Pigeons and Doves - Bird of the Month February 2014

[steamtrainfan]

Please moderators - if you deem the following photos to be too "risque" please remove this thread. I will not be offended.

We have a pair of Speckled Pigeons nesting on the roof of the house next door. Every afternoon we have seen them do their courtship ritual on our roof. This afternoon the light was perfect and I thought I would try and record this process for posterity.

Hubby on his way home from work singing " I'm in the mood for love."


Honey I'm home.


A welcome home kiss.


A few whispered endearments.


"Sweetheart, that is so embarrasing."


A couple of warm up exercises.


No comment needed any further - pictures speak louder than words.






"Hope I did not hurt your back."

[Dewi]

Brilliant sequence and great comments to go with them.

[Toko]

Love it!

Can we move it to the bird forum?

[steamtrainfan]

Dewi - thanks so much for your positive comments.

Toko - Only with pleasure.

[Mel]

Great! And funny captions! -O -O -O

[Flutterby]

Great pics STF! -O

[leachy]

well documented steamtrainfan

....and clever narration.... -O -O -O

[Amoli]

Goeie waarneming...(good assesment of the situation)

[Flutterby]

The Columbiformes order contains just one family, the Columbidae which is comprised of dove and pigeon species. They have small heads, short legs, stout bodies and four unwebbed toes.

In general, the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably. Pigeon derives from the Latin pipio, for a "peeping" chick, while dove is a Germanic word that refers to the bird's diving flight. In ornithological practice, "dove" tends to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the terms. The species most commonly referred to as "pigeon" is the Feral Rock Pigeon, common in many cities.

Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They are monogamous and lay one or two eggs. Both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 7 to 28 days. Unlike most birds, both sexes of doves and pigeons produce "crop milk" to feed to their young, secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Young doves and pigeons are called "squabs". Unlike most other birds they are capable of drinking by sucking up water, without needing to tilt the head back.

Southern Africa is home to 15 species of doves and pigeons. At least one species is likely to be found in every habitat you could encounter in South Africa.

Genera Columba
Speckled Pigeon (Rock Pigeon) Columba guinea
African Olive-Pigeon (Rameron Pigeon) Columba arquatrix
Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon (Delegorgue's Pigeon) Columba delegorguei
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia

Genera Streptopelia
African Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens
Redeyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
Laughing Dove (Palm Dove) Streptopelia senegalensis
Cape Turtle-dove Streptopelia capicola
Eurasian Turtle-Dove (European Turtle Dove) Streptopelia turtur

Genera Turtur
Emerald-spotted Wood-dove (Greenspotted Dove) Turtur chalcospilos
Blue-spotted Wood-dove (Bluespotted Dove) Turtur afer
Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria

Genera Aplopelia
Lemon Dove (Cinnamon Dove) Aplopelia larvata

Genera Treron
African Green-Pigeon Treron calva

Genera Oena
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis

Souces: Wikipedia & Biodiversity Explorer

[Flutterby]

The Speckled Pigeon or Rock Pigeon (Kransduif) (Columba guinea), is a resident breeding pigeon in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species found in mountain ranges, rocky terrain, coastal cliffs and cities.

This is a large pigeon at 41 cm in length.The reddish wings spotted with white, the black bill, red legs and the bare red patches around the eyes are diagnostic. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey and the neck is brownish, streaked with white. Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults.

The call is a deep, booming 'hooo-hooo-hooo' and a softer 'coocoo-coocoo'.

This species builds a large stick nest in a tree and lays two white eggs. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.

The Speckled Pigeon is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation. Most of its food is vegetable, and it gathers in large numbers where grain or groundnuts are available.