Rock Pigeon Similar Species Comparison
Similar Species
Band-tailed Pigeon
Adult
Band-tailed Pigeons have a white crescent on the neck and a pale tip to the tail unlike the dark-tipped tail on Rock Pigeons. Band-tailed Pigeons occur more often in forested areas than in towns like Rock Pigeons.
© Rick Taylor | Macaulay LibraryWashington, May 01, 2017Similar Species
Mourning Dove
Adult
Mourning Doves are smaller than Rock Pigeons and have a longer, pointier tail. They are tan overall rather than gray like the Rock Pigeon.
© Ryan Schain | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 08, 2014Similar Species
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Adult/immature
Eurasian Collared-Doves are smaller than Rock Pigeons, with a longer, square-tipped tail. They are uniform sandy brown except for a black collar on the neck.
© Ryan Schain | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, December 12, 2015Similar Species
White-winged Dove
Adult
White-winged Doves are smaller than Rock Pigeons, with a white patch on the wings that is visible both in flight and at rest.
© Ted Bradford | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 12, 2016Main Species
Rock Pigeon
Plump bird with small head and straight, thin bill. Plumage is variable, but most common form has gray back, 2 black bars in the wing, and blue-gray head.
© Luke Seitz | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 01, 2014© Rob Bielawski | Macaulay LibraryVirginia, January 30, 2016
© Christine Sheridan | Macaulay LibraryNew Hampshire, May 22, 2018
Plump bird with short legs and small head. Plumage is variable; some birds are dark gray with green-purple iridescence on the neck. Tail usually shows a dark band at the tip.
© Don Danko | Macaulay LibraryMaryland, October 14, 2020© Sam Zhang | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, September 06, 2020
Occasional variants are pale or rusty colored; often found in flocks with pigeons in standard gray plumage.
© Bob Myers | Macaulay LibraryGeorgia, December 22, 2020Struts on the ground with head-bobbing motion to pick at seeds and handouts.
© Marina Gorbunova | Macaulay LibrarySaint Petersburg, May 12, 2018Plumage is variable; some individuals can be nearly all white.
© Hui Sim | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, March 21, 2015© Miguel Rouco | Macaulay LibraryCastilla y León, August 12, 2020
Gathers in large flocks in urban areas and on farms. In flight, most individuals have pale underwings and a dark band at the tail tip.
© Arlene Ripley | Macaulay LibraryDelhi, February 11, 2004Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Pigeons and Doves(Order: Columbiformes, Family: Columbidae)
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