Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve (1 Viewer)

[lou salomon]

Alexander, the one with the narrow subterminal band is p5. Moult gap as follows: p9+10 old (2nd generation), p8 missing, new p6+7 growing, new p5 fully grown.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Wild Rock Doves: solving a genetic enigma

BTO ringer and DPhil student Will Smith writes about his latest research into the distinctions between wild Rock Doves and the Feral Pigeon.

www.bto.org

Research maps out 'wild' Rock Dove populations in Britain and Ireland

DNA studies determined how much genetic influence there has been from Feral Pigeons.

www.birdguides.com

Study of remaining wild Rock Doves populations launched

Researchers are appealing for sightings of colour-ringed Rock Doves from relic populations, in order to understand their movements and the effect of inter-breeding with feral pigeons.

www.birdguides.com

This may be interesting to read...

Generally my impression is as follows:
there are differences in behaviour (shy, very strong flyers, wary towards humans) and head shape/bill shape (longer billed, higher fronted head and the white cere less thick and less pronounced in truly wild birds) in true rock doves and wild colored feral pigeons....the Bempton Cliff bird does look more like feral pigeon to me.... However it can be very difficult for single birds, also as there is certainly interbreeding.

Hybrids of feral pigeons with other species are extremely uncommon and in general produced in captivity rather than in the wild ; with maybe the exception between feral pigeons and the Asian species Hill pigeon (Columba rupestris).
if anybody has well documented evidence of wild breeding events between feral pigeon and either wood pigeon and stock dove that would be very unusual and interesting to see the documentation...

Captive hybrids of wood pigeon and feral pigeon are produced as live decoys for wood pigeon hunting in France, Spain and Italy, possibly also in other countries...
here is an idea what they can look like :

https://flic.kr/p/21b9578

 

[kuzeycem]

I think there's a risk we're too precious about these things. I think an interesting question is why we see all this phenotypic variation in wild pigeons. I can only assume it's because they're regularly interbreeding with pigeon fanciers'/pigeon racers' birds. If it were not the case you'd expect they would have reverted to wild type by now (we can assume the ancestral plumage is like that for a reason: confers some benefits). Shows just how pervasive the domestic birds must be

Can we though? What selective forces are on these feral birds that would force them to revert to their original plumage? Maybe with such as ease of lifestyle, it just doesn't matter what they look like anymore.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Can we though? What selective forces are on these feral birds that would force them to revert to their original plumage? Maybe with such as ease of lifestyle, it just doesn't matter what they look like anymore.

Feral Peregrines

 

[THE_FERN]

Feral Peregrines

Yes. It's interesting that their main predators have adapted to city life quite well too. Presumably the wild type plumage is as it is in part because it helps them to evade peregrines (especially)