Home Communities National Parks Great Keppel Island Keppel Bay Islands History Birds Flora Animals My work
 
Doves and Pigeons 1
  
   
  About Pigeons and Doves  
 
Pigeons and doves comprise the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for "dove" 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 term "dove" and "pigeon." The species commonly referred to just as the "pigeon" is the feral Rock Pigeon, common in many cities. The usually flimsy nests are made of sticks, and the two white eggs are incubated by both sexes. Doves feed on seeds, fruit and plants. Unlike most other birds (but see flamingo), the doves and pigeons produce "crop milk," which is secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Both sexes produce this highly nutritious substance to feed to the young. This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. The young doves and pigeons are called "squabs."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
     
     
 
 
Peaceful Dove
Geopelia placida

Peaceful Doves are found in Asia, south Burma and the Malay peninsula, through Indochina to eastern New Guinea and Australia, where it is widespread in the north west, north and eastern mainland. They have been widely introduced to islands. The Peaceful Dove has a similar shape but is larger than the Diamond Dove, They forage on the ground in open, bare areas, in paddocks, beside roads and in gardens, feeding mainly on small seeds of grasses and sedges, and sometimes small insects. They nest in trees or shrubs, including in garden and street trees. The nest is a small, flimsy platform of twigs, grasses and roots, which is built by both parents.

 
 
 
Bar-shouldered Dove
Geopelia humeralis
Bar-shouldered Doves are found in humid and well-wooded regions of north-western, northern and eastern Australia, as well as in southern New Guinea. They are found in woodland with a grassy understorey and in nearby open areas, usually near water, in mangroves and in urban areas. They feed on the ground in short grass near cover and need to drink throughout the day. Their diet is mainly seeds of grasses, herbs and sedges, as well as rhizomes .The nest is a thin platform  made from twigs and roots and is placed in a fork or on a branch usually hidden in dense shrubs or trees and in gardens. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
 
   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
   
  Birds Menu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Honeyeaters 1 and 2
 
 
 
  Outside Capricorn Coast