Columbidae
Bird family of doves and pigeons, worldwide and diverse.
Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons, the only family in the order Columbiformes. These stout-bodied birds with small heads, short necks, and slender bills feed largely on plant matter, including seeds, fruit, and foliage. The family occurs worldwide, often in close proximity to humans, with the greatest diversity in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Colloquially, smaller species are called 'doves' and larger ones 'pigeons,' though the distinction is not consistent and has no scientific basis.
- Number of genera
- 52
- Extinct species
- 13
- Notable extinct species
- dodo and passenger pigeon
- Order
- Columbiformes
Lore & Background
The family's taxonomy has been debated, with past classifications using up to five or six families, including Raphidae for the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire. These issues are exacerbated by a poor fossil record, with no truly primitive forms found to date.
Reader's Guide
Columbidae is significant as one of the most diverse non-passerine clades of neoavians, with origins in the Cretaceous and rapid diversification after the K–Pg boundary. Whole genome analyses place Columbiformes as sister to the clade Pteroclimesites (sandgrouses and mesites), forming the group Columbimorphae. Their anatomy features short legs, small heads, compact bodies, fleshy ceres, and no gall bladder, with bile secreted directly into the gut. The wings have eleven primary feathers and strong muscles comprising 31–44% of body weight, making them among the strongest fliers. The family's global distribution and close association with humans, especially the feral pigeon descended from the rock dove, underscore its ecological and cultural importance.
Did You Know?
- The English dialectal word 'culver' appears to derive from Latin 'columba'.
- A group of doves has sometimes been called a 'dule', from the French word for 'mourning'.
- The dodo and Rodrigues solitaire were once placed in the family Raphidae.
- Pigeon wing muscles comprise 31–44% of their body weight.
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