Pigeons & Doves  

are small to medium sized birds with short legs and necks and well known to most people. They are common worldwide and reach their highest diversity in the subtropical and tropical regions of the world. They make up the family of Columbidae in the order of Columbiformes. There exist around 312 species worldwide found in many habitats. 28 species can be found on mainland Ecuador with one endemic specie, the Galapagos Dove inhabiting the Galapagos islands.

Band-Tailed Pigeon is a large arboreal pigeon seen often in large flocks in the Andean valleys (Pululahua crater).

Croaking Ground-Doves are numerous in the arid lowlands of the west and are encountered in groups in settled areas (Jambeli island near Machala).

Rock Doves (Columba livia), native to Europe and Asia, are the ancestors of the many domestic breeds and subsequent feral breeds of the Common Pigeon, which are found worldwide in many towns. The Rock Doves were bred since a long time for body and plumage features like in the carriers, pouters and jacobins or special skills like in the case of the Homing Pigeon which has exceptional navigational skills, finding their home from long distances away. Those breeds were introduced to the Americas in the early 19th century and spread then to almost all towns of the continent.

 Like in so many other cities of the world, the Common Pigeons are numerous in Quito being fed by the inhabitants on the major squares (photo taken in Plaza San Francisco).

Pigeons and Doves live in open terrain, wooded habitat and some are numerous in towns and larger cities. They feed mostly on grains, seeds and fruits, which they store first in their crop and later grind them up in their muscular gizzard with the help of grit. They drink a lot of water and are capable to suck up water with their bills immersed in it. That is in contrast to most birds, which must first scoop up water with their bills and then throw back their heads to swallow it. Distinction between doves and pigeons are mostly semantic with the smaller ones called doves.

Females build simple and flat nests in trees  made of twigs and plant fibers, which are gathered and brought to her by the males. 1-2 eggs are laid and both parents incubate for around 2 weeks (in larger species up to a month). The chicks which hatch are semi-altricial and  fledge and become independent early. In the beginning they are fed by both female and male a milky substance (pigeon or crop milk) which is rich in fats and proteins (similar to mammalian milk) produced in both sexes' crop. Later on that is subsituted by regurgitated fruits and seeds. Once the young leaves the nest they join feeding flocks of other immatures and adults. Because of the quick development of the youngs, some species can have as many as five broods a year. 

Eared Doves (see above) are also common in Quito and several live around our hostel and nest in the trees of our garden. Like with all species the young leave the nest in less than a month.

 Birding Vocabulary