Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
General Description
Medium-sized pigeon. Length of males 30 - 36 cm, females 29 - 35 cm. Mass of males 369 g; females 340 g. Bill dark gray; under wing coverts white; tail with blue-black subterminal band; outer rectrix white on proximal 2/3 of outer vane; rump gray or white. Wings usually with two dark bars on greater coverts and inner secondaries. Basic color bluish gray in most, bluish black in some, rusty red in a few and a fraction mostly white or grizzled. (Johnston, Richard F. The Birds of North America, No. 13, 1992).
Distribution
Montana Range
Habitat
Found chiefly in cities and towns or at farms with livestock; not found far from humans or agriculture. (Johnston 1992).
Food Habits
Seeds, fruits, rarely invertebrates. (Johnston 1992).
Ecology
Many birds reported in county and watershed occurrences may not be records of feral birds.
Reproductive Characteristics
Roost and nest in crevices. Monogamous for life. Pair formation Feb through Sep. with no peaks. Clutch size is 2 eggs. Overlap of clutches and broods common in summer. Interval between first eggs of first and second clutches averages 46 days. (Johnston 1992).