Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 )

There is clear distinction between wild rock pigeons, domestic pigeons and feral pigeons.Some people speak of ferals as “free-flying domestics”, but we have seen that feral pigeons have developed themselves as being independent of human interference. However, you will see feral pigeons often referred to as Columba livia domestica, though this is a combination that is, nomenclaturally, wholly unrecognised. This is because the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature pertains only to “natural” biological, and not to those created by human selection. For Feral pigeons it is not suitable anyway, because they are not created by human selection. Some authors employ the convention of the variety (C. livia var. domestica), which is not a formal category in zoological nomenclature either. And the same for form or forma; C. livia f. domestica is invalid according to the rules of the Code.Knowing all of this, how to refer to feral pigeons then? To begin with, since feral pigeons are not domestic pigeons, they should not be called domestic pigeons. Not vernacularly or otherwise. If someone will someday propose to call them “C. livia ferina” or “C. livia urbana”, that are names to avoided as well, because feral pigeons have multiple origins. The only valid scientific name for feral pigeons is Columba livia, after there original ancestor. And the preferred vernacular name is feral pigeon.

Other common names

• Common pigeon
• Town pigeon
• City pigeon
• Street pigeon
• Park pigeon
• Field pigeon
• Urban pigeon

Some history
In the 10^th edition of his Systema Naturea, Linnaeus described his ‘blue pigeon’ after Aldrovandi’s Oenas s. Vinago. According to Linnaeus the species was bluish-grey with a glossy green neck and a black bar on his tail and wings. (“caerulescens, collo supra viridi-nitente, fascia alarum apiceque caudae nigricante”). He named this pigeon Columba oenas, and that was quite a good description of the stock dove indeed.However, Linnaeus did not mean the stock dove specific. He meant all pigeons, wild and tame, what in his opinion meet this description. So both the stock dove and the rock pigeon and all tame pigeons with a comparable plumage colour. According to him it was all the same species. However, within the species oenas Linnaeus distinguished specifically the so called tame pigeons or dovecote pigeons. This variety he called Columba domestica. Besides their colour these pigeons didn’t differ at all from the ‘wild form’.Next Linnaeus described a few domesticated breeds as if they where original forms (species). Because he mentioned them apart from his oenas and domestica it is obvious that he didn’t know these pigeons actually were domesticated forms. Also in the 12^th edition of his Systema Naturea he still didn’t know and among others he mentioned as being original species the following pigeons:

• Columba hispanica (runt)
• Columba cucullata (Jacobin)
• Columba turbita (Turbit)
• Columba laticauda (Fantail)
• Columba gyratrix (Tumbler)
• Columba turcica (Indian)
• Columba tabellaria (Carrier)
• Columba hispida (silky feathered pigeon)
• Columba gutturosa (Pouter)

Between 1788 and 1793 Gmelin’s revision of Linnaeus’ 13^th edition was published. In Tom I.2 (1789) Gmelin mentioned Columba oenas as well but he did mean the Stock dove only. And he also described Columba domestica, but now separated from oenas.According to Gmelin this ‘Common Pigeon’ is ash-grey with a white rump and a black bar on the tail and wings (“cinerea, uropygio albo, alurum fascia, caudaeque apice nigricante”). Just like Linnaeus Gmelin described next a few related, but distinguishable forms of which we know nowadays it are domesticated breeds. It’s remarkable that he discerned these forms (20 in total) as varieties of Columba domestica. This may indicate that Gmelin knew that all those pigeons derived from each other. But at least he knew they had nothing to do with the stock dove.The first variety within domestica he started with is Columba livia. Most important difference between domestica and livia, according to Gmelin, is the double bar on the wings (“alarum fascia duplici”). Who originated from who was still not yet completely clear. However, by this Gmelin was the first who had scientifically named the rock pigeon. If he really meant the wild rock pigeon, or tame pigeons with the same colour, is not clear but that does not matter. In those days tame pigeons were often kept in a semi wild state so that it was not easy to tell the difference and they are the same species anyway.

生态 （据钱燕文等，1965;郑作新等，1983)原鸽在新疆留居塔里木盆地，是绿洲中最常见的鸟类之一，即在新开垦的农场也常看到；少见于2000米以上的山地和村落附近。大多十多只以至数百只结集生活，时而栖于村落，时而停息在废墟，但大都在农田周围活动。飞行姿态与家鸽相仿，只是飞速较快。据当地农民反映，此鸽危害作物甚剧。从我们所剖的6只鸟胃结果，除1胃内仅有植物碎片外，余几乎全部为粮食。5, 6, 9月间所采的4只鸟胃内，均有小麦颗粒，最多的达200粒左右。4月下旬在若羌采得的幼鸟胃内均检有红花籽数十粒，另有豌豆等。
在西藏南部，原鸽栖居于海拔2 800米的岩石峭壁上亦常集结成群，少则仅几只、十几只，多则几十只，甚至更多。我们剖验采自吉隆的8只原鸽，其胃及嗉囊中全充满着作物种子，如小麦、青稞等，其中一嗉囊中就有青稞麦37克。繁殖在4—8月间。雄鸽动情求偶方式与其他鸠鸽相似，频二点头鞠躬并伴随以“gu--, gu---”的叫声。

4.9 Depredadores*

Los mamíferos y otras aves, son sus principales depredadores (Williams y Corrigan, 1994).

Competencia

Probablemente compite por alimento con otros animales granívoros. Además son parte de la dieta de la lechuza de campanario (Tyto alba), el aguililla rojinegra (Parabuteo unicintus) y el halcón peregrino (Falco peregrinus). Esta es una especie potencialmente transmisora de enfermedades (Gomez et al., 2005).
 
 

经济意义 原鸽与家鸽关系密切，一般都认为家鸽是由原鸽驯化而来。与家鸽一样可供食用，乳鸽品质最佳。供出口的主要是幼鸽，是一项野生动物资源，可作为狩猎对象。由于它主要食谷物，对农业不免带来一定的害处。在数量增加过多时，可适当捕猎利用，化害为益。