NY PIGEON 2 SQUARE STICKER

Pigeons are as much a part of NYC’s identity as bagels, pizza, and the subway. Pigeons, sometimes known as rock doves, are largely harmless and gentle birds. These plump birds have a skin saddle (cere) between their small bills and yellow/orange eyes. Along their necks, you can often observe a blue and purple “oil slick” pattern followed by dark and light gray plumage dotted with black patterns around their wings. Some pigeons have white spots or are all white - and even more exciting are the variety that replaces gray tones for brown and khaki coloring. When compared to their wild counterparts, city dwelling pigeons tend to be darker in color. Some researchers speculate that this change is an adaptation that makes these specific birds better suited to blending into the architectural features of cities like concrete, pavement, and various dark metal structures like bridges and overpasses. Pigeons originate from a family of several hundred species of birds called “Columbidae”. The ones that we are most familiar with in New York City are a feral subspecies called “Columba livia” or the rock dove. Rock doves are naturally wild, but the pigeons we see the most in our cities are descended from domesticated pigeons that were kept as pets and released thousands of years ago.