sparsely populated and quiet places where predators have no access, are selected.

IN natural conditions The Rock Pigeon's habitat enemies are birds from the order Accipitridae, owls and owls. Nests are often destroyed by ferrets, martens, lynxes, and a dove can also be caught by a fox or raccoon. Cats, crows, jackdaws, and rats pose a danger to city dwellers. The need to constantly be alert and the ability to distinguish sounds inaccessible to other ears made the pigeon's sleep very sensitive. At the slightest danger, they immediately wake up and take off.

The rock pigeon can migrate over short distances. When it gets cooler, he moves to where it is warmer. In cold areas it descends from the mountains to the lowlands. In city conditions, with the onset of cold weather, it moves closer to human habitation or garbage dumps.

The Gray Dove is quite strongly attached to its home. In its familiar place, it can hatch chicks for several years in a row. This feature became beneficial to humans when they began to use pigeon mail. Birds often live in groups of two, but form flocks to obtain food.

What do they eat

The rock pigeon is a completely unpretentious bird in its choice of food. This is due to the fact that he has very few taste buds in his mouth. For the most part, the basis of the diet is plant food. The bird eats beetles and midges only by accident when pecking grains and bread from the ground. Wild sisars feed on the seeds of various plants. They often fly in flocks into wheat and corn fields. They also like to eat fruits and berries.

Semi-domestic pigeons often feed on garbage. Birds fly to the city's landfills and get their food there. Often people feed them with seeds and bread crumbs. If you bring food to the same place for a couple of days in a row, then soon they themselves will begin to fly to this area at the appointed time. They have excellent memory.

Rock pigeons form flocks to search for food. They do not have a clear order, so the flock easily breaks up and a new one is formed. Even as part of a flock, birds most often stay in pairs. Watching them, you can see that the pigeon and dove share food with each other and do not let other pigeons get too close to them.

Reproduction

A pair to create a pigeon family is formed once and for all. The beginning of the mating season falls on the last days of February–early March. The dove first finds a place for a nest, and then looks for a dove. A pair often consists of birds with approximately the same temperament.

Those who have heard a male coo at least once will never confuse these sounds with anything. Through its voice, the dove conveys a message to the dove about its intentions. In addition, the male fluffs his tail and performs a kind of courtship dance. However, the final choice lies with the female. No matter how much the male coos, if the dove does not like him, she will never create a pair with him.

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Courtship procedure

During the courtship ceremony, the male does all the work. The female’s task is only to evaluate the merits of her gentleman and agree to form a pair or reject an unlucky partner. Pigeons do not mate instantly; the beginning of the process is preceded by a marriage ceremony. For some time, the male circles above his girlfriend, chasing her everywhere.

The male's neck feathers fluff up. The dove tilts its head to the ground and opens its wings. Often performs a vertical stand, stretching out on its paws and fanning its tail. This dance is always accompanied by cooing.

After the female accepts her partner’s advances, they officially become a couple and show this by their behavior when in the pack. They very carefully clean each other's feathers and touch with their beaks.

Nesting

When a pair is formed, the pigeon guards with particular zeal the territory where the nest is located, as well as its female. If another male appears, he tries to close the chosen one and take her away from him. The most aggressive ones start fights with strangers.

Females of this breed are always attached to one partner. Even when a bird is stolen or crossed with another male, it will still return to its old partner. Couple making a nest joint forces. The female sits and obediently waits for her partner to bring her material for the nest, which she then carefully places and forms a house.

Care of offspring

2 weeks after mating, the female lays an egg, and a couple of days later - a second one. The eggs are about 2 cm in size. The shell color can be blue or beige. Gray pigeons hatch their chicks in turns. Often in daytime there is a dove in the nest, and a dove in the night. The mother spends more time in the nest.

The pigeon sits on the eggs so that the female has the opportunity to refresh herself. If she lingers too long, he makes characteristic sounds, urging her to return back to the nest. The chicks are born 10 to 48 hours apart. After birth they make a quiet squeak. Chicks are born without feathers, so they need constant heating.

For the first 25 days, the chicks feed on bird's milk, which is produced in the crop of both parents. From day 25, soaked grains are added to the diet. Breastfeeding can last 1.5-2 months. Often during this period the female begins to hatch the next chicks. If the dove is already sitting on the eggs, the male continues to feed the previous pigeons on his own.

The pigeons leave the nest on the 45th day. At this point they appearance almost the same as in sexually mature individuals. During the period from the beginning of the mating season until the end of summer, a couple can give birth to up to 8 litters. Everything will depend on the environment in which the family lives and on the availability and quality of food. In an urban environment, the Gray pigeon lives for 3 years, in conditions home care their age reaches 15 years.

Impact on human life

This type of bird warns of danger and can be useful in many aspects of human life. So, for example, in times when there was absolutely no communications, the Rock Pigeon was used by man as a postal pigeon. Pigeons have excellent spatial orientation, so they always return to the house.

Today these birds are used in rescue operations. Birds make appropriate sounds when they encounter a yellow jacket, or circle over the place where a lost person is found. Pigeons are very intelligent creatures, so they are easy to learn and train.

Rock pigeons were the first domesticated representatives. The wild sizar was tamed 5,000 years ago. It is he who is considered the progenitor of all subsequent domestic breeds. After domestication, they began to be raised for meat, eggs and feathers.

The first notes about the abilities of the Sisars were in the Bible: Noah sends a dove to search for land. Afterwards the bird became a symbol of peace.

Breeding

To breed Rock Pigeons at home, you need to build a poultry house. The difference between the breed is its unpretentiousness in choosing food. However, this fact does not mean that you can leave the feeding of pigeons to chance. Beautiful feathers and tasty meat can only be obtained under conditions of proper care and feeding with balanced feed.

Pigeons have very weak immunity, so to avoid infection with infectious diseases they should be vaccinated. Pigeons can be carriers of many diseases that are dangerous to humans. Cleanliness and timely ventilation of the premises in which pigeons live is the key to good health of pets. Also, the room must maintain optimal temperature regime and air humidity so that birds can develop normally. There must be free range.

This breed has such a feature as homing. This is the ability to return home from any distance. These birds can be in the air long time. The record holder for returning home from a long distance is the dove Beauty of Brazil. She flew 41.5 km.

If you blindfold a bird, it will stop shaking its head back and forth and orienting itself in the area. Descriptions of pigeons are found in historical sources much more often than about other avian representatives.

Final part

Today there are practically no regions and countries in which there would be no Rock Pigeons. This breed was domesticated 5000 years ago. Used to produce meat, eggs and fluff. These birds were among the first to be tamed by humans. It is believed that other domestic pigeon breeds were selected from them. The species received its name for the color of its plumage, which is dominated by bluish colors with green, blue and metallic tints. The wild relative has a lighter color than the semi-domestic one.

Birds have played an ambiguous role in human life. They were used not only to obtain meat, but also in pigeon mail. Today they continue to be used in various search operations. This breed is distinguished by its inquisitive mind and endurance. Its representatives are able to return home from very long distances. They reach flight speeds of over 100 km/h.

This is not only the ancestor of all currently known breeds, but also the most common variety.

Initially, sisari lived in the wild, inhabiting Europe, northern Africa and the Asian steppes. The domestication of birds occurred more than five thousand years ago. Since then, bird life has been inextricably linked with human settlements. As a result of migrations, birds have inhabited most parts of the world.

Keeping pace with the spread of the wild variety, it gained popularity synanthropic breed -.

There are several varieties of the gray breed. They all belong to the same breed and have similar characteristics. Description of the rock pigeon:

Both wild and domesticated birds have similar descriptions of both external characteristics and physical characteristics.

These postal birds able to distinguish all shades, accessible to the human eye. The sizar's vision is also adapted to ultraviolet light.

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The rock pigeon's hearing is distinguished not only by its sharpness, but also by its range. A bird's ears can pick up frequencies that are inaccessible to human hearing. The behavior of birds can predict the onset of bad weather, thunderstorms and other natural phenomena.

Domestic birds are more agile on the ground than their urban relatives. An individual living on city streets practically does not use trees for landing. Homemade sisars are excellent at holding on to branches. The speed of a pigeon in flight is much higher than on the ground.

Despite my clumsiness on earth, Sisaris are excellent pilots. This bird has long been used for postal deliveries. The pigeon is capable of not only covering enormous distances, but also perfectly oriented in space. It is believed that the ability to detect low frequencies, as well as orientation by the sun, helps the bird to navigate. The flight speed of a pigeon is tens of kilometers per hour.

Gallery: rock pigeon (25 photos)

Wild species They live in packs and, if necessary, can roam in search of food. City birds do not migrate and prefer to stay in their homes, flying around their usual perimeter, about several kilometers long.

Rock pigeons do not carry out seasonal migrations. The only migration according to the time of year can be considered the descent to the foot of the individuals living in the mountains. In the summer they fly back to an altitude of about four kilometers.

Sisari live in large groups. The number of one colony can reach a thousand individuals. The number of birds varies depending on the season. After cold winter the population is declining sharply. And warm harvest seasons significantly increase the number of flocks.

There is no hierarchy in pigeon flocks. Birds prefer a peaceful habitat. The only manifestations of aggression are considered to be temper tantrums in males during the mating season.

Couples can be seen in flocks. The male and the dove stick to each other and prefer to feed together, driving away other birds.

The favorite habitat of the wild rock pigeon is rocky terrain. Birds can also nest both on steppe plains and at river mouths.

Urban individuals choose places to live close to people. They chose attics, roofs, and abandoned buildings. The only criterion influencing the choice of nesting site is predators. Birds settle far from the habitats of cats, dogs and rats.

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Pigeons are also afraid of wild enemies: birds of prey- owls, eagle owls, peregrine falcons and hawks. Many dangers gave the sizars excellent reactions, the ability to quickly fly and run away. Sisars have quite sensitive sleep. At the slightest noise, sleeping birds wake up and rise into the air.

Rock pigeon feeding

Rock pigeons are omnivorous birds. The taste buds in their mouth are almost undeveloped, so they feed on sisari indiscriminately. All food found is the same for them.

The diet of the wild species is based on plant components. Birds feed on plant seeds, small insects, and worms. They often fly to the fields. Corn beds and wheat fields are especially popular among birds. Its large body mass does not allow it to peck at the spikelets, so the only field food for it is the grains that fell during the harvest.

In some regions, sisari also eat fruits and berries.

Urban species are considered semi-domestic. Their diet is even more unpretentious. Sisaris who live on city streets do not disdain landfills and trash cans. Small flocks of pigeons often occupy certain territories where residents feed them. Birds, accustomed to treats from human hands, become more “tamed.” Without fear, they come into contact with a person for a portion of a treat.

In times of famine, flocks do not disdain any food. For the sake of survival, they are able to feed even on carrion.

Sports training of pigeons

Pigeons have long been used as a means of communication. It was also described in the Bible that during the flood, Noah sent a dove three times to see if dry land had appeared.

Thanks to their ability to navigate in space, as well as their flexibility in training, pigeons at one time were one of the most reliable ways of transmitting information over a distance.

Sisari have sharp mind . The bird is able to remember more than 700 objects, while distinguishing between real and artificial ones. And he can distinguish day from night even with the help of his skin.

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One of the outstanding qualities of rock pigeons is considered to be homing - the ability to find their way home even over long distances. The sisar is a hardy bird. One individual can cover a distance of a thousand kilometers per day. Modern individuals, called “sports”, have improved the average to three thousand kilometers, which makes them real record holders.

Every breeder knows how fast pigeons fly. And also the fact that the speed and endurance of the bird largely depends on the conditions of detention and regular training. Depending on the training, the flight speed of a pigeon can vary on average from 70 to 140 km/h.

For orientation in space Birds use several navigation methods:

• Earth's magnetic field.
• The sun's rays, and in the dark - the stars.
• Artificial landmarks - power lines, road junctions.

The orientation of these birds in the area is amazing. The chick, having just hatched, determines the level of magnetic voltage in the nest using an organ located at the tip of its beak. The location of the nest is remembered by the chick as a kind of starting point. At any point in its life, an adult pigeon remembers and can return to the place where its first nest was.

Pigeons, or real pigeons (lat.Columba) - birds from the order Pigeonidae, family Pigeonidae. The wild pigeon was domesticated about 5,000, and possibly 10,000 years ago.

Dove - description and photographs. Coloring of pigeons.

The wing length of a pigeon is 20-27 cm, weight ranges from 200 to 650 g.

The color of pigeons can be completely different. Some species and breeds of pigeons are multi-colored, like, or have tails like. It is not surprising that the colors of pigeons are pink, yellow, peach or coffee. Doves can be one color, multi-colored, or have a pattern in their plumage. There are species with curly plumage or a large number of feathers near the head or paws.

Types of pigeons.

The genus of pigeons includes 35 species, 2 of which are extinct:

• Columba albinucha - white-necked pigeon
• Columba albitorques - Ethiopian pigeon
• Columba argentina - silver dove
• Columba arquatrix - olive pigeon
• Columba bollii - Canary pigeon
• Columba delegorguei - wine-red pigeon
• Columba elphinstonii - Nilgirian pigeon
• Columba eversmanni - brown pigeon
• Columba guinea - speckled pigeon
• Columba hodgsonii - Himalayan pigeon
• Columba iriditorques – speckled (Guinea) pigeon
• Columba janthina - black dove
• Columba jouyi - silver-banded pigeon (extinct)
• Columba junoniae - laurel dove
• Columba larvata (Aplopelia larvata) - lemon dove
• Columba leucomela - black and white pigeon
• Columba leuconota - white-breasted dove
• Columba livia - rock pigeon
• Columba malherbii - Sao Tome pigeon
• Columba oenas - clintukh
• Columba oliviae - Somali pigeon
• Columba pallidiceps - yellow-footed pigeon
• Columba palumboides - Andaman pigeon
• Columba palumbus - wood pigeon
• Columba pollenii - Comorian pigeon
• Columba pulchricollis - Ashy Dove
• Columba punicea - purple dove
• Columba rupestris - rock dove
• Columba sjostedti
• Columba thomensis – maroon pigeon
• Columba torringtonii - Ceylon pigeon
• Columba trocaz - Madeiran pigeon
• Columba unicincta - Congo pigeon
• Columba versicolor - Bonin pigeon (extinct species)
• Columba vitiensis - white-throated pigeon

In total, approximately 800 breeds of domestic pigeons were developed, 200 of which were bred in Russia.

Pigeons feed on seeds, fruits of fruit trees, and berries. Birds living in cities can consume food waste (oats, barley). Sometimes pigeons eat insects. Basically, birds prefer to settle near human habitation, this makes it easier for them to find food. Pigeons are quite unpretentious in choosing a source of food, since a pigeon has very few taste receptors in its mouth: 37 taste buds compared to the 10,000 taste buds that humans have.

When a pigeon drinks, it draws water into itself as if through a straw, while other birds generally catch a few drops with their beaks and then throw back their heads so that the water gets into the throat.

Where do pigeons live?

Pigeons live everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica and the polar region. Despite the fact that the number of passenger pigeons reached 5 billion, they became extinct due to deforestation in North America.

Dodo.

The dodo pigeon or dodo is a bird that became extinct due to the efforts of man. The dodo lived in Mauritius, the Mascarene Islands and Rodrigues. He had no natural enemies, did not fly, swam and ran poorly. It reached a meter in height, built nests on the ground and laid one egg. With the advent of Europeans, the dodo pigeon was destroyed by them. Because of the gullibility of the dodo pigeon, hunting it was not difficult, and the brought ones ate the eggs of the pigeons.

Breeding pigeons.

Pigeons are monogamous and form a family for the rest of their lives. When a male pigeon is courting a female, he spreads his tail and assumes a vertical stance, then bends down, puffs up and spins around the female. During this dance the male coos loudly. The lovers preen each other's feathers and touch their beaks, creating something like a kiss.

When a pair mates, the male climbs onto the female's back and balances on her using his wings. After that, he flies, noisily flapping his wings. The mating season for pigeons can be at any time of the year, as it depends on the place of residence of the individuals. A pair of pigeons builds a nest in a secluded place where it is difficult to detect. The male obtains materials for the home, and the dove lays thin twigs, twigs and blades of grass. In a year, a female can make up to 8 clutches, which consist of 1 or several eggs. Most of the time the eggs are incubated by the female, but the male pigeon also takes part in the incubation. After 16-19 days, pigeon chicks appear, blind and with yellow down. They are not born at the same time, since the laying of eggs could occur with a two-day break. In the first days, parents feed their offspring with regurgitation from the crop. Then seeds are added to the diet. When a little more than a month passes, young pigeons begin to fly and become similar to adults.

Area. IN THE USSR rock pigeon in the wild it occupies a relatively small area. It is found in Crimea (Puzanov, 1933), along steep banks Sea of ​​Azov, perhaps on Sivash. In small quantities in the lower reaches of the Dnieper (Walch, 1911) and along the right bank of the Don (Alferaki, 1910). Then inhabits the northern Ciscaucasia and northern slopes Caucasian ridge(Dinnik, 1886).

On the Volga, according to old data, it rises to the mouth of the Kama, and according to the newest data, nesting on the Volga, Oka or Sura is considered possible and is considered undoubted on Sviyag (Puzanov, 1942). In the Ural basin it was found in the upper reaches of this river (Snigirevsky, 1929). Altai is inhabited by a typical form (Sushkin, 1938), distributed in small colonies in the upper reaches of the Yenisei (Sushkin, 1914).

The semi-domesticated sisar goes much further north than the wild one. It is common for nesting in settlements of the Leningrad, Kalinin and Gorky regions. In some places it goes beyond this border, forming colonies, for example, in Murmansk and the lower reaches of the Ob. The area, isolated from Europe and western Asia, covers a small area Far East(basin of the Ussuri River). In Japan, the semi-domestic pigeon is common.

Nature of stay. Caesar - the wild pigeon is an almost sedentary bird, which is characterized by only irregular, but sometimes very significant migrations.

Biotope. Avoids forests and large flat areas. Favorite places nesting areas - all kinds of cliffs. Thus, the rock pigeon eagerly settles on the high limestone cliffs of the Crimean coast, on the chalk banks of the Volga and Don, also on the cliffs of the Mugodzharsky mountains and in real mountain environments in Altai.

Number. Currently, rock pigeons do not form large colonies in any of the listed places. In the European part of their range, they nest mostly in single pairs, occasionally forming small colonies of several pairs. These pigeons are also few in number in the western half of the Asian part of their range; in the eastern half they are much more numerous.

Reproduction. Data on the nesting of rock pigeons within the Union are insignificant and even on semi-domestic pigeons, despite the ease of observation, are fragmentary. Spring cooing and mating begins unusually early in semi-domestic birds - in Chkalov already in mid-February (Zarudny, 1888). In completely wild pigeons, the mating season begins later, and mating occurs at the end of March - beginning of April, eggs are laid by the end of April. The formation of a pair is preceded by the energetic cooing of the male. A cooing rock pigeon bends its front part of its body low and circles in one place, first in one direction, then in the other, with its tail half-open. Finishing the trill, he turns to the dove and sharply raises the front half of his body up. Pigeons often “kiss” with their beaks, finger each other’s feathers on their heads, etc. The same habits precede copulation, after which the male takes off, rises, describing a semicircle, to a certain height and descends in a gliding flight, holding his wings above his back at an angle .

The nest is located somewhere in a crack in a cliff, a niche in a rock, on a cornice or protruding stone, etc. According to Western European ornithologists, the male looks for a place for the nest and carries the material, and the female only lays it down. The nest is made up of relatively coarse twigs and roots and can be very crude, representing just a flat pile with a very shallow tray. The nesting area of ​​each pair is small, since pigeons often settle in colonies, placing nests close to each other. However, each male strictly ensures that his neighbors do not exceed the established limits, which in large and close colonies sometimes narrow to two to three tens of centimeters.

Clutch of 2 eggs, clear white; dimensions: (77) 36.4-43.3 x 27 - 31.5, average 39.33 x 29.22 mm (Hartert, 1915).

Both parents incubate from the first egg. The female sits on the nest more than the male, who spends time in the nest from 10 am to 2 pm. On the eighth day of incubation, old pigeons begin to thicken the walls of the crop. Incubation lasts 17 days. By the time the chicks hatch, the crop has already secreted a white, mushy substance that serves as food for the small chicks. The latter receive food from their parents by plunging their beaks into the wide-open mouths of old birds and taking in the contents of the crop regurgitated by the old birds. After a few days, the chicks begin to receive grains softened in the crops of old birds, but the release of a mushy substance ends in the domestic pigeon on the 18th day after the chicks hatch, and in the wild one even later.

The nesting period lasts 30-35 days. Even chicks that have left the nest receive food from their parents, begging for it with a squeak and a peculiar trembling of their wings. Therefore, in fully fledged young, the feathers at the base of the beak - on the forehead, on the sides and on the chin - grow later than all others, and the beak seems longer than in adult birds. A few days after departure, the parents drive away the chicks and begin the second clutch. Even in the northernmost parts of their range - in Scotland and the Faroe Islands - rock pigeons fly at least twice a summer. In Mediterranean countries they manage to hatch eggs up to three times. Flights of the first hatch were observed here at the end of May.

For our limits, there are no data on reproduction, except for the instructions for the Chkalov region. due to the fact that the semi-domestic pigeons living there supposedly have up to four clutches per summer (Zarudny, 1888). The chicks, which have become independent, form flocks that gradually increase due to the addition of growing young ones. After the last young ones have been fed, the old ones join the flocks, and the birds begin to wander around their nesting sites, sometimes flying away for a short time to longer distances.

Shedding. The rock pigeon, like other species of pigeons, has one complete molt per year. The change of plumage begins in May with the loss of the tenth primary flight and goes to the leading edge of the wing. For some individuals, the beginning of molting occurs in April, since in May there are birds with two or even three replaced flight feathers. In June there are individuals that have changed from two to five flight feathers, in July - from two to seven, in August - from five to eight. The September materials are represented by one bird with eight new flight feathers. In November, the replacement of primary flight feathers ends in all old birds (Larionov and Shchukina, 1948). Same it's going well change of flight feathers in domestic pigeons. Secondary flight feathers molt from two centers - from the first and tenth feathers. The moult goes towards, centripetally, and in the old ones it ends along with the end of the molt of the rest of the feather. Juveniles sometimes manage to moult all the secondary flight feathers, and the feathers from the fourth to the eighth remain unchanged. The molting of small feathers begins at the end of August, it is intensive during September and October.

The beginning of the loss of a small feather coincides with the change of the sixth flight feather, and the end - with the change of the second - first flight feather. First of all, the feathers of the back and chest fall out, but molting very quickly spreads to other areas of the plumage. In all likelihood, the molting of wild pigeons proceeds in a similar way.

In young birds, the change of outfits occurs in the following order: chick down is replaced by juvenile feathers, which resemble the color of the plumage of old birds, but the colors are duller, the plumage is looser and with a brownish coating. This plumage is replaced by the final adult plumage in the first autumn. Late chicks finish molting in winter. The last to grow in both young and old birds are peculiar feathers that produce fine powder. They are located in a narrow strip from the armpit to the tail, passing along the thigh. This row of feathers breaks through when the molt is already completed and grows back only in January - February. Common small plumage is also capable of producing powder. In all cases, it is obtained by breaking off the ends of thin beards. The powder is evenly dispersed throughout the plumage and gives it the softness of shades characteristic of all pigeons.

Nutrition. The main food of rock pigeons is the seeds of a wide variety of plants; He prefers legumes from wild ones, and cereals from cultivated ones, mainly wheat. It picks up grains from the ground, but does not knock them out of the growing ears. Sometimes, especially after the ground is covered with snow, rock pigeons sit on the heaps remaining in the fields and peck grains from the ears. However, this harm is extremely insignificant because, firstly, pigeons are generally few in number, secondly, they migrate during deep snowfalls, thirdly, grain from ears of corn left in the field for the winter still spills out under the influence of atmospheric factors and being pulled apart by rodents. By destroying weed seeds, pigeons bring certain benefits, helping to clean up fields. Like all granivorous birds, rock pigeons swallow large grains of sand and small pebbles, of which there are up to a dozen in the stomach of one individual. They feed mainly in the morning and evening hours while relaxing somewhere during the hot part of the day.

Field signs. IN field conditions The rock pigeon is easily distinguishable from other species of our pigeons from a distance by its white rump, noticeable in flight (when viewed from above or from behind). When viewed from the side or from below, the white lining of the wing is more noticeable, which contrasts with the relatively darkly colored chest and belly, which is not the case in other species. At the closest distances, a sitting sizak can be recognized by two sharply marked stripes that run across the wing. The rock pigeon is a “social” bird and even during the nesting period it is rare to spot single birds. Where this bird is not persecuted, it becomes very bold, as evidenced by the semi-domesticated pigeons walking the streets big cities. When pursued, the rock pigeon becomes much more careful and rises into the air, noticing the danger even at a great distance. The rock pigeon avoids forests and rarely perches on trees. For rest and lodging for the night, the flock chooses some high cliff, cliff, large building, and only in rare cases a single tree or small grove, but not deep areas of vast forests. Rock pigeons do not particularly readily join other species of pigeons, but sometimes they fly to feed together with the crowed pigeons. The voice of the rock pigeon is well distinguished from the monotonous cooing of forest pigeons and is similar to the cooing of domestic pigeons.

They have been living near people for a long time. These birds can be found in cities and villages. Large city squares with monuments are inconceivable without these birds. Pigeons have become the hallmark of many tourist cities in Europe. It is worth noting that all breeds of city pigeons originated from simple sizars, domesticated thousands of years ago.

Description of the rock pigeon

The city pigeon is distributed almost throughout the world. In Russia, it can be found not only in the European part of the country, but also far beyond the Urals. These birds tolerate Russian winters well and hot summers, which contributed to their widespread distribution.

The closest relatives of the sizar are the following pigeons:

• rocky;
• white-breasted;
• mottled;
• Ethiopian.

Caesar eats everything and is very prolific. Due to this, it wins competition from other bird species. Wild sisari are considered sedentary. They prefer to breed and live within the same territory. They wander extremely rarely. Most often, a flock of pigeons is forced to change places by external circumstances.

City sisaris do not change their location at all. Yes, they can fly several kilometers from their territory during the day, but in the evening they will certainly return back. Mountain sisars spend most of their lives at an altitude of up to 4 km. They descend into the valley only with the onset of serious cold weather. In fact, this is the only example of seasonal migration of pigeons.

Rock pigeons are excellent flyers. In the air they can accelerate to speeds of 150 km/h. The marching speed of a pigeon is 75 km/h. These birds prefer to live in flocks. Each flock or colony usually contains no more than 1,000 individuals.

In total, according to approximate estimates of researchers, there are several million of these birds in the world. It is impossible to calculate the exact population size, since it is constantly changing under the influence of external and internal factors. For example, in cold winters pigeons often die. It gets to the point where entire colonies of these birds disappear in cities. In a good year or after a long summer, the opposite situation is observed: there are more rock pigeons on city streets.

It is quite easy to distinguish a pigeon from another bird. You just need to look at the way he walks. If a bird shakes its head when walking, then it is definitely a pigeon. This feature of movement is explained by the unusual functioning of the visual apparatus of the sizar. Taking a step, he cranes his head forward and freezes for a moment, assessing his surroundings.

Other distinguishing feature rock pigeons - cooing. This is the name of the guttural rumbling with which the male calls the female and warns rivals that the territory is under his control. Not only males, but also females coo while hatching chicks. True, their cooing is more like the purring of a kitten.

According to ornithologists, there are 5 types of cooing:

• draft;
• nesting;
• caring;
• signal;
• cooing while feeding.

Besides their voices, these birds communicate with each other by flapping their wings. The eyes of sisars can be red, orange or golden. The color of the paws can be very different. The most common colors are pink and black.

Plumage color of sisars

The most common feather color for rock pigeons is blue-gray. In fact, this is why they are called Sisars. If you take a closer look at the rock pigeon, you will notice that the head, neck and chest of the bird have a greenish-purple tint. The feathers on the crop may appear pink.

There are subspecies of sisars that have clearly visible white and black stripes on the lower back. City pigeons are traditionally famous for their variety of plumage colors. This diversity can be explained very simply: wild birds have the ability to freely interbreed with domestic pigeons. As a result, on city streets you can find typical sisars with ocher or piebald plumage.

IN last years On city streets you can increasingly see completely black pigeons. This is a sure sign that urban sisaris have begun to actively interbreed with their wild relatives. It is worth noting that adult females are very similar in color to males. But they can be distinguished by a pronounced dewlap and the absence of a metallic sheen on the feathers.

By the way, young pigeons do not have a metallic sheen either. In males it appears only after they go through their first molt.

Bird lifestyle

Caesars are diurnal birds. While the sun is in the sky, they feed and fly actively. In urban environments rock pigeons change their behavior a little. They can be active even after sunset due to good street lighting. Most of the time, birds walk on the ground in search of food. They rest while sitting on the ground. They spend no more than 30% of their total waking time on flights.

At night these birds sleep soundly. Moreover, the doves always fall asleep in the nest, and the males sit somewhere nearby, protecting their soulmate and offspring. In the morning and evening, the birds go together to drink.

In terms of activity, urban sisars are much inferior to their wild counterparts. This is not surprising: the city has a lot of food and warm attics where it can reproduce unhindered all year round. Sometimes rock pigeons living in cities give rise to 8 broods at once during the 1st year. Wild sisars are not so fertile. During the year they can give a maximum of 4 broods, and even then only under favorable weather conditions.

As for the activity of wild pigeons, the following fact speaks eloquently about it: wild pigeons can fly 50 km from the nest in 1 day. Longest flights happen in winter, when it becomes very difficult to get food in the wild.

What do pigeons eat

As mentioned above, rock pigeons can eat any food, but their diet is based on plant foods:

• berries;
• corn;
• seeds of various plants;
• fruits and vegetables.

These birds love to hunt insects, and on occasion they don’t mind snacking on a worm, slug or careless mollusk. During cold weather, pigeons can become scavengers. Small pebbles, which they specifically swallow in advance, help them digest animal food.

Sisaris go out to hunt for food in flocks. Up to several hundred of them can gather in one place. Particularly large flocks of rock pigeons can be found in fields where grain is being harvested. Birds fly there from the nearest city in an organized manner and peck the grain that has fallen into the soil. Farmers do not chase pigeons because these birds pick up weed seeds along with the grain. Due to their high body weight and weak legs, sisars are not able to gut the ears.

At one time gray a pigeon can absorb up to 40 g of grain. Wherein daily norm food for these birds does not exceed 60 g. In recent years, the transition of sizar birds to unusual methods of obtaining food has been noted. Birds began to actively pull oat sprouts out of the ground in the fields, peck frozen apples, and even gut dog droppings in search of leftover dog food.

Reproduction of sisars

Birds that live in cities and in the wild are monogamous by nature. They choose a mate once and for life. As soon as the male chooses a female, he immediately begins to circle around her with his tail and wings fluffed up, alternating the circular walk with bows. During the mating dance, birds change direction of movement more than once. The mating dance ends with a sharp tossing of the male's head and chest.

If the female is favorable to the male, then he immediately begins to look for a place for the nest. Having chosen a suitable place, the rock pigeon begins to drag branches and fluff there, from which the female will later build a nest. Rock pigeons have very simple nests: a flat mound with a small depression in the center for eggs.

Since pigeons live in colonies, one pair can occupy only a small space for a nesting site. But even this territory the male guards very strictly and harshly suppresses attempts by other birds to cross it. The female lays eggs two days apart. As a rule, there are no more than three eggs in a clutch. It is very rare to find 5 eggs in a nest.

The hen sits on the eggs for no more than 19 days. This time is enough for maturation of chicks. Once a day, the male changes the female in the nest so that she can relieve her needs. Both parents are involved in feeding the young. In the first days they give the chicks food 4 times a day, then the number of feedings is reduced to two times.

The main food for young animals is a substance similar to gruel. It begins to be produced in the parents' crop on the 7th day after laying. Feed substance is softened grains, seeds and crumbs of other food.

In urban conditions, sisars stop feeding the chicks through the crop already on the 17th day. Wild ones support the young until 25 days. The female can lay the next clutch seven days after the previous generation of chicks has left the nest.

Natural enemies of rock pigeons

The sizar suffers the most from feathered predators. Hawks love to feast on pigeon meat. Their activity is especially dangerous during the breeding season of rock pigeons. Hawks have no problem killing a pigeon. A family of goshawks or sparrowhawks can eat up to 5 sisars in one day.

It is worth noting that hawks pose a threat mainly to wild pigeons. The urban cousins ​​of these birds are threatened by the peregrine falcon. This strong and graceful predator is not afraid to fly into the city in order to hunt local sizars. Moreover, in modern conditions Peregrine falcons feed their chicks mainly with pigeon meat.

Number of pigeon flocks can also abbreviate black and gray crows. They rarely attack adult birds, but are happy to gut the nests of colonies and steal chicks. If the crows decide to attack an adult sizar, then they choose the weakest or oldest one.

The nests of wild pigeons are often destroyed by such forest predators as:

It happens that the eggs of these birds become the prey of especially desperate lizards. Rock pigeons may die en masse from infectious diseases. The infection spreads very quickly within the colony due to the large crowding of pigeons.

The influence of urban sisars on human life

The life of these birds has changed greatly with the advent of large human settlements. Many of them began to depend on humans. They began to travel with people, thanks to which they settled on almost all continents.

These birds have such an impact on people's lives positive and bad influence . The main danger of being close to pigeons is the spread of various diseases. Doctors have proven that you can get psittacosis, torulosis, and bird flu from them. True, direct infection of humans from birds rarely occurs.

Pigeons spoil the appearance of the city. Their droppings can be found everywhere: on monuments, roofs of houses, window sills, windows, cornices, fences, cars, etc. positive aspects life together pigeons and people can be attributed to the fact that these birds effectively destroy household waste on the streets of the city. This leads to a reduction in the risk of the spread of dangerous microorganisms.

Finally, You can tell the weather by the sizar. These birds sense change very subtly atmospheric pressure. Sisaris have excellent vision and excellent spatial orientation. Thanks to this, they always return home. Thanks to this feature, people have found use for them as postal messengers. True, pigeons have not been used in this role for almost 100 years. However, many people still maintain dovecotes.