English: Pigeons; Doves; Culver.
German: Doves, coming from diving.
French: Pigeon, from the Latin pipio, for a peeping chick.
Latin: Columba.
Clades: Columbiaves;
Aves;
Animals.
Region: worldwide, majority Indomalayan and Australasia.
Genera: 50 genera; 344 species; 1 family.
Culture: in English, the smaller species tend to be called doves and the larger ones pigeons, but the distinction is not consistent and does not exist in most other languages.
ZoologyColumbiformes are stout-bodied birds with short necks, and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants. Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests, often using sticks and other debris, which may be placed on branches of trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or two white eggs at a time, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 30 days. Unfledged baby doves and pigeons are called squabs and are generally able to fly by 5 weeks of age. These fledglings, with their immature squeaking voices, are called squeakers once they are weaned or weaning. 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.
FamiliesColumbidae