📸 PhotoPhoto: william_stephens · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Rock Dove
Columba livia (Rock Dove · カワラバト)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its mass of 358.7 g is similar to six chicken eggs (about 60 g each) (Comparison).
- 💡 In cities, it also eats food dropped by people such as popcorn, cake, peanuts, bread, and raisins. It is also eaten by people and used in laboratory research.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The rock dove (domestic pigeon) originally nested in crevices on seaside rock cliffs, and in cities tall buildings take the place of cliffs.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its head, neck, and chest are dark bluish-grey with yellow, green, and reddish-purple gloss on the neck and wing feathers. There are two dark bands across the wings and one bluish-grey band across the tail, and the bill is dark greyish-pink.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds mainly on seeds on open ground in the early morning and afternoon. Pairs stay together for life, the male builds the nest, and both parents incubate the 2 eggs per clutch until they hatch in about 19 days.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2025) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690066/281965783
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 281965783
- • wikidata.org — Q42326
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Columba livia (Rock Dove, wild), Duncansby Head, Caithn
- • animaldiversity.org — Columba livia
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Amy Beauvois · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.