Rock Pigeon

Rock Pigeon

Columba livia

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
at Kathmandu

In 3 days >90%

10,957 Verified sightings at Kathmandu
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rock Pigeon

The rock dove (Columba livia), also known as the common pigeon or rock pigeon (but see also Petrophassa), is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although the rock dove is the wild form of the bird; the pigeons familiar to most people are the domesticated forms of the wild rock dove.

Wild rock doves are uniformly pale grey with two black bars on each wing, with few differences being seen between males and females; i.e. they are not strongly sexually dimorphic. The domestic pigeon, often called "Columba livia domestica", which includes about 1,000 different breeds, is descended from this species. Escaped domestic pigeons are the origin of feral pigeons around the world. Both forms can vary widely in the colour and pattern of their plumage unlike their wild ancestor, being red, brown, checkered, uniformly coloured, or pied.

Habitats include various open and semi-open environments where they are able to forage on the ground. Cliffs and rock ledges are used for roosting and breeding in the wild. Originating in Southern Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, when including their domestic and feral descendants, they are an example of a least-concern species per IUCN among birds, being abundant with an estimated population of 17 to 28 million wild and feral birds in Europe alone and up to 120 million worldwide. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Amman 🇯🇴 Jordan
>90%
2 Jalandhar 🇮🇳 India
>90%
3 Sincan 🇹🇷 Turkey
>90%
4 Ludhiana 🇮🇳 India
>90%
5 Arequipa 🇵🇪 Peru
~90%
6 Ramallah 🇵🇸 Palestine
~90%
7 Tehran 🇮🇷 Iran
~90%
8 Ahmedabad 🇮🇳 India
~90%
9 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~90%
10 Bishkek 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
~90%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rock Pigeon in Kathmandu?

Very likely

About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rock Pigeon sighting in Kathmandu on a given day, based on 10,957 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 312 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rock Pigeon in Kathmandu?

May to February

In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Rock Pigeon in Kathmandu on a given day, against about 80% in March and April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Rock Pigeon?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rock Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kathmandu the best place to see a Rock Pigeon?

15th of 353

Of the 353 cities where we can rate Rock Pigeon sightings, Kathmandu ranks 15th at about 90%. The best odds are in Amman (Jordan, over 90%), Jalandhar (India, over 90%) and Sincan (Turkey, over 90%).

Where does the Rock Pigeon sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rock Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Kathmandu (10,957 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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